New Zealand’s recent run of silverware on the international stage has continued with the U-17 women’s national team joining the U-23 men in having their efforts rewarded.

Soon after Des Buckingham’s U-23s claimed gold at the Pacific Games in Samoa with a remarkable victory over New Caledonia yesterday, Leon Birnie’s young charges followed suit in having something to celebrate by winning silver at a four-team competition in China.

The Kiwis finished runners-up at the CFA Team China International Women’s Youth Football Tournament by securing two wins from their three matches, the latest of which was a 2-1 triumph over Thailand.

Birnie was impressed with the character his promising squad showed against Thailand in the face of adversity, which included 39 degree heat and a number of injuries.

“For the girls to go down 2-0 against China and then, a day-and-a-half later, go back out and put that performance on was really impressive,” he said.

“It was really challenging, the girls aren’t used to playing in that sort of heat and we also had a lot of injuries coming into the game – we only had three subs available out of the six you can use in the format over here. So there were some real challenges and it was really pleasing to see how they overcame those challenges.”
 

The New Zealand starting line-up against Thailand

As was the case against China, New Zealand fell behind early on but drew level with a Mona Walker penalty just before the half-hour mark and found a winner through Ava Pritchard early in the second half.

“We got caught out in the first five minutes so to see them push through and work hard to turn it around was great. We talked before the game about mental toughness and, when you get tired, needing to work harder than the other team, doing your job and just trying to do that little bit extra – I felt the girls did that.”

Ending the tournament with some well-deserved silverware is a morale-boosting bonus for Birnie’s side as they build towards the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which takes place in India next September.

“We’re really proud of the girls, when we play international games it’s very hard to pick up wins. So to come over here and get two out of three and finish with a silver medal is really pleasing,” Birnie said.

“I think what they’ve shown now is that they can compete on the international level. We’re 15 months away from potentially going to a World Cup and I think this tournament has put us in good stead. We’ve got some great learnings out of it and I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

The players will now return to their regions around the country before coming together again for a camp in October. The main focus will be on the Oceania qualifiers for the World Cup, which are set to be staged in December in a yet-to-be-confirmed country.
 

Winning silver has been a real squad effort with a number of injuries

Match Details

New Zealand 2 (Mona Walker pen 29’, Ava Pritchard 54’)
Thailand 1
HT: 1-1

New Zealand: 1. Ariana Gray (GK), 4. Claudia Wilson, 5. Freya Lodge-Whitham, 8. Samantha Senior (9. Alyssa Whinham 58’), 10. Kate Duncan (6. Zoe McMeeken 74’), 11. Nina Kondo (Alaina Granger 65’), 13. Mona Walker (c), 14. Ava Pritchard, 15. Charlotte Lancaster, 16. Ella Russ, 17. Lisa Evans
Substitutes not used: 2. Ella Dorward, 3. Kate Taylor, 12. Murphy Sheaff (GK), 18. Alisha Braun
Coach: Leon Birnie 

Article added: Monday 22 July 2019