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Soccer
New Zealand’s squad of 23 has been named for the 2023 FIFA Girls’s World Cup which kicks off on July 20. This is LockerRoom’s information for the Soccer Ferns hoping to make historical past.
Win a sport, get out of pool play. It might appear easy, however these are two issues the Soccer Ferns have by no means achieved at a FIFA Girls’s World Cup.
The Ferns attended their first World Cup in 1991, dropping all three of their pool matches and didn’t qualify for one more event till 2007, the place their destiny was the identical.
Their first draw got here in 2011, the Ferns 2-0 down on the finish of regulation play towards Mexico. However a ninetieth minute objective, after which an equaliser by present Fern Hannah Wilkinson within the 94th minute noticed the Ferns draw 2-2.
Since then, the workforce have managed two extra attracts, however by no means a win, and by no means in a position to escape backside place on the ladder.
A current slip down the world rankings sees the Soccer Ferns sitting at twenty sixth. Their first opponent on July 20 is Norway, who’re ranked twelfth, and later Switzerland at twentieth, who they face on July 30.
Their greatest probability for the elusive win comes towards the Philippines on July 25, who’re ranked forty sixth. The final time the 2 groups met was in September, the place the Ferns got here away with the 2-1 win.
However the Soccer Ferns haven’t received a sport since then. The truth is they’ve solely scored two objectives of their previous 10 video games.
So will residence benefit give the Ferns the increase they should escape pool play, or will they be destined to a different event that finishes after simply 11 days?
LockerRoom previews the 23-strong workforce who’re decided to make historical past.
Soccer Ferns
Ria Percival – 161 caps
New Zealand’s most capped soccer participant (male or feminine), Percival has been out of motion for the Ferns since rupturing her ACL in April of final 12 months, the injury to her meniscus cartilage the worst her surgeon in London had ever seen.
She returned for her membership, Tottenham Hotspur in late April, however will make her lengthy awaited Ferns return when she takes the sphere at this World Cup – her fifth.
Ali Riley – 152 caps
Riley made her Soccer Ferns debut in 2007, and amassed her a hundred and fiftieth cap earlier this 12 months in a sport towards Portugal. Born and raised in California, Riley is eligible to play for New Zealand by means of her dad, and has performed all her worldwide soccer for NZ.
The defender has scored two Ferns objectives, and has captained the aspect since 2017 (nearly 50 matches with the armband). She performs her membership soccer for Angel Metropolis FC within the Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League within the US, the place she’s the captain of the workforce well-known for tackling points bigger than soccer.
Betsy Hassett – 143 caps
Hassett might go Abby Erceg because the third most capped Soccer Fern throughout this World Cup, having made her debut in 2008, whereas she was nonetheless in highschool.
The 32-year-old has performed for groups the world over, however most lately for the Wellington Phoenix, scoring two objectives in her first skilled season at residence.
Annalie Longo – 127 caps
One other member of the rehab workforce, Longo tore her ACL in September and has but to play a sport, the damage ruling her out of a much-desired season with the Wellington Phoenix over summer time. She was busy on the sidelines, working for NZ Soccer, teaching and in commentary.
However regardless of not pressuring herself to be again in time, Longo’s restoration went to plan and her expertise will likely be an asset for this Ferns aspect.
Hannah Wilkinson – 113 caps
A prolific objective scorer, Wilkinson is the one Soccer Fern to have discovered the again of the online prior to now seven months. The centurion sits third on the all-time objective scorer listing for the Ferns, with 28 objectives over 113 appearances.
New Zealand have scored eight objectives of their 15 World Cup video games, Wilkinson accountable for two of them, together with a 94th minute objective to attract towards Mexico in 2011 – the Ferns’ first pool level at a World Cup. She’s one to look to for objective scoring – fiery on discipline, however a form, inventive soul off.
Katie Bowen – 92 caps
Bowen has been across the New Zealand atmosphere for a very long time, making her debut within the U17 workforce on her 14th birthday in 2008. The midfielder is now closing in on 100 Ferns caps, whereas taking part in over within the US for 10 years.
Rebekah Stott – 89 caps
Stott confronted her largest impediment off the soccer discipline, being recognized with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2021. She’s now been in remission for 2 years, and had her eyes set on this residence World Cup all through her chemotherapy.
Erin Nayler – 83 caps
The Ferns’ most skilled goalkeeper, Nayler is more likely to be the primary selection in objective for the World Cup. The 31-year-old was chosen, however didn’t play within the 2011 World Cup, and has since attended two extra World Cups, in addition to taking part in at two Olympic Video games.
Olivia Likelihood – 43 caps
Likelihood has been taking part in for Celtic, within the Scottish Girls’s Premier League since 2021, however nonetheless repeatedly wears the fern. The truth is, knowledge confirmed she was probably the most travelled ladies’s participant over the past 12 months, going over 145,000kms in 12 journeys to characterize New Zealand.
Paige Satchell – 42 caps
The speedy ahead’s background in cross nation lends itself to her soccer profession, the 25-year-old by no means operating out of steam on assault. Satchell has developed into an everyday starter for the Ferns, after three seasons within the ladies’s A-League, most lately with the Wellington Phoenix.
CJ Bott – 37 caps
Bott’s final World Cup resulted in ache, as a stray ball hit her arm, fracturing her wrist and ruling her out after needing surgical procedure. The defender performs for Leicester Metropolis within the Tremendous League, the very best degree of ladies’s soccer in England.
Daisy Cleverley – 31 caps
Regardless of making her senior debut in 2014, Cleverley solely has 31 Soccer Ferns caps, however will likely be attending her third World Cup with the Ferns. The 26-year-old midfielder performed for HB Køge in Denmark this season, the workforce profitable the league.
Gabi Rennie – 24 caps
Solely 21, Rennie scored her first Soccer Ferns objective on the Tokyo Olympics towards Australia. She additionally discovered the again of the online towards South Korea on the finish of 2021. The ahead has been taking part in school soccer within the US since 2020.
Claudia Bunge – 20 caps
Bunge will play her first senior World Cup, making her Ferns debut months after the 2019 version. At simply 23, the defender has maturity on and off the sphere and has been a key participant for the Melbourne Victory since 2020.
Malia Steinmetz – 18 caps
As soon as captain of the U20 aspect, the now 24-year-old is of Samoan heritage has performed in Australia since 2019. After spending a while out of the squad, Steinmetz has been an everyday starter currently.
Elizabeth Anton – 18 caps
Anton has performed for the Perth Glory since 2020, the place she’s been awarded with a variety of minutes. Her Ferns debut was in 2017, and spent a couple of years out of the workforce earlier than coming again robust.
Grace Jale – 17 caps
One of many standout gamers for the Wellington Phoenix’s first season, Jale moved to Canberra United, the place she continued her objective scoring dominance. Her 17 Ferns caps have amassed since 2018.
Victoria Esson – 14 caps
The goalkeeper made her senior debut for the Ferns in 2017, in a 5-0 win over Thailand. She’s been a part of the NZ atmosphere since making the U17 workforce in 2008, and this will likely be her second World Cup.
Jacqui Hand – 12 caps
Hand’s 12 caps have all come since October 2021, when she made her debut towards Canada, and scored her first Ferns objective the following month. The 24-year-old performs in Finland, the place’s she’s a powerful striker.
Anna Leat – 9 caps
The Ferns’ third goalkeeper, Leat is simply 22, however performs for Aston Villa within the English Girls’s Tremendous League. She made her senior debut in 2017, at simply 16 years previous, and had some robust appearances at youth World Cups – this will likely be her first senior event.
Indiah-Paige Riley – 7 caps
No relation to Ali, Riley switched allegiance from Australia to New Zealand (the nation of her beginning) and made her Ferns debut final 12 months. At solely 21, the ahead has a vivid future within the Ferns.
Michaela Foster – 4 caps
After a stellar season with the Wellington Phoenix, the defender made her Ferns debut in February in her residence of Hamilton and her current kind may see her problem extra skilled gamers for enjoying time.
Milly Clegg – 2 caps
The youngest member of the squad, 17-year-old Clegg has been predicted to be a Soccer Ferns star for years, a scoring machine at youth World Cups. With the Ferns having a current drought of objectives, Clegg could possibly be introduced on to carry her magic to the senior aspect.
*Ava Collins (11 caps), Meikayla Moore (63 caps) and Kate Taylor (eight caps) have been named as coaching companions – Moore a shock omission from the aspect.
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