Riley Savors Every Minute for Ferns

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

New Zealand will not be advancing to the knockout stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup—but co-captain Ali Riley made it clear as she exited the field Sunday at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin that the Football Ferns and their fans should feel proud, not sad.

The co-hosts battled Switzerland to a scoreless draw to finish with four points in Group A, yet the effort was not quite enough to secure one of the top two spots in the standings, as Norway routed Philippines 6-0 and claimed second place on goal differential.

Riley, who grew up on Kagawa in the Alphabet Streets, started at left back in the Ferns’ 1-0 upset of 12th-ranked Norway in their opener July 20 at Eden Park in Auckland, and afterward got hugs from her proud parents, John and Bev, who were among the sold-out crowd of 42,137 to witness the team’s first-ever victory in World Cup competition.

As she had in New Zealand’s previous four World Cup appearances, Riley played every minute of every game. Her 155 caps are the second most by any player in team history.

Now 35, Riley has played in 15 World Cup matches. Since she made her debut in China in 2007 at the age of 19, the Ferns have one win, 10 defeats and four ties in the sport’s  premiere soccer tournament.

She assisted on the equalizing goal in extra time against Mexico in 2011 in Germany that earned the Ferns their first point in a World Cup group stage. She has captained the squad since the 2017 Cyprus Cup.

Riley also plays for Angel City FC in the National Women’s Soccer League. She starred in multiple sports at St. Matthew’s Parish School, was an All-CIF selection at Harvard-Westlake High, and captained Stanford University to two NCAA semifinals and one final, during which time she switched positions from forward to defender.

New Zealand entered this year’s World Cup ranked 26th by FIFA and became the first host country to be eliminated in group play. The Ferns followed their surprising result versus Norway (worth three points) with a 1-0 setback against the Philippines and had to beat the Swiss to guarantee a berth in the round of 16.

Instead, the 0-0 tie left the Kiwis sitting on four points along with Norway, but the Norwegians leapfrogged into the runner-up position with six goals scored and one allowed (a +5 ratio) compared to one goal for and one against (a difference of 0) for New Zealand. The Philippines was last in Group A with three points.

Co-host Australia topped Group B following its 4-0 triumph in Melbourne last Saturday over reigning Olympic gold medalist Canada and moved on to the knockout stage along with second-place Nigeria. Defending champion USA tied Portugal 0-0 Tuesday to finish second in Group E behind the Netherlands.

Riley, whose father is from Christchurch, has held dual citizenship since she was a baby, but has never lived in New Zealand.

She exclaimed after the historic victory over Norway: “It’s the best time of my life!” and is proud to call Pacific Palisades home.