After losing the first test of the Australian leg of their World Cup warm-up tour, the Ferns put in a far more competitive performance that bodes well for their campaign in Germany during June and July.
A Catherine Canulli headed goal inside the first ten minutes gave Australia the early advantage but New Zealand pressed high and effectively as a team to stay in the game and scoreboard parity finally came in the 26th minute as Hannah Wilkinson slid in front of her marker to meet a cut-back ball from Ali Riley.
While Riley’s presence was a boon for the kiwis after missing the first game with a hamstring strain, the team lost former captain Hayley Moorwood to the same ailment just moments before kick-off.
Her replacement Ria Percival drew an excellent save from Melissa Barbieri with a long-range effort in the 16th minute, shortly after New Zealand went agonisingly close to equalising with a goalmouth scramble from an Anna Green corner.
Tempers began to flare in the second half amid some crunching tackles and when Abby Erceg brought down Taneka Butt on the edge of the area in the 54th minute, Collette McCallum restored the Matildas’ lead from the resultant free kick. That would be the last scoring action of the match despite frantic end-to-end action in the final 25 minutes.
New Zealand has only 43 days until their World Cup opener against Japan in Bochum and coach John Herdman was pleased with the new marker laid down by his side.
“We’re not about to celebrate the result but performances are important and on a different day that performance could have brought a different result,” said Herdman.
“It was a very good marker. It was in front of a good crowd against the Aussies’ best team and it’s on TV so all those things that put pressure on players were in place and I think the girls came through pretty well tonight. Now it’s about consistency.
“I think the first game was a chance to blow the cobwebs out. The last five games we played we haven’t been able to put our strongest team out there and today we were close to it apart from the injury to Moorwood just before kick-off. But that team went out there and performed and it’s a very clear picture of where we are and what we can keep working on to get us closer to the World Cup.”
The Ferns now travel to China for a training match and one full international against the world number 15 in Jinan in the last chance for players to cement their spots in the World Cup squad announced on June 7.
Trans-Tasman International
Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford, Australia
Australia 2 (Catherine CANNULI 9’, Collette McCALLUM 54’)
New Zealand 1 (Hannah WILKINSON 26’)
Halftime: 1-1
New Zealand: 1-Jenny BINDON (gk), 2-Ria PERCIVAL (11-Kirsty YALLOP ,, 3-Anna GREEN,4-Katie HOYLE, 5-Abby ERCEG, 6-Rebecca SMITH (c), 7-Ali RILEY, 9-Amber HEARN, 12-Betsy HASSETT, 13-Rosie WHITE, 17-Hannah WILKINSON (15-Emma KETE).
Substitutes not used: 8-Hayley MOORWOOD, 10-Sarah GREGORIUS, 14-Sarah McLAUGHLIN, 16-Hannah WALL, 18-Katie BOWEN, 19-Olivia CHANCE, 20-Aroon CLANSEY (rgk), 21-Hannah BROMLEY.
Coach: John HERDMAN
Cautions: Katie HOYLE
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
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