Soccer: Football Ferns keep third clean sheet as they crush Tahiti

Bridgette Armstrong. Photo / Greg Bowker

After being held to a solitary goal in the first half, New Zealand upped the tempo to run out 7-0 winners over Tahiti in their last pool match at the Women's Oceania Nations Cup at North Harbour Stadium yesterday.

Already assured of their place in Wednesday's semifinals, the Football Ferns went into the match determined to keep a third-straight clean sheet. They managed that and ended group play with an impressive 31-0 goal differential.

In the other Group A game the Cook Islands, with late goals from Dayna Napa and Iteuaterai Henry, beat Vanuatu 2-0 to claim second place and join the Football Ferns in the semifinals.

Content to defend in numbers and deep in their own territory, Tahiti made life difficult for the home team. It was little surprise that the deadlock was not broken until the 36th minute and then from set play.

Bridgette Armstrong, in her first outing at the Cup, headed home a Ria Percival corner to join a growing number of New Zealanders at the tournament in claiming her first senior international goal.

It was an interesting time for Armstrong who was booked in the 12th minute for a dangerous tackle on Mohea Hauata who limped off 11 minutes later. Armstrong was replaced at halftime in an obvious precautionary move by coach John Herdman.

When New Zealand did look likely to score they were often thwarted by Tahitian goalkeeper Poroni Turana.

It was nearly an hour into the match before Amber Hearn tapped in a Sarah Gregorious cross to double New Zealand's advantage. In the 76th minute Hearn scored from 20m for 3-0 and within a minute substitute Anna Green headed home at the far post.

In a late flurry Kirsty Yallop, Gregorious and Percival, directly from a corner, joined the scoring party.

"Most teams will probably play with similar tactics now," said Herdman. "But I'm hoping when we go into a semi or final, teams will come out and try and win the game and attempt to qualify for the World Cup."

"It took a bit longer than we had hoped to get the goal tally going and perhaps we are just not used to a team that doesn't want to attack so there are a few lessons there."

In Group B action on Saturday, Papua New Guinea remained on course for a final showdown with New Zealand by beating the Solomon Islands 2-1 in a tight encounter while Tonga came from a goal down after 13 minutes to beat Fiji by the same score.