LEAD STORY - SOCCER: Gissy girls a knockout

ANENDRA SINGH
When baby Johnnie Mereaira Kururangi greeted the world on May 2, 1982, little did she know how much commotion she was going to create.
As she curled her tiny fingers and bawled her little lungs out at 8.20am that Sunday at Gisborne Hospital her parents, Kawhia and the late Robert (he died when Kururangi was 14), were left frowning.
``The doctors had told them that I was a boy so mum had named me Johnnie even before I was born,' the Taradale Reds women's soccer goalkeeper told SportToday with a laugh.
A parental korero to resolved the crisis delivered - Johnnie come lately she was going to stay ... until she went to Patutahi Primary School.
``The teachers thought my name wasn't feminine enough so they changed it, using my middle name.
``When I went to high school [Lytton] I didn't tell anyone what my middle name was,' explained the Eastern Institute of Technology student, after her Reds side pipped Eskview Blue 3-2 at Petane Domain yesterday to lift the Knockout Cup to end the season in style with a double [league champions, too].
``It's a good communication starter,' said the 26-year-old final-year interior decoration degree student who has earned the one-syllable nickname of ``JK' on the playing field.
For the record, the self-confessed tomboy is the baby (with two other sisters) in her family and, no, she has no brothers.
Although she has been in the Bay for four years, she only started playing soccer this season after bumping into teammate Kelly Marsh during a netball match.
A goalkeep under the hoop and equally adept as a touch player, Kururangi paid tribute to Dale stalwart Jamie Hall, premier player Matt McKinnie and prem reserve goalkeeper Lucain MacDonald.
``I only had hand skills when I started playing and no foot skills. These guys taught me how to kick a ball,' she said.
While she had won a league title with Gisborne Thistle four years ago, Kururangi was delighted with Dale's double yesterday. It was the club's first double since 1999 when they won doubles for three consecutive seasons before ascending to Central League competition which prevented them from playing in the Bay competitions.
Yesterday, the Reds drew first blood in the 3rd minute through another Gisborne newcomer, Nora Moana, who latched on to a through ball to outpace centreback Bridget Reeve before pushing the ball past Kelly Winkley in goal.
The game seesawed until the 35th minute when Eskview right winger Anne-Marie Lawlor's sporadic runs paid off. After several crosses went begging she crossed from inside the 18m box and a deflection off Dale centreback Mandy McLean's clearance kick caught Kururangi out of position for the equaliser.
Stung into action, the Reds forced a corner kick within two minutes and from the ensuing kick and a feeble clearance Moana lobbed the ball into the 18m box for German Fran Lunden to head it past Winkley to go up 2-1 into the breather.
Five minutes into the second spell, Lawlor showed she could do that too and a speculator over the Reds defence had striker Leanne Mahoney take a few touches before chipping it over an advancing Kururangi's outstretched arms for the 2-all equaliser.
In an almost repeat reaction, Taradale struck back two minutes later with a goal befitting of a final match. It was a knockout in every sense of the word as right winger Alex Dickenson dribbled into the 18m box and from the most acute of angles (almost parallel with the goal line) curled the ball over a motionless Winkley for the 3-2 winner.
The Blues reshuffled by pushing up newcomer Holly-May Taylor but the national age-group hockey representative, who has been a revelation for Blues stand-in coach Viv Moule, gallantly hobbled off.
Sustained pressure from several cornerkicks, culminating with a back-to-the-goal bicycle-kick effort from Taylor, failed to yield an equaliser in the face of a dogged Dale defence.
The Blues missed the services of Abby Burrows (in Christchurch for a cricket clinic) and Steph Moule (working). The Reds could equally argue they also missed the impetus of Marsh and Jessica Hart (both overseas).
Reds coach Dave Dickenson said: ``The girls have done really well with the double. They've worked hard and I'm thrilled with their performance.'
On the adjacent field, Napier City Rovers predictably thumped Hastings Rovers 12-2 in the plate final. The Rovers struck twice within 90 seconds. At the final whistle Nicole Baird and Chrystal Hopkins claimed hattricks while Aleesha Heywood, Vicki Marlow and Jessica Sheppard got two each.
Natasha Thorn (17th) and Annaliese Gorst (62nd) were Hastings' scorers.