The New Zealand women's soccer team flew to Qinhuangdao yesterday, their Olympic hopes buoyed by Saturday night's encouraging 1-1 draw with Canada at Singapore's Queenstown Sports Complex.
Coach John Herdman was justifiably heartened by the result - the best by a New Zealand team against a team insideFifa's top 10 in 15 years. In their most recent outings against the world's No 9 Canadians, the Football Ferns had slumped to 0-5, 0-3 and 0-2 losses.
"It's the first point against a top-10 nation for a long time," said Herdman after watching his 23rd-ranked team battle back from 0-1 to go to the halftime break at 1-1. Minutes earlier, Katie Hoyle had watched in despair as her shot hit the inside of the post but stayed out.
Canadian captain Christine Sinclair, 24 and playing her 120th international, scored her 93rd goal at this level to give Canada their 37th minute lead. Three minutes later Hoyle went close before Emma Kete tied it up in the 41st minute. New Zealand had a couple of decent half chances early in the second half but could not unlock the Canadian defence.
"We set this game up as a scenario of it being the last of our three pool games at the Olympics and that we needed three points to make the quarter-finals," said Herdman. "They came close to achieving that. I'm not going to let the players see it, but this is a huge result."
The team, here without stalwarts Maia Jackman and Wendi Henderson - a decision Herdman insists was the toughest of his coaching career - again showed they are no easybeats and are unlikely to give up the bucketful of goals which they have done at times in the past.
"The top 10 teams do not score against us like they did before," said Herdman. "These players now have a belief in themselves and, in the face of the criticism that has been aimed at them from some people at home, they are determined to show they belong [in the 12-team Olympic tournament]."
The Football Ferns meet Japan, Norway and the US, all ranked in the world's top 10, before the Games open. The top two teams from the three groups along with the best of the third-placed teams will play the quarter-finals.
