Our girls proud of performance

By HENRY MORABANG
PAPUA New Guinea U17 girls soccer must hold their heads high following their much improved performance at the recent FIFA World Cup qualifier in Auckland, New Zealand.
One player who would treasure the trip to the land of the long white clouds was 14-year-old Joy Tsuga.
The Grade 8 pupil at St Therese Primary school in Badili, NCD, the part Gulf and Bougainville U17 flanker did not hesitate to say it was a great experience.
Joy, who played in the second game against New Caledonia were they won 1-0, said the tournament was very tough especially against New Zealand.
“Host New Zealand are the team to beat. They are very good with the ball. They play wide and really outplayed us in all facet of the game to beat us 9-0 in the decider,” she said.
The daughter of former FIFA referee instructor Russel Tsuga wants to follow the footstep of her elder sister Claire Tsuga, who played in the senior women’s team that lost to New Zealand 7-0.
Joy said they were proud of was that PNG was the number one in the Pacific and second only to New Zealand.
The last time the U17 took part several years ago, they finished last in the eight-team competition while at the recent soccer championships in Auckland, they finished second out of the five-team event.
Comparing the two events, PNGFA consultant David Brand who wants to remain neutral said “we (PNG) must be happy with their performances’.
The U20 women’s event was contested for the first time, and there was nothing to gauge our performances on.
Brand, the man behind the rise of football in Samoa before moving to PNG, said New Zealand won the age-group event because majority of their players were contract overseas especially in Europe and USA.
New Zealand will continue to dominate the women’s football in Oceania region as seven of theirplayers were part of the New Zealand Football Ferns who thrashed PNG 7-0 for the World Cup qualifier last month.