Teenagers tackling top flight football
Three North Canterbury teenagers have made their debut for the Canterbury United Pride in the National Women’s League after two rounds.
Macey Fraser (Waimak United) and Tahlia Herman-Watt (Coastal Spirit) both made their debut in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Southern United at English Park, a week after Gabi Rennie (Waimak United) took the field against Auckland. Fraser, 14, and Herman-Watt, 16, both started against Southern United having missed the trip north, with Rennie, 15, coming of the bench after 75 minutes.
It has been another teenager stealing the limelight, Year 11 St Andrew’s College student Lily Bray. Bray scored two goals in the win over Southern United to take her season tally to five, having scored a hat trick in the opening round 4-1 away win over Auckland.
Southern had stunned the home side with a goal in the third minute, but Canterbury led 2-1 at halftime after Britney-Lee Nicholson and Bray scored. The Pride ran riot in the second half with strikes by Bray, Whitney Hepburn and Football Ferns star Annalie Longo. Fraser went close to scoring on debut with her shot rattling the upright but had to settle for being named the Pride’s player of the day award. Fraser said she was ‘‘really nervous’’ so just tried to make simple passes until she got into the pace of the game and grew in confidence.
The Pride played Southern in a preseason so the girls had been introduced to the higher standard and physicality of the National League, but Fraser said having so many quality, experienced players around helped, especially with Longo always in support inside her.
The trio will be looking to crack the staring XI for round three against Northern in Auckland. Kaiapoi’s Hannah Hegarty is the fourth North Canterbury young gun vying for time on the pitch for the Pride, but the goalkeeper is stuck behind Football Fern Victoria Esson in the pecking order.
Meanwhile, Waimak United sides enjoyed some success at the Lotto U19 tournament at Cuthbert Green. Both the boys and girls went to a penalty shootout after their final playoff matches ended 1-1. The girls went down to Wellington United to finish fourth overall while the boys won their shootout against Cashmere Technical to finish seventh.