New Caledonia and Tonga have the honour of opening both the tournament and Group A action at the Cook Islands Football Association headquarters in Matavera at 2.30pm.
Their match will be followed by that of two-time champions New Zealand and Samoa at 5pm.
New Caledonia women’s football experienced some mixed results in 2015 with their Pacific Games silver medal followed up by some record-breaking losses at the OFC U-20 Women’s Championship.
Coach Mathieu Delcroix has been working hard with this side and he’s confident the hours which have gone in will pay off come kick-off.
“We’ve been concentrating on adapting to the weather because it’s very hot, very warm. But I think the girls are doing well, we’ve adapted our training session and I think the girls are ready,” he says.
“We are well rested, we’ve been drinking a lot of water and we’ve finalised our playing style so we are confident our first match will be a good one.
“Tonga will be a very good opponent. We expect them to be very aggressive as they have been against us previously, but we are ready.”
For Tonga, preparations have been a similar story with coach Christian Koaneti putting a lot of time and effort into preparing his charges for this competition.
Regionally he has one of the more experienced squads at this level with a number of his players, including midfielder Seini Lutu and goalkeeper/striker Mele Akolo both having turned out at both senior and U-20 level already.
“I’m pretty confident of the team and the way we have prepared so far. I think we’ll give New Caledonia a tough time tomorrow,” Koaneti says.
“I saw New Caledonia training in New Zealand and they’re pretty mobile. I think we’ll have to pay extra attention to our defense and at the same time work on our strategy in terms of our attack.”
In the evening encounter New Zealand hold the obvious advantage with their two victories at this level coupled with their four appearances at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup providing a formidable mental challenge for their opponents to overcome.
Gareth Turnbull has been working on assembling this side for more than 12 months and having scoured the country believes he has a side that is capable of winning all five available games.
“To be honest we don’t know how Samoa is going to set up so our approach will be on us and trying to work through our processes regarding our preparation physically and mentally, and just go out there and execute the roles that we’ve asked the girls to do and hopefully the result will take care of itself,” Turnbull explains.
“We’re here to win, we’re here to win five games so a good performance first performance will go a long way to winning and that’s our mindset.”
For Samoa’s part, the nation has seen a recent resurgence in women’s football thanks to the development programmes being implemented throughout the nation.
Coach Nadia Malifa is making her debut in charge of a national team but doesn’t believe that will have any impact on a squad she believes is well prepared.
“I’m confident in the team and the way they’ve responded to all the trainings since the beginning,” Malifa says.
“We have two players from Hawaii, three from Australia and two from New Zealand. At first it was a bit slow but they’ve adjusted and are fitting in well with the local girls.
“Off the field and on the field I know everything about my team so I’m confident for tomorrow.”
The matches will take place at the CIFA Academy in Matavera with New Caledonia kicking off against Tonga at 2.30pm, followed by New Zealand and Samoa at 5pm.
Additional Information:
New Caledonia vs. Tonga
CIFA Academy
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Wednesday 13 January 2016
Kick-off: 2.30pm (local)
NCLvTGA U17W
Referee: Tupou PATIA (COK)
Assistant Referee 1: Terry PIRI (COK)
Assistant Referee 2: John PAERENGA (COK)
Fourth Official: Averii JACQUES (TAH)
New Caledonia
Vital Statistics: In their only appearance at U-17 level New Caledonia finished bottom of the table with three losses in three matches in 2012.
The Players: A relatively unknown side compared with many of their opponents, Yvonne Xowi is one player that has been looking sharp in training. Expect Darnelle Hace to play a key role at the back.
New Caledonia: 1. Karine XOZAME (GK), 2. Darnelle HACE, 3. Flaureen AUSU, 4. Mune BAKO, 5. Ami-Nata AJAPUHNYA, 6. Isabelle ILENGO, 7. Elise LALIE, 8. Jackie PAHOA, 9. Shaya IHMELING, 10. Marie-Laure PALENE, 11. Cassidy CAWA, 12. Lucinda KOINDREDI, 13. Océane ZASINA, 14. Yvonne XOWI, 15. Justine MALAXAN, 16. Jessica ALI SAÏD, 17. Nancy NYADOUN, 18. Katinka TAKAMATSU, 19. Joelle LEME, 20. Kathleen WAUNIE (GK)
Coach: Matthieu DELCROIX (FRA)
Tonga
Vital Statistics: Goalkeeper/Striker Mele Akolo has scored at both senior and U-20 level for Tonga.
The Players: Seini Lutu is a player on the rise for Tonga. With plenty of talent and an ability to move the ball with ease she will likely be a key player in the middle for her side.
Tonga: 1. Luseane VIVILI (GK), 2. Sosefina HAVEA, 3. Manu LATU, 4. Heilala MOALA, 5. Kalolaine TALIAULI, 6. Ana POLOVILI, 7. Carmel UHILA, 8. Seini LUTU, 9. Meleseini TUFUI, 10. Mele KAFA, 11. Alexandra FIFITA, 12. Monika LEFAI, 13. Virginia TUIPULOTU, 14. Ofa FISI, 15. Taipaleti VAI, 16. Losa TUAPAUU, 17. Patricia LIKILIKI, 18. Siunipa TALASINGA, 20. Adrienne TAHITUA (GK), 21. Mele AKOLO (GK)
Coach: Christian KOANETI (TGA)
New Zealand vs. Samoa
CIFA Academy
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Wednesday 13 January 2016
Kick-off: 5pm (local)
NZLvSAM U17W
Referee: Nelson SOGO (SOL)
Assistant Referee 1: Stephanie MINAN (PNG)
Assistant Referee 2: Bernard MUTUKERA (SOL)
Fourth Official: Averii JACQUES (TAH)
New Zealand
Vital Statistics: New Zealand have triumphed in the two previous editions of this competition and have attended four editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup since 2008.
The Players: Emma Main and Amber Philips got a taste of regional glory at the OFC U-20 Women’s Championship late last year and will be keen to help New Zealand continue their winning run at this level.
New Zealand: 1. Anna LEAT (GK), 2. Claudia BUNGE, 3. Amber PHILIPS, 4. Ally TOAILOA, 5. Michaela FOSTER, 6. Nicole METTAM, 7. Hannah BLAKE, 8. Malia STEINMETZ, 9. Samantha TAWHARU, 10. Sarah KRYSTMAN, 11. Jacqueline HAND, 12. Nadia OLLA (GK), 13. Kate WILLIAMS, 14. Rebecca LAKE, 15. Francesca GRANGE, 16. Alosi BLOOMFIELD, 17. Emma MAIN, 18. Gabrielle JILLINGS, 19. Margaret JENKINS
Coach: Gareth TURNBULL (NZL)
Samoa
Vital Statistics: This competition will be Samoa’s first appearance at an OFC U-17 Women’s Championship.
The Players: Madeleen and Mariecamilla Ah Ki, Shalom Fiso and Rosie Schuster lend an element of experience to the squad following their international debuts with the Samoa U-20 women’s team in Tonga last year.
Samoa: 1. Adriann BOXIER ESENE (GK), 2. Tiffany RABAINO, 3. Mariecamilla AH KI, 4. Veteronnica TAFITO, 5. Sophia AVEAU, 6. Rosie SCHUSTER, 7. Austiner TAUALAPINI, 8. Shalom FISO, 9. Atonina TANUVASA, 10. Sivanilla PEREIRA, 11. Madeleen AH KI, 12. Melesete AIA, 13. Kalia KAPISI, 14. Angela VON HEIDERBRANDT, 15. Vineta FALEAANA, 16. Conzuella VATU, 17. Mata TALIU, 18. Alisha NAOLAVOA, 19. Mole SAOFAIGA, 20. Talaiesea MULITALO, 21. Jecky TOMA
Coach: Nadia MALIFA (SAM)

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