The Football Ferns have held on for a one-all draw against South Korea in Christchurch last night thanks in part to a penalty save from keeper Victoria Esson.
Esson conceded the late penalty after taking down a Korean player in her box in the 84th minute but was then able to make up for it when she denied Son Hwa-yeon’s attempt soon after.
The Football Ferns earlier jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Liv Chance opened the scoring with a goal off a deflection from the Korean keeper in the 13th minute.
South Korea had to wait until the second half to find an equaliser but managed to convert a corner.
It comes after the Football Ferns lost the opening fixture at the same venue 1-0 on Sunday; coach Jitka Klimkova made two changes to the side from that game with Grace Jale and Gabi Rennie coming into the starting lineup.
The games were part of the Football Ferns’ continued build-up to next year’s World Cup on home soil with their next games set to be against World Champions USA in January in Wellington and Auckland..
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