New Zealand have sealed top spot in Group B at the OFC U-19 Women’s Champlonship in Tahiti with a commanding 11-0 victory over Vanuatu at Stade Paea, highlighted by five goals from captain Emily Lyon.
Coach Callum Holmes rotated his squad with six changes from the side that beat New Caledonia 4-0, while Vanuatu counterpart Joel Rarua made four adjustments following their 2-0 loss to Tahiti.
The defending champions wasted no time asserting control. Vanuatu goalkeeper Jineth Vanva was called into action early, pulling off a two sharp saves to deny Zoe Benson. From the resulting corner after Benson’s second attempt in the 11h minute, Amber de Wit squeezed the ball in at the far post to open the scoring. Just a minute later, Vanva again had to be at full stretch to deny Mary Brown.
New Zealand doubled their lead in the 18th minute when Poppy O’Brien latched onto a clever through-ball from Daisy Brazendale and calmly slotted past Vanva. Despite Rarua making early substitutions to try and stem the flow, the Kiwis added a third five minutes later as Penny Brill surged into the box and finished confidently.
Vanuatu briefly threatened from a free kick, but their effort was struck straight at Brooke Neary in the New Zealand goal. Vanva then produced another fine save to deny Lyon, standing tall under relentless pressure. Lyon eventually made her mark, scoring her first of the afternoon in the 31st minute after good work down the left by Brill. She added her second just before half-time, racing clear of the defence and rifling the ball into the roof of the net. New Zealand went into the break 5-0 up.
The second half brought no respite for Vanuatu. Benson (57″) and Brown (60″) added their names to the scoresheet before Lyon struck twice in quick succession (67′, 68) to complete her hat-trick and then her fourth of the day. She rounded off her tally with a fifth in the 77th minute to cap a ruthless display before being substituted.
Vanuatu’s best chance came in the 72nd minute, when a dangerous cross forced Neary into a superb save, but they could find no breakthrough. New Zealand found the net once more through Daisy Brazendale in the 88th minute, extending their lead to 11-0.
With the win, New Zealand finish Group B with three straight victories and will now face Cook Islands, the Group A runners-up, in the semi-finals. Vanuatu’s campaign ends after three defeats.
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek
HT: 0-5
Vanuatu: 0
New Zealand: 11 (Amber DE WIT 13′, Poppy O’BRIEN 18′, Penny BRILL 23′, Emily LYON 31′,41′,67′,68′ 77′, Zoe BENSON 57′, Mary Brown 60′, Lily BRAZENDALE 88′)