Source: Radio New Zealand
Football Fern Kelli Brown. Photosport
A first half hat-trick for Kelli Brown set the Football Ferns on the way to a 8-0 victory in their opening World Cup qualifier against Samoa.
Brown scored 30 seconds into the game in Honiara, she doubled her tally 13 minutes later and added her third in the 37th minute.
The Newcastle Jets player had not scored for New Zealand prior to the game on Friday afternoon.
After taking 12 attempts on goal in the first half the Football Ferns continued the dominance in the second half despite Samoa making several defensive substitutions early in the half.
New Zealand found the back of the net via captain Katie Kitching for a fourth goal in the 65th minute after several other New Zealand attempts were shutdown by the Samoa goalkeeper and some did not have the right finishing touch.
Just after scoring the goal Kitching was substituted for teenager Pia Vlok to make her Football Ferns debut.
Brown was also replaced with just under 20 minutes to play as coach Michael Mayne opted to make mass changes to bring in fresh legs in the Honiara heat.
The game was played in the early afternoon local time and was stopped for regular drinks and cooling breaks as temperatures in the high 30 degrees on the pitch.
Charlotte Lancaster put a good ball across the front of goal before it came off a Samoa player for an own goal and New Zealand’s fifth.
Manaia Elliott scored New Zealand’s sixth, and her first for the national team, a minute later.
She doubled her personal tally with New Zealand’s seventh goal just before the 90 minute mark with a long range strike that the Samoan defence failed to deal with.
Deven Jackson was eventually rewarded with her own goal after setting up her teammates when she scored the final goal of the game in added time.
New Zealand’s other Group A opponents in the Oceania Qualifiers for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil are the Solomon Islands and America Samoa, with the top two teams from the pool advancing to the semi-finals and final, hosted by New Zealand in April.
The Football Ferns play the Solomon Islands on Monday night.
Ahead of the tournament Mayne said the standard is improving within Oceania.
“We know what’s at the end of this series. I think it’s good that we still feel pressure coming into these games. That’s the way it should be,” Mayne said.
“I know these other three teams are going to be all chasing the same dream. I think in terms of the women’s game in the Pacific… I’ve been around the age group. I’ve been to a number of these tournaments. I can see the gap closing.
“I know every single one of these teams that we play over the next 10 days will be well set up, well organised. That’s exciting for us, and we’re used to tough challenges.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
