Under-Strength Claudelands Stretch League Lead
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Despite missing three of their brightest stars on international duty, Lotto Northern Premier Women’s League leaders Claudelands Rovers strengthened their grip on the top rung of the ladder at Galloway Park on Mother’s Day, handing Fencibles United a 5-0 defeat.

Sarah McLaughlin gave Rovers a dream start by opening the scoring inside the first sixty seconds, while Helen Collins and Rachael Porteous trebled that advantage inside the next sixteen minutes for a team also missing the services of Kylie Jens, who is out with medial ligament damage.

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Published: 13 May 2012

Wise Heads Outsmart Promising Starlets
Story by Jeremy Ruane

The experience and wherewithal of Eastern Suburbs proved too much for a youthful and injury-hit Three Kings United side to cope with at Madills Farm on May 13, as the home side prevailed 4-1 in this Lotto Northern Premier Women’s League seventh round encounter.

“The Lilywhites” were also missing a few of their stars, with Erin Nayler and Kristy Hill among those unavailable, but those present boasted far too much nous for their young opponents, who nonetheless produced some very tidy approach play to compliment their technical prowess - plenty of quality first touches were in evidence throughout proceedings.

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Published: 13 May 2012

Hamilton Latest Victims Of Bay Olympic Juggernaut
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Bay Olympic continue to make every post a winning one in the Lotto Northern Premier League, with Hamilton Wanderers the latest victims of the reigning champions, whose 2-0 win at Olympic Park was provided by the goals of Colin Gardyne and Robbie Greenhalgh, whose second half strike came from the penalty spot.

They are now eleven points clear of third-placed Central United, who had Jacob Hall and Mikhail Bredeveldt sent off as they slumped 2-1 at second-placed East Coast Bays, for whom Nathan Palmer opened the scoring in the ninth minute.

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Published: 06 May 2012

Coastal Now Calling The Shots Down South
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Another week has gone by, and another leader resides atop the Robbie’s Mainland Premier Women’s League table, although it’s likely to be the last change at the helm for some time yet.

Such is the head of steam Coastal Spirit are developing, after defeating both their nearest rivals, Cashmere Technical and FC Twenty11, during the past week to open up a three-point lead at the top, with a game in hand to boot.

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Published: 13 May 2012

Cup Action Commences With No Surprises
Story by Jeremy Ruane

The opening round of action in the ASB National Women’s Knockout Cup took pride of place on the first weekend in May, with a flurry of entries in Auckland prompting the postponement of three matches in the Lotto Northern Premier Women’s League on the Tuesday prior.

Unsurprisingly, the five top-flight teams involved in Sunday’s cup-ties all progressed through to the next round, although a couple of them won by narrower margins than anticipated.

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Published: 06 May 2012

Upsets Abound In Chatham Cup Round
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Eleven Lotto Northern League teams were eliminated from the ASB Chatham Cup on the weekend, with a handful of them the victims of upset scorelines in a round which saw a number of former Northern League clubs earning their share of the spotlight.

Pride of place goes to Waikato Unicol, who last graced the country’s oldest league competition in 2003. They humbled Glenfield Rovers 2-1 in Hamilton, with Hamish Utteridge and Rob Sonntag scoring the goals which ousted the team currently lying second in the First Division.

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Published: 13 May 2012

Joy For Auckland As Season Ends In O-League Glory
Story by Jeremy Ruane

For a lengthy period this season, it appeared that Auckland City would achieve the seemingly unthinkable, and go through their entire campaign without defeat, save for the FIFA Club World Cup Finals reversal at the hands of J-League champions Kashiwa Reysol.

They completed the entire round-robin phase of the ASB Premiership unblemished, earning qualification for next season’s OFC Champions League competition, while reaching the final of this year’s O-League with a game to spare.

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Published: 14 May 2012

Plucky All Whites Overcome By Australia
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Australia’s Socceroos scored an expected 3-0 victory over a plucky and youthful New Zealand All Whites combination at Adelaide Oval on June 5, the 21,281-strong crowd braving a second half downpour to take in only the latest trans-tasman derby these age-old arch-rivals have contested in Adelaide.

The injury- and absentee-hit All Whites - Ricki Herbert was denied the services of sixteen players for this game - had travelled direct from their clash with Mexico in Denver, Colorado, to the South Australian capital, but at no stage was any hint of tiredness apparent in their performance.

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Published: 06 June 2011

Football Ferns Pummel Papua New Guinea Again
Story by Jeremy Ruane

The Football Ferns booked their place at the 2012 Olympic Women’s Football Tournament in emphatic fashion at the Port Moresby Rugby League Stadium on April 4, completing a 15-0 aggregate rout of Papua New Guinea by mauling the locals 7-0 in the second leg of the Oceania Football Confederation’s qualifying tie.

Despite having all but wrapped up the contest in the first leg, the visitors, sporting eight changes to the line-up which started in Whangarei, set about the task of confirming their place in the April 24 draw with a vengeance, Abby Erceg, Hannah Wilkinson and Sarah Gregorius all going close inside the first eleven minutes.

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Published: 04 April 2012

Young Ferns Net Nine To Reach Azerbaijan
Story by Jeremy Ruane

New Zealand's Young Ferns confirmed themselves as the eleventh country to qualify for the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals in Azerbaijan later this year with a solid 9-0 rout of Papua New Guinea at Mangere Centre Park on April 13.

The eventual winners of the OFC U-17 Women's Championship were given a scare straight from the kick-off, when Georgina Kaikas raced downfield before unleashing a shot which forced Ronisa Lipi into producing a save before any of her team-mates had touched the ball.

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Published: 14 April 2012

Junior Ferns Japan-Bound - Via Finishing School!
Story by Jeremy Ruane

New Zealand's Junior Ferns qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals on April 14, doing so even prior to thumping Samoa 12-0 due to the outcome in the other group match at the OFC U-20 Women's Championship at Mangere Centre Park.

But while this was an improved performance compared to their showing against New Caledonia, the Junior Ferns know they should have won this match by the proverbial hatful, even though the twelve goals they amassed is the most scored in a Women's World Cup qualifying fixture by a New Zealand team at this level since the U-20 format was introduced by FIFA in time for the 2006 competition.

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Published: 14 April 2012

Maiden Northern Triumph Marred By Sobering Injury
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Northern Football claimed their maiden women's footballing honour when recording a 3-0 victory over Waikato-Bay of Plenty in a rain-soaked ASB National Women's Youth League Grand Final at Parrs Park on December 4, but their post-match celebrations were somewhat muted after the match was ended a minute earlier than planned.

A collision on the edge of the penalty area between Northern goalkeeper Pam Yates and Wai-BOP substitute Brianna Stewart left the young attacker screaming in agony, and facing a lengthy time in plaster as she recovers from a compound fracture of her tibia.

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Published: 04 December 2011

Three-Peat" And Record Scoreline For Waitakere
By Jeremy Ruane

Waitakere United clinched a third successive ASB Premiership at the Trusts Stadium in Henderson on April 28, doing so in style by crushing Team Wellington 4-1 - a record Grand Final scoreline - to qualify for the 2012-13 OFC Champions League as New Zealand’s champions once again.

The West Auckland club once again join their cross-town arch-rivals, Auckland City, as New Zealand’s representatives in the O-League, much to the chagrin of the beaten Wellingtonians, who clinched their maiden honour during the season by winning the inaugural White Ribbon Cup.

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Published: 28 April 2012

Perth's Extra Time Winner Ends Wellington's Season
By Jeremy Ruane

Perth Glory substitute Todd Howarth struck an extra time winner eight minutes from the end of a gripping Hyundai A-League Play-Off Series encounter at NIB Stadium on 7 April to clinch a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Wellington Phoenix and end the season of the beaten team.

A cagey first half enjoyed few highlights, the first of which came in the twelfth minute. Andrezinho's delightfully flighted free-kick found Travis Dodd darting into space, and his deft header required a solid one-handed save from Mark Paston to prevent the ball from entering the net.

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Published: 08 April 2012

Biggest Guns Fire As Play-Off Race Tightens
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Melbourne Victory revived their fading hopes of reaching the Hyundai A-League play-offs at AAMI Park on February 10 as they came from behind to upset Central Coast Mariners 2-1, inflicting a second successive defeat on the leaders in the process.

In a game of well-taken goals, Tomas Rogic opened the scoring for the visitors in the ninth minute, to which Carlos Hernandez responded with a belter seven minutes later, his thumping drive crashing into the net off a post.

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Published: 12 February 2012

On The March With Herdman’s Army – Part Nine
Story by Jeremy Ruane

What a final! It had everything! And what a great advertisement for football generally, women’s football particularly.

Who would have picked, before the first ball was kicked in anger in Germany on June 26, that the FIFA Women’s World Cup would be heading to Japan?

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Published: 21 July 2011

USA Pay The Penalty As Japan Win World Cup
Story by Jeremy Ruane

Profligate finishing by Team USA throughout a thrilling 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final at the Commerzbank Arena on July 17 came back to haunt them, as Japan edged the two-time winners 3-1 on penalties after two hours of gripping football had resulted in a 2-2 draw.

A sell-out 48,817-strong crowd were treated to a superb encounter which had a little bit of everything in it, including a late sending-off as Nadeshiko, having just snatched a dramatic equaliser, came close to being beaten at the death.

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Published: 19 July 2011

Hoyle Hoping For The Ultimate Career Highlight
Story by Jeremy Ruane

When Katie Hoyle was last the subject of an interview by this writer, in December 2005, she had only visited one country - Australia.

She’s had occasion to head to West Island a few more times since then, of course, but her passport now boasts stamps from a wide variety of countries - Samoa, Argentina, Holland, Russia, China, Papua New Guinea, USA, Singapore, Cyprus, Korea Republic, Japan and Switzerland, amongst others, with Germany soon to be added.

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Published: 19 June 2011