Misfits v Moturoa, Women's Fed Cup final
Jamie Curry's nerves were in a state of discord, like the taut strings of an untuned cello, as she picked up the pace to make her way to the school office block yesterday afternoon.
Like any teenager will tell you, the Sacred Heart College pupil from Napier thought she had done something wrong when the message was relayed to the classroom summoning her to head for the office.
You could still detect the faint signs of her ragged breathing on the other end of the phone when she realised it was an interview with Hawke's Bay Today - not that it helped soothe her jangled nerves.
It's something the 15-year-old striker is coming to grips with on the football field too.
"I'm excited but nervous too," the fourth-former said yesterday before her Maycenvale Misfits side prepare to play Arborio Moturoa AFC in the Federation Cup (knockout) final in Palmerston North tomorrow.
The Leon Birnie-coached Misfits have dominated the Bay competition, clinching the knockout cup 2-1 on Tuesday night against Taradale Baldwin Jewellers after securing the league bragging rights prematurely with several rounds to go.
The predominantly teenage Hastings club team will be up against a New Plymouth outfit who have an equally impressive season and as many youngsters.
But don't mistake Curry's skittish episodes for someone who is lacking vision or prowess on the field.
When she started as a primary pupil at Reignier School, Taradale, in year two Curry had no qualms about ditching her girlfriends to hang out with the boys.
"I saw the boys playing soccer and I was quite intrigued by it. The girls laughed at me.
"I have a friend, Grace Meates [at Sacred Heart], who still tells that joke."
The only girl in the Greendale boys' team, Curry got into the sport after asking her mother, Bronwyn, who thankfully, knew someone at Taradale club.
Having played for the now disbanded Port Hill youth academy side last winter, Curry got into the Misfits squad after attending a trial with other teammates looking for a new club to play with.
However, she attributes her vision and positional play to her father, Lance Curry, who still plays badminton although he didn't compete at an elite level in any sport.
"He somehow knows a lot about the mental side of things, so it's kind of weird, but he's helped me a lot."
Feeling she doesn't have the edge to score goals that frequently, Curry prefers to assume the mantle of provider to her skipper and fellow striker, Aleesha Heywood.
"Aleesha is more confident so I like to lay-off more.
"I'm nervous even at club games so in that sense I'm a weaker player."
Birnie said Curry was coming out of a cocoon of shyness this winter, something reflected towards the end of the season when she started collecting the 1-2-3 MVP points as well as scoring the equaliser against Dale last Tuesday night.
"She definitely has excellent vision in possession."
Birnie said his troops, with defender Rosie Morgan on concussion lay off, have five players who played in a Fed Cup final under back-up coach Craig Barkle several years ago at Memorial Park when they lost on a penalty shootout.
Mindful Moturoa are mostly an unknown quantity, Birnie says his players will need to start from the time the whistle goes and not 15 minutes into the first half.
"In fairness, the [cup] scores got closer as we progressed from 7-nil, 5-nil to 1-nil in the semifinals so the final should be a great game," he said of the 1pm kick-off tomorrow.
He felt midfielders Nicole Baird, Paige Smith and Emma Rogers would be pivotal in providing that momentum.
While Moturoa coach Scott Manson talked about a neutral venue, his team are treading on familiar ground after having thumped last year's losing finalists, Palmy North Marist, 5-0, in the semifinal and Palmerston North End 7-0 at a different venue in round one.
"We're going down with the attitude that it's a one-off game and we can't leave anything behind in the changing sheds or the field," Manson said, embracing the motivational thought of bringing the silverware back to the Western area of the soccer region from the dominant Eastern clubs.
Lynchpins for Moturoa are Central Fed reps centre-mid Tiffany Kawana-Waugh, captain/striker Nikki Wenzlick and defender Letitia Hansen.
"We're young but it's the end of the season so we're looking pretty good with fitness," Manson said.
FINAL FACTBOX
* Maycenvale Misfits (from): GK Sonia Holland, Laura Wallis, Paige Smith, Melanie Hinton, Nicole Baird, Emma Rogers, Aleesha Heywood (c), Jamie Curry, Holleigh Ellis, Izzy Boyd, Rachel Webby, Ashley Arquette, Biddy Wilson, Rebecca Wood, Rosie Morgan.
* Arborio Moturoa AFC (from): GK McKenzie Kawana-Waugh, GK Renee Washington, 2 Anna Hinton, 3 Vanessa Adlam, 4 Tayla Stuthridge, 5 Tiffany Kawana-Waugh, 6 Danielle Rodgers, 7 Letitia Hansen, 8 Maddy Hill, 9 Sophie Matthews, 10 Nikki Wenzlick (c), 11 Brianna Watson, 12 Kat Greaney, 13 Renee Washington, 14 Bernadine Gladding, 15 Emma Fagan-Shiels, 16 Chelsea Aim.
* Where: Memorial Park, Palmerston North.
* When: 1pm kick-off tomorrow.
* Officials: Referee Mandy Musa (Wanganui), assistant refs Shannon Smith (Manawatu) and Jess Rowe (Manawatu).
* Entry: Free.