Soccer: NZ squads named for OFC Women's qualifiers

The NZ U'17 and U'20 Women's World Cup qualifying squads have been named.

New Zealand U-20 and U-17 Women's coaches Aaron McFarland and Paul Temple have named squads for respective age group World Cup qualifying tournaments run concurrently from April 9 to 14 in Mangere.

The Junior Football Ferns will battle Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Samoa for Oceania's place at August's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan, while the Young Football
Ferns face Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and the Cook Islands for the right to represent the region at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan in September.

New Zealand U-20 women's coach Aaron McFarland has been able to name an experienced line-up featuring five players capped at senior level and another, goalkeeper Erin Naylor
who was a member of New Zealand's squad for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup but has yet to play an 'A' international.

"It's great to have that sort of experience in the team, and if we book a place at the U-20 World Cup we'll likely have players coming straight off the back of an Olympic campaign.

"The squad is already pretty well integrated with the locally based portion of the senior squad and we hope that integration will help us develop more of this squad develop into players that can step up at the very highest level."

Naturally, Paul Temple's U-17 squad can't yet boast any senior internationals but have already shown undoubted promise with series wins over Australia and Argentina, and two 14-year-olds and two 15-year-olds among the 20 players named.

"We've got some pretty positive results under our belt already and are happy with the way the players and team as a whole are coming on, not just for the qualifiers but for the long term as well. However, it's important we don't get complacent and keep working hard to maintain momentum," Temple said.

"We've got a talented group of players drawn from National Talent Centres across the country and there still others who are nipping at their heels providing healthy competition."

New Zealand squad for OFC U-20 Women's Championship
April 10-14, Mangere Park, Auckland

Goalkeepers
1-Erin NAYLER (Eastern Suburbs)
20-Corina BROWN (Three Kings United)

Defenders
2-Katie BOWEN (Glenfield Rovers)
3-Holly PATTERSON (Claudelands Rovers)
4-Tessa BERGER (Three Kings United)
5-Kate CARLTON (Claudelands Rovers)
13-Ashleigh WARD (Glenfield Rovers)
14-Caitlin SMALLFIELD (Glenfield Rovers)
15-Rachel HEAD (Lynn Avon United)

Midfielders
6-Lucy CARTER (Fencibles United)
7-Rebecca BURROWS (Three Kings United)
10-Kate LOYE (Claudelands Rovers)
11-Katie ROOD (Glenfield Rovers)
12-Stephane SKILTON (Glenfield Rovers)
19-Nadia PEARL (Fresno University, USA)

Forwards
8-Olivia CHANCE (Claudelands Rovers)
9-Georgia BROWN (Three Kings United)
16-Evie MILLYNN (Eastern Suburbs)
17-Hannah WILKINSON (Glenfield Rovers)
18-Rosie WHITE (UCLA, USA)

Head Coach: Aaron MCFARLAND

New Zealand squad for OFC U-17 Women's Championship (two to be omitted)
April 9-13, Mangere Park, Auckland

Goalkeepers
1-Lily ALFELD (Coastal Spirit)
16-Ronisa LIPI (Waterside Karori)

Defenders
2-Meikayla MOORE (Coastal Spirit)
3-Laura MERRIN (Coastal Spirit)
5-Emily JENSEN (Richmond)
13-Megan LEE (Lynn Avon United)
17-Chloe KNOTT (Three Kings United)
18-Chloe WILSON (Lynn Avon United)
20-Kristen MOLLOY (Three Kings United)
21-Courtney VAN LIESHOUT (Pukekohe AFC)

Midfielders
4-Catherine BOTT (Captain, Lynn Avon United)
6-Hannah CARLSEN (Lynn Avon United)
8-Jessica INNES (Glenfield Rovers)
12-Daisy CLEVERLEY (Lynn Avon United)
14-Lauren DABNER (Coastal Spirit)
22-Tessa LEONG (Claudelands Rovers)

Forwards
7-Jasmine PEREIRA (Three Kings United)
9-Martine PUKETAPU (Three Kings United)
10-Briar PALMER (Waterside Karori)
11-Emma ROLSTON (Waterside Karori)
15-Briar McNAMARA (Glenfield Rovers)
19-Jolene MUIR (Eastern Suburbs)

Head Coach: Paul TEMPLE

- Herald Online