AFC CAF CONMEBOL CONCACAF UEFA OFC

OCEANIA-OFC NEWS

February 18, 2004 Talented soccer star Hayley Moorwood scores dream birthday present by Jeremy Ruane "What would you like for your birthday?" is a question we have all been asked in the days leading up to the one day in the year each of us can call our very own. For Auckland soccer star Hayley Moorwood, however, the question did not need to be asked this year, thanks to a letter from New Zealand Soccer a couple of weeks ago. "Would you be available to play for New Zealand at the Australia Cup tournament in the last two weeks of February, departing on the 13th?" was the gist of the request contained within. To say Moorwood was eager to mark her twentieth birthday by flying to Brisbane on her special day, as part of the New Zealand National Team which is taking on China, North Korea and the host nation at the sixth Australia Cup tournament, is something of an understatement! "I am really excited about this tournament," exclaimed the quietly-spoken midfielder who when it comes to football, usually prefers to do her talking on the pitch" I am ready to play - if I could be there now, I would be!!,"she said, eagerly awaiting the flight west late last week. The 2003 Northern Premier League Player of the Year will be hoping to improve on the three appearances she made for her country at last year's World Cup qualifying tournament, but whether she adds to her solitary goal remains to be seen. China and North Korea are ranked fifth and seventh in the world respectively, while traditional rivals Australia, whom the New Zealanders play today have had the wood on the Kiwis since May 1994. "It will certainly be a good learning experience for us, and we will endeavour to put up as good as show as we can for what is a relatively young team," said the Lynn-Avon United star, one of just eight players in the squad to have previously appeared for their country at senior level. She is joined by club-mates Amber Hearn and Sara Clapham in the eighteen-strong squad. "It is good to have club-mates coming through to play at this level, both from a personal viewpoint and for their own progress in the game. Amber certainly was not expecting her call-up, while Sara got the nod following Nicky Smith's withdrawal." The matches mark the first steps in a long-term plan put in place by New Zealand Soccer, which has qualifying for the 2007 World Cup Finals and the 2008 Olympic Games as its twin objectives. To that end, the national body has chosen to bypass the qualifying tournament for this year's Olympic Games in Athens. Moorwood's gloomy feeling upon discovering this was no different to those of any of the country's leading women's soccer players. "It was certainly a disappointment to be told we would not be taking part in the play-offs, having been under the impression we were going. But there is really nothing we can do about it, although it does give the Australia game an extra bit of edge from our point of view!!," she giggled mischievously. It promises to be an exciting year ahead for the attractive young soccer star, who was named on the weekend as one of the five recipients of the New Zealand Herald's Junior Sports Awards. She is set to broaden her horizons towards the end of the local season. "II head to South-West Baptist University in Missouri in early August, where I will link up with (New Zealand team-mates) Priscilla Duncan and Pip Meo. After a couple of false alarms previously, I am definitely going this time!" Before then, however, Hayley has high hopes of making a positive impression on New Zealand's opposition in Brisbane - that will definitely make her twentieth birthday one to remember!!