Striker Sarah Gregorius scored in her 50th match for her country as the Football Ferns secured their first win of 2014 overnight, earning a 1-0 victory over Finland in their final match of the 2014 Cyprus Cup.
Gregorius struck what proved to be the winner three minutes before halftime atthe Tasos Marko Stadium in Paralimni as the Football Ferns took out the crossover playoff match for 11th/12th position against their 23rd ranked opponents.
After losing five of their six matches to open their 2014 campaign, and having not tasted victory since a 4-0 win over China secured the Valais Cup in September, Football Ferns coach Tony Readings said while it was nice to get a result, frustration still remains.
"It's quite bittersweet because we have won the game and we have deserved to, so it's nice to get a win but at the same time we're disappointed that the margin wasn't bigger," Readings said.
"Today typified some of the issues we've faced this year in the final act in putting the ball in the back of the net. We should have won more games this year and by a bigger margin today."
"This year has been really positive with a lot of the performances and we've definitely taken a step forward in lots of areas. But we need to be putting our chances away more because we are now being more effective in the attacking part of the pitch and creating more chances. But there's no point creating them if you're not taking them."
The opportunity the Football Ferns did take on Wednesday fell to Gregorius, who notched her 18th goal for New Zealand and Readings underlined the contribution of the 50-cap striker.
"Gregors is a key part of our team on and off the pitch. She's a popular member of the side and on the pitch she knits the team together nicely and we look really cohesive when she's on the pitch."
