AUCKLAND – The Football Ferns may be starting the Olympic Games two days before the opening ceremony but their captain is confident they’re ready to upset Japan in Qinhaungdao on Wednesday night.

When Hayley Moorwood (24) leads her side – the first New Zealand Olympians in action – onto the field it will be far cry from New Zealand’s last game against Japan in Tokyo three years ago.

Then, as a green 21-year-old with just 8 caps to her name, Moorwood created history as the Football Ferns’ youngest-ever captain, but New Zealand endured a forgettable night at the hands of their hosts, losing 0-6.

It was the Football Ferns’ only international in the middle of a two-year barren period stretching from October 2004 to November 2006 but Moorwood believes a step-change in activity that has seen the Ferns play 29 matches in the last 18 months is about to pay dividends.

“We’ve been getting through a lot of off-field and on-field preparation so we’re definitely ready for the Olympics,” Moorwood said.

“As a player and a captain, I’m definitely a lot more confident now and have a few more caps under my belt – I think I was in single figures then. And having a great team around me definitely helps.”

Now into her second spell wearing the armband and with the most international experience (35 caps) of the current squad, Moorwood is well placed to judge the team’s recent progress.

“The team have come a long way since then [2005], and especially in the last year and a half. We’re much more attacking now and certainly like to flood players forward.

“At the World Cup [the 2007 Women’s World Cup], the team was very defensive and we were a new team – we’d only been together for about six months. Now’s it’s almost two years, and I think we’re ready to spring a few surprises.”

New Zealand have not beaten a top-ten side since FIFA started publishing their world rankings for women’s team in 2003, so will head into the Group G opener against the tenth ranked Japanese as firm underdogs despite a promising pre-Olympic build-up that culminated with a draw against world number nine Canada in Singapore.

“It was a good result to head into the Olympics with, and we were pretty disappointed not to win if I’m honest. But it was a great boost heading into the Games and gives us momentum to get a result in our first game on Wednesday.”

New Zealand coach John Herdman has only one injury concern heading into the match with fleet-footed winger Ali Riley “touch-and-go” after suffering a recurrence of a hip injury in training during the week.

The match kicks off at 9pm New Zealand time with group favourites Norway and USA squaring off at 11.45pm.

Women’s Olympic Football Tournament: Group G

Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium

Wednesday 6 August 5pm local (9pm NZ time)

Live on Freeview and tvnz.co.nz.

New Zealand v Japan

New Zealand: (from) 1-Jenny BINDON (GK), 2-Ria PERCIVAL, 3-Anna GREEN, 4-Katie HOYLE, 5-Abby ERCEG, 6-Rebecca SMITH, 7-Alexandra RILEY, 8-Hayley MOORWOOD, 9-Amber HEARN, 10-Emily McCOLL, 11-Kirsty YALLOP, 12-Merissa SMITH, 13-Rebecca TEGG, 14-Kristy HILL, 15-Emma KETE, 16-Renee LEOTA, 17-Marlies OOSTDAM, 18-Rachel HOWARD (GK).

Japan: (from) 1-Miho FUKUMOTO (GK), 2-Yukari KINGA, 3-Hiromi IKEDA, 4-Azusa IWASHIMIZU, 5-Miyuki YANAGITA, 6-Tomoe KATO, 7-Kozue ANDO, 8-Aya MIYAMA, 9-Eriko ARAKAWA, 10-Homare SAWA, 11-Shinobu OHNO, 12-Karina MARUYAMA, 13-Ayumi HARA, 14-Kyoko YANO, 15-Mizuho SAKAGUCHI, 16-Rumi UTSUGI, 17-Yuki NAGASATO, 18-Ayumi KAIHORI (GK).

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