Central Football vs Canterbury United Pride

Canterbury United’s great start to the season got them right up in grand final contention only to then lose three games in a row and drop out of it. They travelled northwards to a soppy Massey University pitch to face a Central Football side that had lost 7/7 games and conceded at least five goals in all but one of those games. It stood to reason that this was a simple chance for Canterbury Utd to roar back to winning ways... however, with both teams making significant alterations to their line-ups there were layers of unpredictability about this fixture.

The Pride brought back Amber Bennett in goal and Grace Johns at left-back. Neither played last week but both have been regulars through the past couple months. Can’t say the same about Amber De Wit though. She’s fresh back from the U17 World Cup and this was her National League debut. Straight in there from the start as the holding midfielder. There was also room for speedster (and former domestic cricketer) Emma Kench on the right wing while Margi Dias returned to lead the forward line. Amongst the alterations, none of Nicola Dominikovch, Anna McPhie, or Kate Loye made the trip... probably their three best players this season so that automatically levelled the field somewhat.

Central seem to be leaning into the end of the season as well. Haven’t seen Rosie Missen for a couple of weeks. No Lilly Dowsing this week either. It was a 4-1-4-1 shape for them with Caitlyn Turner making her second start of the season at left-back, Charlotte Cameron making her first start (after several sub apps) as the holding midfielder, and Kate MacPherson making her first appearance fullstop as the striker. Every week you think they can’t get any younger and then the next week they do.

Dias went close to turning home a low cross inside the opening sixty seconds. Not a lot of other clear-cut chances in the initial passages as the players rushed and hassled and tried to get a feel for the conditions... until, with eight minutes gone, Bo Burton went on an incredible run from near halfway, beating multiple defenders for pace before lashing a shot slightly past the post. Got a corner for it, so obviously there was a very useful Central touch in there somewhere. Canterbury Utd were generally in control... but that didn’t account for Maddi Hughes rounding the corner and running past Megan Simpson whose sliding tackle was a little too rash for the conditions as she took down Hughes and conceded a penalty. An excellent finish from the spot by Caitlyn Turner made it 1-0 to Central after 17 minutes. Unfamiliar territory but here we were.

The only other lead that Central have held this season lasted roughly one minute before Auckland United retaliated. They’d been leading here for two minutes when a deep cross met Lisa Evans’ foot but the ball rebounded off the post from close range. It had been five minutes when a snapshot from Mortlock was absolutely brilliantly saved by Campbell, somehow pushing it up onto the crossbar and over with hardly any time to react. Then nine minutes when Campbell raked away a Johns cross which fell for Kench whose shot was deflected over. Kench also fizzed one over from distance as Central’s lead persisted and persisted. All the way until the 34th minute when Charlotte Mortlock scooped up a loose ball in the area and went boom for her fourth of the term.

Lottie nearly got another later on in the half, faking out a couple of defenders to find room for a shot from the left side of the box but Sophie Campbell was in the right place to deal with it. That meant that, even though the lead was gone, Central hit the sheds for HT in a non-losing position for the first time this year and they did it with what, on paper, was their most inexperienced line-up to date.

Funky instance a few mins into the second half: Leonie Heck was subbed on for Central to play striker. Prior to Campbell’s return from the U17 World Cup, Heck had been doing an excellent job as starting goalkeeper... but she’s accomplished in either position and here she’d get more than 40 minutes to run around unbound by positional convention. All the while her goalkeeping replacement kept up the good stuff with a nice low save off Burton’s twenty-yard attempt.

Not a lot else where that came from for the Cantabs though, and concerns beginning to grow. Especially when MacPherson went sprinting into the area, shooting slightly past the near post. Could have been trouble there. Regardless, the Pride needed a goal. On came Denva Perrott and Dorothy Yek (Sophie Hawkins and Giselle Rynvos would follow later – very youthful bench for the Pride). Central continued to pose a threat on the break, with Heck hustling away and Erol-Watt whipping in a low cross that deserved a player on the end of it. They weren’t trying to leave without another goal. But the thing was, you always kinda had the feeling that the Cantabs had an extra gear in them. With 67 mins gone, they were noodling around the penalty area when Amber De Wit slipped the ball to Dorothy Yek. Chop turn and quick shot. There it was. 2-1 to the Pride thanks to one of their emerging players. Yek’s come through Nomads United and only made her WNL debut a couple weeks ago. This was game number two for her and look what she did.

What would happen from there? Not much. Central kept looking for those breaks. Burton could have scored when she blasted over the top following another sneaky run. Heck volleyed over the top for Central. There were further substitutions... then the coverage caked it for all of stoppage time but there were no other goals so we’ll assume nothing else happened. Canterbury United with the 2-1 win. Bit sketchy there but after three straight defeats they shan’t be complaining.

Charlotte Mortlock showed several bits of class throughout, including that well-taken goal. That was her fourth of the season – tied with McPhie and one behind Dominikovich, so with those two not playing it was a big deal that their other top scorer was able to carry the burden. Amber De Wit was really solid in the midfield for someone on debut. Quite a bit more reserved than she’s been for NZ youth sides, trying to control and facilitate rather than initiating anything... but she still got an assist. Bo Burton had some good moments and Annie Gilchrist was always useful when called upon. Definitely intrigued by that flash of Dorothy Yek tekkers too. They got what they needed, with three points and some valuable experience for a few youth team grads.

Central will be happy enough with that game too. It’ll sting that they couldn’t get anything from it, leaving them with only one more opportunity to avoid a 0-point season, but keep in context that this side had conceded 29 goals in their past four matches. Here they only leaked two. Sophie Campbell’s shot-stopping prowess was a huge feature of that. They also got strong showings from the usual suspects like Sasha Rasmussen and Maddison Hughes, while Zara Erol-Watt and Caitlyn Campbell were the pick of the youngsters. Rightio.

Central Football 1-2 Canterbury United Pride

17’ | C | 1-0 | Turner [p] (Hughes)

34’ | CU | 1-1 | Mortlock

67’ | CU | 1-2 | Yek (De Wit)

Auckland United vs Southern United

Almost twelve months ago, Auckland United and Southern United met in the National League grand final. AUFC won 2-0 thanks to goals from Alexis Cook and Maisy Dewell. This week the two teams had themselves a rematch under different circumstances at Keith Hay Park, with Auckland United needing one pesky point to confirm their return to the big dance and Southern United already out of the running. Auckland Utd did make a couple of sneaky rotations for this match: no Chloe Knott or Harashima in the starting team, nor Talisha Green either. Penny Brill, Alaina Granger, and Kate McConnell replaced them each respectively. Even if they did lose they surely weren’t going to be caught for a top two spot... but AU were also putting their undefeated calendar year on the line. With probably three more games to go, that dream was starting to move very close to reality.

Southern United have had a frustrating time this year, struggling to turn close games into victories largely due to a lack of clinical finishing with striker Amy Hislop having been limited to a small role after injury... though they’ve also not kept a clean sheet since week one so safe to say they’ve regressed in both directions from 2023 to 2024. It was bound to happen. Curious tweaks to their side here with a back three preferred... but you could see the vision. Raegan Potter came in up front while Stacey Martin returned to defence. Millie Scott and Danica Urlich-Beech were two very attack-minded wing-backs. Plus this way they got their a-team in midfield: Shontelle Smith, Rose Morton, Georgia Keen. That would have been an exciting battle against United’s best but with AUFC going young in the middle perhaps that’d be Southern’s zone to target. Granger, at 21, was the oldest of the United midfield trio (though 19yo Dani Canham did wear the captain’s armband).

Shontelle Smith was quick to set a marker with some enthusiastic tackling. The home side responded by letting their fullbacks stretch things out in attack... and Saskia Vosper soon found a great opening on the end of a one-two with Charlotte Roche but declined to shoot with her left foot. Hannah Mackay-Wright ended up blocking Brill’s eventual effort. In response, Potter stabbed one wide for SU after Scott drilled in a cross. Those counters were coming pretty regularly for Southern. Good footy. But it was the expected outcome as far as that first goal went... Charlotte Roche pressing keeper Lauren Paterson to nick the ball away and then produce a sharp finish. Yeah, sounds about right. Fifth of the term for Roche. 21 minutes gone.

It was probably the absence of Harashima, but Southern were finding quite a bit of joy with those rapid passes in transition in a way that nobody usually does against AUFC. They also kept up the pace despite playing several minutes with ten-women while Abby Rankin was getting some sideline treatment. Positive work from Southern... if only they could cope with Charlotte Roche. Long ball clearance from Saskia Vosper after 34 minutes, Hannah Mackay-Wright unable to win the header with Roche in the way, Stacey Martin unable to get across fast enough. That saw Roche go charging into the area where she beat Paterson with a clever 1v1 finish from a tough angle. Two determined, aggressive, committed bits of strikership from Roche and suddenly she was right there in the Golden Boot hunt with six for the season. It was now going to take a miracle for that undefeated year not to continue for at least one more week.

Truth be told, there actually weren’t a lot of shots in this first half. Neither defence was allowing much, neither attack was able to convert promising possession into anything to test the keepers. Just those two Charlotte Roche bulldozer goals breaking the pattern. Roche did have a huge chance for her hatty just prior to the break after Brill picked her out with space to drive into the area except the first touch went awry and Paterson took it away. Then, with the last act of the half, Rose Morton nearly burst through into the area but Greer Macintosh stepped over to clean it up.

AU were playing with a headwind so Southern could at least hope for that to stick around for the second half (the wind was wobbling the automated camera all over the place). By the looks of what Shontelle Smith did 64 seconds into the second stanza it’s safe to say that it did...

For most players, you’d use that cheeky word ‘fluke’ for a goal like that. For Shontelle Smith, her repertoire of bangers (even just this season) means that word gets nowhere near her. Smithy scores goals like this the way that other people hit send on an email. And with that, Southern were on the offensive. Toni Power set that goal up by hefting it forward for Smith. She was at it again with a deep cross that Urlich-Beech glanced past the far post, so close to a sudden equaliser. DUB stung a shot over the top soon afterwards, hunting deep once more.

Canham whipped on narrowly over after a corner kick was cut back to her outside the box and then Roche stabbed wide at the near post as Cook hit a good ball over from an overlapping run. That was more like it from AU... although their next big chance was at the wrong end, when the ball glanced off Macintosh’s head and Hannah Mitchell made a very good save pushing it around the post. Gotta be careful. So, yeah, Ben Bate just casually threw on Chloe Knott and Kaley Ward for the last quarter of the match. No worries, aye? Roche and McConnell were the two replaced so no hatty for Roche. Southern’s version of that firepower substitution was to send on Amy Hislop. Auckland Utd also unleashed Yume Harashima with twenty to go. Talk about firepower on the bench, mate.

Shontelle Smith kept trying to make things happen by letting loose with that right boot whenever she could. But, well, that wasn’t often enough. Not with Harashima out there to sweep the midfield. You could see a distinct rise in AU’s efficiency with Knott, Ward, and Harashima out there linking up and while Southern did very well to keep them from creating anything from it, and to keep their own desperation going in attack... there was to be no second goal. Greer Macintosh made sure of that much. Auckland United had to dig deeper than they have in a long time yet they still came away with a 2-1 victory and with that their place in the grand final is confirmed.

If it wasn’t this week, it would have been next week. Auckland United have been too good from the very beginning. They’re the team to beat and nobody has beaten them yet (although Waterside Karori did draw with them in week one). Saskia Vosper had another superb game at left-back both in attack and defence. Greer Macintosh was wonderful at the back. Charlotte Roche gave them the decisive goal-scoring instances they needed. Then the bench closed it out. Make that seven wins in a row. Make that 36 wins, 3 draws, and 0 defeats across all competitions in 2024. Too strong. Too deep. Too good.

But Southern United did give them a proper fight out there. Shontelle Smith was like a cannonball all over the park and scored a magnificent goal to give the Southerners a peek at maybe getting a result. It didn’t work out that way... but that wasn’t for lack of ambition. They came in with a funky tactical set-up and they rolled the dice throughout. Gotta give ‘em credit for that. Toni Power did a fantastic job dealing with the sheer pace of Paige Satchell. Unfortunately that’s the third time they’ve lost 2-1 this season so, while you can’t fault the effort, it’s clear that they’re missing one or two weapons to keep them from being able to replicate what they did a year ago. Always close but not close enough.

Auckland United 2-1 Southern United

21’ | AU | 1-0 | Roche

34’ | AU | 2-0 | Roche (Vosper)

47’ | SU | 2-1 | Smith (Power)

Waterside Karori vs West Coast Rangers

Kicking off simultaneous to the Auckland Utd vs Southern Utd game was this fixture at Martin Luckie Park which might as well have been classed as an unofficial quarter-final. Waterside Karori entered week eight in second place with 15 points but defeat against West Coast Rangers would not only potentially take things out of their hands but it’d open the door for Rangers themselves to rejoin the race for the final. Absolutely massive game of football. Entire seasons were on the line in both directions.

There were a few changes from Karori’s 1-1 draw in the Wellington Derby. Jess Shilton was back in central defence, meaning Sarah Morton moved to the edge. Tessa McPherson came in as holding midfielder. Nikki Furukawa also brought her attacking dynamism back into the side – two of the three Wharfies draws have come when Furukawa didn’t play (vs Western Springs and Wellington United). On the other side, there was a blow for Rangers with Kendrah Smith not in the side, though at least Nicole Stratford was able to return in her place. Additionally, Luci Hollister got her first start of the campaign in midfield while Maisy Dewell continued up front.

One of the features of WCR’s season has been the early goals that they’ve scored and the late goals that they’ve conceded. Those trends seem to have eased up lately which is a good and a bad thing. In this case it was a bad thing... because instead of scoring early, they conceded early. It took 55 seconds for an Emma Starr show to hit teammate Nikki Furukawa, who simply turned and slotted that thing where it needed to go. Bit of fortune about it (possibly including the onside decision) but a very energetic start for the Wharfies immediately reflected on the scoreboard.

Bree Johnson did get a shot away for WCR as she tried to haul her team into the game. But the hauling wasn’t working. Especially not when keeper Emily Couchman passed the ball straight to a pressing Emma Starr. It was still a slim angle from wide-ish on the left but difficulty levels don’t apply to Emma Starr who expertly chipped that little guy over Couchman to make it 2-0 after nine minutes. Straight after that, Starr pushed a pass directly through the middle of the WCR defence for the bursting run of Tui Dugan from midfield. No dramas there going 1v1. Dugan finished confidently and, bloody hell, it was 3-0 to Waterside Karori after barely ten minutes of action. Courtesy of a goal and two assists from Emma Starr, let it be known.

Shellshock for Rangers. How do you even come back from that? The answer is: one goal at a time. Easier said than done when Karori keep getting attacking set pieces... although Shannon Henson got them close when she smacked a shot into the upright after a sneaky dummy turn on the edge of the area (set up by Johnson, of course). Johnson buried one perfectly across the keeper after 24 minutes but was offside. Moments later, a slip by Mei Burden allowed Henson an open shot on the half-volley from roughly the penalty spot... but she couldn’t keep it down. Johnson with the cross.

This was causing the game to get stretched all the way out, with both keepers having to be on their toes for those passes in behind the lines. McPherson wasn’t far off trying to hurl one in from distance for WK. There was solid defensive work on display from Stratford (WCR) and Ranta (WK). Apart from the first ten minutes this was a funky old game of footy... but because of those first ten minutes (and because of some Rangers finishing that wasn’t quite what the doctor ordered) it was a 3-0 lead for the Wharfies at the break.

WCR made two subs when the teams re-emerged: Emily Lyon and Erin Freeman. Freeman was a straight swap for Hollister in midfield but Lyon came on as a striker with defender Stratford sacrificed. No choice but to go for it. Henson was very swiftly testing Annie Foote’s hands with a stinging shot with Rangers showing some necessary desperation out there, trying to make things happen. The Wharfies found themselves doing plenty of defending... albeit with a healthy lead in tact and the knowledge that plenty of defending would probably see them through to victory. Sarah Morton got the memo when she made a crucial late block to deny Dewell from close range. WK still had Kendall Pollock and Emma Starr trying to create things while Renee Bacon might’ve done better with a back post header and Shilton headed over from a corner. The endeavour did pay off for Rangers eventually. Shannon Henson in the 65th minute. Good poaching awareness from her after a long strike from Lyon had been touched onto the post by Foote. Composed finish in limited space too. There ya go. Game on with 25 to go?

Yeah, maybe. Johnson continued hustling up the left, putting in a great cross that Henson didn’t quite reach. Then Johnson herself was only inches away with a header (for which she got a corner, so perhaps a telling defensive deflection on that from Morton). Lyon stretched a shot on target running down the middle, unable to break free of Ranta’s attentions for a cleaner effort. But it was all too much like the first half when they’d needed something special and couldn’t find it. The scramble defence was excellent both ways. Waterside Karori with a 3-1 win that put one Wharfies foot in the grand final with the other foot awaiting the rest of the week’s results.

Ten brilliant minutes at the start made all the difference. Emma Starr lived up to her last name with how she orchestrated all that, scoring for the fourth consecutive week (from midfield!), then it was all about defence with the likes of Daphne Ranta and Sarah Morton laying down superb outings. Hard to believe Ranta only turned 18 a couple of months ago. She’s played like a veteran defender all season. Only bummer for Karori is that they didn’t get a Kendall Pollock goal for her Golden Boot quest. This outcome result means it’s five wins and three draws for WKAFC. They’ve got a wonderful squad with a mixture of experience with a little youth, locals and imports, and at this point there’s no doubt that they’re the next best team after Auckland United.

As for West Coast Rangers, it’s been said before but this is their first WNL campaign and it’s easy to see the ways in which they’ve been caught off guard. This time it came from not starting with the required intensity. Other times it’s been how they’ve finished. The quality is there but the big game experience doesn’t quite compare to a team like Waterside Karori (or Auckland United). They’re not far away though. They were the more aggressive team in the second spell and on another day some slicker finishing might have summoned a comeback. Bree Johnson is always a force on that left wing. Marissa Porteous was great in defence. They did miss Kendrah Smith’s presence in this match, plus it does seem like they’re at their best with Emily Lyon out there so not sure why she’s been coming off the bench lately (only starting one of the last four matches). Lessons will be learned. They’ll be a better team for it.

Waterside Karori 3-1 West Coast Rangers

1’ | WK | 1-0 | Furukawa (Starr)

9’ | WK | 2-0 | Starr

11’ | WK | 3-0 | Dugan (Starr)

65’ | WCR | 3-1 | Henson (Lyon)

Eastern Suburbs vs Wellington United

The combination of results on Saturday, with Auckland United and Waterside Karori both winning, meant that Eastern Suburbs were the only team left that could catch either of them... and that was only possible if they won both remaining fixtures. That timeline of events had to begin at Madills Farm where Wellington United popped by to say g’day.

It’s funny how much the Eastern Suburbs men’s and women’s teams, both of which have been trying to overcome poor starts, have come to mirror each other. They’ve each settled on 4-1-4-1 formations that cram in a plethora of attacking options (generally quite young ones too) which allows them to swarm in the opponent’s areas and it also puts a lot of pressure on an elite six to shut down the copious counter-attacks that come back the other way. Each has an emerging goalkeeping expert (Nikki Whyte & Vadym Patkevych) and a talisman local forward (Jake Mechell & Britney Cunningham-Lee). Big respect for a club with a consistent philosophy. This enormous match saw Zoe Brazier return to the starting team, same deal with Emily Pilbrow, as the Lilywhites sought to win their fifth match in a row.

Wellington United only made one change with Lilian Davies getting the nod at right-back. Otherwise identical to the side that drew with Waterside Karori, including Zoe Barrott at left-back and Jemma Catherwood as a left winger. Coincidentally, Zoe Benson was also starting for Suburbs so between Benson, Brazier, and Barrott there were three Zoe Bs on the pitch.

We’d barely even got started when Wellington United won a free kick a couple of metres outside the penalty area after Lucy Hunt bumped over Jemma Catherwood. Sarah Alder then deposited that thing around the wall and into the bottom corner just like that. Third goal of the season for Alder. Smoothly done. Wellington United were 1-0 up and Waterside Karori were cheering even louder than their closest rivals at that happening.

Yeah okay, shrug that one off for Eastern Suburbs. Plenty of goals in them too as they pushed forward giving Zoe Benson the keys to the vehicle. Except that they soon conceded again when Catherwood skipped past a defender and tossed a cross into the middle. The cross was hacked at by a defender but still made its way to Carolyn O’Reilly making one of those midfielder’s late runs into the area. She wasn’t gonna miss from there. In a game that Eastern Suburbs really needed to win, it was 2-0 to Wellington United after only eight minutes.

Britney Cunningham-Lee’s first relevant involvement was to lob a reverse ball into the middle where Zoe Brazier timed her run perfectly to put a strong header on target... but Molly Simons made an outrageous save pushing it around the post. Then it was almost three when Lilian Davies made a great run up the right edge and then swung in an even better cross that almost got turned into her own net by Wong. Nikki Whyte was all over it though. Not to worry. Well, maybe a little bit of worry given they were 2-0 down and struggling to get the ball off a confident Diamonds side.

Simons had to be on her game again as Benson stung a low one on target, the WU keeper at full strength to parry it away not only from the goal but also from the lurking Sofia Garcia. But she wasn’t able to do anything when Emily Pilbrow got in front of her from a corner to bunt in from close range. 23 minutes gone and the Lilywhites were back in it. Pilbrow’s only been at Suburbs since the start of the year, formerly from the old WaiBOP system but has been playing in Auckland for several years since moving up for uni. She’s really begun to nail down a starting spot in the Subs defence in recent weeks. As for the corner kick taker, do you really need to guess that it was Zoe Benson with another assist? The reigning Assist Queen of the WNL wants to keep her crown.

That led to some scrappy, contested footy for the next wee while as neither team was able to get the ball down and under control for any sustained period of time. Koyari popped a shot on target while angling away from the goal. Whyte scooped it up. Whyte also dealt with a through ball that Nat Olson was dashing towards. Limited chances but good competitive footy nearing the end of the first half. Which was about when Shion Hwang did this...

We’re talking about an 18-year-old (turns 19 in December) scoring that goal, folks. Sit up and take notice. Mentioned this previously but Hwang joined Eastern Suburbs this year after scoring bundles and bundles for Melville United and a finish like this is definitely not unique in her repertoire of bangers. Her fourth of the season (NZF has her at five, that’s because a couple of the goals in the 10-0 win vs Central got misattributed). And with that the Lilywhites had fully recovered from that poor start. Okay doke. Back where we started.

Then again, if it wasn’t for Whyte’s reaching save then they’d have been back behind again at half-time, Whyte managing to get some fingertips on a smooth turn-and-shoot from O’Reilly. It’s shouldn’t be a controversial claim to say that with Molly Simons and Nikki Whyte between the respective sticks, we had the two premier local keepers in the competition this year. Alternatively, Suburbs might have been winning at HT had Brazier not volleyed over after Simons got crowded out of an excellent Yoshida delivery into the area.

Olson and Koyari worked a sizzling counter-attack in the initial minutes of the second half. Lucy Hunt got across to force the shot earlier than Olson would have preferred (Hunt vs Olson was a sprint race all day) but even then she very nearly scored with a mint left-footed strike. Didn’t quite curl it back far enough. Similar yarns in the other direction when Garcia hit a genius short ball to Hwang in the area but the shot from Hwang fizzed narrowly over the top. BCL began getting a few more touches but nothing that could bust up the Welly Utd defence. Around the same time, Jemma Robertson subbed on for WU with Catherwood dropping to left-back and Zoe Barrott moving into the middle of defence and Sarah Alder to midfield. Had to do something there because Suburbs were starting to gain the edge.

Whyte was brave rushing out on a couple of sneaky ones in behind, the second of which left her requiring a bit of physio treatment. Those early long ones were about all that the Diamonds were getting by this stage. However, Barrott was winning headers and Hope Gilchrist saved a counter by dragging back Garcia, taking a yellow card as a consequence. Respect where it’s due. Eastern Suburbs had scored 23 goals in four-and-a-half games but with 45 minutes left to try and stay in final contention they were getting shut out. On came Issy Atkinson, Hannah Saxon, and Putri Ardana to try and shake things up for ES. The Diamonds continued to look for that ball in behind and Whyte continued to sweep them away. But momentum was turning. Hunt had to make a super lunging block against Gilchrist before Koyari shot high from wide on the right. United made attacking subs of their own with Natalie Brook and Farina Anchico let loose... though Pepi Olliver-Bell surprisingly didn’t get the call until quite late. Bright finish from the Diamonds but this thing ended as a 2-2 draw.

You know what that means? It means an Auckland United versus Waterside Karori grand final in two weeks. Already booked with a round to spare. Can’t argue with it – those two teams are both undefeated after all. Eastern Suburbs do remain third on the table so they can consolidate that with a positive result next week against West Coast Rangers, where Britney Cunningham-Lee and Zoe Benson will be going for the Golden Boot and Top Assists titles respectively. Took them a couple too many weeks to get into their stride but Katie Duncan’s team have been really good over the past month and with a lot of new players to the club this year that leaves plenty to be excited about. The growth is clear. Yuki Nishizono and Saki Yoshida were outstanding in what they did this game, while Zoe Benson and Shion Hwang brought the creative goods as two of the younger girls in the squad. Once again Nikki Whyte’s all-round goalkeeping skills stood out. Also apparently Erinna Wong has reached 200 appearances for the Lilywhites now, a magnificent achievement at this level of club footy.

Unfortunately for the Lilywhites, when they needed that third goal they ran up against a brick wall constructed by Zoe Barrott who was simply spectacular in the second half. Winning the ball, stepping into midfield, shutting down runners. Another classic from one of the best defenders in the motu. Caelin Patterson and Carolyn O’Reilly were really good too. Jemma Catherwood had some lovely moments – she’s up to four assists for the season and in range of the leaders. Molly Simons made a few Molly Simons saves.

The problem for the Diamonds is that they haven’t quite had enough in attack to get them over the line often enough. Only five goals in their past five matches. They’re not that far off the best teams in this National League (they won the Central League ahead of Karori, after all) but have been forced to settle for a few too many draws like this one. Something they can be very proud of though is that the fixture list was rather nasty to them, demanding away trips against all four Auckland teams, yet they’ve come away with a win, two draws, and just the lone loss against Auckland United (who’ve beaten everyone except Waterside). They polish things off against Central on Sunday so perhaps they’ll cash some overdue goals there.

Eastern Suburbs 2-2 Wellington United

3’ | WU | 0-1 | Alder

8’ | WU | 0-2 | O’Reilly (Catherwood)

23’ | ES | 1-2 | Pilbrow (Benson)

40’ | ES | 2-2 | Hwang (Yoshida)

Wellington Phoenix Reserves vs Western Springs

After all that other drama, this game didn’t have any deeper consequences. Both teams were out of the top two race. Both teams will also feel that they’ve underperformed during this WNL... although they were at least feeling better about themselves after thrashing Central within the past fortnight. The Nix Reserves beat them 5-0, then Western Springs beat them 6-0. A disproportionate percentage of the overall goals for each but that’s the way it’s worked out.

The Phoenix Reserves followed that win with a hugely commendable 1-1 draw away to Southern United. Like the Men’s Reserves, they’ve found some recent form as first team players have been freed up to participate. Also like the Men’s Reserves (the WeeHeNix and the WeeSheNix), the academy goes way beyond those prospects with A-League contracts. Good thing too because Ella McMillan and Ela Jerez were needed for the ALW side’s trip to face Newcastle Jets, with McMillan getting some minutes off the bench although Jerez didn’t make the matchday squad (given that they lost without scoring again, perhaps she should have – Jerez has several months left with which to become the club’s youngest ever ALW player). Those two weren’t available for the Nix Reserves but the remainder of their U17 World Cup reps were, with Alyssha Eglinton and Katie Pugh both starting. They joining Brooke Neary and Emily Humphrey who have been back in the side for a couple of weeks now (and also Grace Bartlett who was on the bench). Ela Jerez was also part of that U17 WC squad. Wider picture, the WeeNix also recalled Libby McMillan, Sienna Candy, and Lara Smith to the eleven.

Another one from that U17 World Cup was Charli Dunn who started for Western Springs against a few of her age-grade teammates. She was arguably Aotearoa’s best defender in the Dominican Republic. There were no changes for Springs from the 6-0 win against Central, not even in midfield where Jaedeci Uluvili and Indigo Kirk continued on despite both being more recognised as defenders at this level. Uluvili’s now spent three weeks in the middle and has done really well so fair enough. Fraser Park was the venue as part of a double header with the WeeHeNix later to defeat Wellington Olympic in a big turn-up result.

There was some predictable Western Springs enthusiasm to begin with, including a free kick header from Kirk that went close to sneaking in on the bounce after a minute. Rina Hirano also dug a shot out from a good spot but couldn’t get it on target. Brooke Neary made a fine save off an Aimee Phillips effort. Yet at the same time you’d have to say that the WeeNix were moving the ball quickly with short sharp passes when they got it, showing hints of being able to create a few things themselves... they just couldn’t get the right weight on those through balls.

Curious to see Eglinton lining up in defence for the WeeNix. She’s usually a midfielder but with no Ella McMillan (whose sister Libby was in midfield), and considering this team’s defensive record this season, they needed the help. So Eglinton was in the middle of the back three with Mackenzie Greene to her right and Lara Smith to her left. That in turn allowed Rebekah Trewhitt, perhaps the most consistent performer for the WeeNix across the whole campaign, to move out to wing-back (her best position) where her job was to mark capped NZ internationals Liz Savage and Aimee Phillips as they rotated wings.

A slick one-two between Hirano and Takeda allowed the latter a clear shot at goal... straight at Neary, who also did well slapping away a Phillips cross/shot after around 26 mins. Uluvili went on a mazy dribble into the area but her shot took a double deflection that removed all threat. You get the idea. This was good sustained attack from the Swans but, other than the occasional Liz Savage run from wide, it was all of a similar tempo and that allowed the WeeNix to stay in front of them and bust things up. Eglinton’s CB exploits were proving that selection to be a very clever one. Trewhitt then went into the book after barging over Hirano right in front of the FTP tag...

Trewhitt landed sore from that challenge but was eventually alright after a pause for physio attention – which worked out well for the Nix because RT then made two or three key defensive interventions late in the first half. As if that wasn’t enough, she also went for a dash up the left wing, collected a return pass from Pugh before it crossed the byline, and pumped it into the middle where Mackenzie Bryant controlled, turned, and smashed it past a planted Amberley Hollis to give the Phoenix Reserves an unlikely 1-0 lead going into the break.

Despite that influential stint, Trewhitt was still battling through what looked like a shoulder issue. She hit the deck for a second time after setting up the goal and the Nix had to finish the last couple stoppage time minutes without her. But she must have popped a panadol between halves because she returned and ended up going ninety minutes. Trewhitt’s from Palmerston North. They breed them tough over there. Don’t even worry about it.

Suffice to say that it was not an acceptable half-time scoreline for Western Springs, who came back out and immediately began applying the clamps again via set pieces. Then they equalised. Rina Hirano with the cross from the left wing, Liz Savage with the downward header at the back post. Header is still technically the correct definition though it actually looked like that ball hit her nose... causing Neary to react late which prevented her from readjusting as the ball bounced back across her. A goal is a goal and after stewing for fifteen minutes about the deficit, Springs were back on even terms within six mins of the resumption.

From there the Swans spread their wings. Savage and Phillips continued to pepper the defence. The WeeNix brought on Grace Bartlett who linked up smoothly a few times, while Rebekah Trewhitt went close from a free kick and then way closer with a thumping second phase effort after a corner which skimmed off the crossbar. She almost had a runway soon afterwards but lost it trying to get the ball onto her right foot instead of staying left. Couple of potential pivot-points there. Instead it was Western Springs who took the lead on 65’ when Rina Hirano made a glittering run to the byline then cut it across for Liz Savage, who slightly overran the ball but it bobbled off some combination of Bartlett and Smith before Savage poked it over the line to spare either of them the blushes of an own goal and give herself a second of the afternoon.

Eglinton volleyed over off a corner as the WeeNix kept battling. Instances like that were out of the ordinary though. Mostly it was stuff like Hirano slicing in and shooting wide or Jacob flipping the ball over after Springs stole the ball up high. Or Jacobs hitting a long shot on target. Or Takeda doing the same from a dead ball situation. But until Springs actually scored again, the WeeNix would remain within range. Trewhitt smacked a decent chance over the top to remind everyone of that. The Phoenix made a few more attacking subs – most notably Lily Brazendale – and moved Eglinton into midfield as they tried to see what might happen. Well, what happened was that Rina Hirano broke her streak of four games without a goal by whacking one past Neary from the edge of the area on 85’ and then 16yo Cleo Carmichael had a lovely moment in stoppage time with her first WNL goal scrambling in after Neary couldn’t handle a Takeda corner. From 1-0 down at half-time to 4-1 up at full-time.

In between those goals, the WeeNix did hit the bar again - this time from Brazendale storming up the right wing. You can call it unlucky but it’s also an indicator of young players with things still to learn. Snatching at chances, making rushed decisions in the attacking third. It’s all part of the journey. Bit of a bummer to let the score get away from them as it did, they deserved a closer outcome, but that’s how it goes at this level. Rebekah Trewhitt had an influential and courageous game out there. Alyssha Eglinton’s return from the U17 WC was a positive one. Katie Pugh looks like the real deal. Nice goal from Mackenzie Bryant. It’s a sixth loss from eight games but the WeeNix were right in it until the last ten minutes.

The table looks much healthier for Western Springs after a 6-0 win against Central and 4-1 win against the Phoenix Reserves. Six points on the board and a boost in goal difference... they could finish as high as fourth if they beat Canterbury United next week. Springs have had some righteous contributions from young or emerging players across this season but on this afternoon it was the veterans who saw them through. Liz Savage with two goals and plenty of those loping runs. Aimee Phillips skipping around defenders. Rina Hirano creating for others and for herself. Arisa Takeda’s technical excellence. It’s probably fair to say they haven’t had that consistently enough from their older players but they sure got it here.

Wellington Phoenix Reserves 1-4 Western Springs

45’ | WP | 1-0 | Bryant (Trewhitt)

51’ | WS | 1-1 | Savage (Hirano)

65’ | WS | 1-2 | Savage

84’ | WS | 1-3 | Hirano (Takeda)

90+2’ | WS | 1-4 | Carmichael

Standings

Top Goalscorers

Top Assists

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