The New Zealand team is unmatched in terms of experience, with many of their players having appeared at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, U-20 Women’s World Cup and U-17 Women’s World Cup tournaments over the past three years.
The Golden Boot winner at the last OFC U-20 Women’s Championship, Emma Rolston, forward Jasmine Pereira and midfielders Isabella Coombes and Daisy Cleverley were all part of the U-20 side which made history in 2014, becoming the first New Zealand women’s team to progress to the knockout stage of a World Cup.
While Cleverley and Pereira were both also selected for the senior team at the Women’s World Cup in June this year.
Speaking ahead of today’s clash at the Loto-Tonga Soka Centre, which kicks off at 13h00, Feke says closing down those players will be vital to her side’s chances of causing an upset against the defending champions.
“The New Zealanders are very technically skilful,” she says.
“Emma Rolston, Daisy Cleverley and I also think Jasmine Pereira were good last year.
“But I think any players that have played in their national team or at a World Cup will be very influential in this tournament and will dominate the team.
“They will do the damage and those are the players we will try and convince the girls to mark today.
“It is going to be very tough.”
While Tonga have never beaten New Zealand at U-20 level, the 3-1 loss to the perennial heavyweights when they met at this tournament last year was the closest result ever recorded between them.
With that game still fresh in their minds Feke says her team will approach the task with a new-found confidence, now believing they can foot it with the Kiwi side.
“New Zealand have won games at this tournament, they are here knowing that they are the champions and they have it in them,” she says.
“But that result last year will give my team a lot of confidence, especially the ones who played in that tournament.
“And for the new squad members who are coming in, they can feed off that and believe that we can maintain the scoreline and maybe even go better than last year.”
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