Less than 100 days out from the Women's World Cup in New Zealand, the Football Ferns seem to have their work cut out for them.
After another heavy defeat - a 3-0 drubbing by Nigeria - the NZ women have extended their winless streak to 10 games.
After breaking their scoring drought against Iceland days earlier, problems in front of goal plagued them once again against the Africans, but the scoreline suggests defensive woes were also apparent, now conceding 23 goals in their last 10 matches.
Ferns coach Jitka Klimková is clear about where her side went wrong and concedes her players lacked fight where it mattered most.
"It was disappointing, specifically in front of the goal," she said. "We were not gritty enough in our defensive third.
"We gave up a goal from the set-piece, we gave up a goal from a cross, then we were obviously pushing for a better result, took a risk and went with three backs.
"They got in a chance in the last minute and scored, but for me, the biggest improvement we need is greedy defending in the box.
"Putting bodies on the line, the same way that they did... how many crosses they blocked and how many times they won those battles in our final third.
"The critical piece today was really in front of the goal, defensively, and in the attack."
The Ferns will now make a welcome return to New Zealand, as they prepare for the World Cup opener against Norway on July 20.
While they took plenty of lessons from the friendlies, nothing beats training camp, according to Klimková.
"We are aware that are 100 days to go and I'm glad that, in May and June, we committed to this camp that we will be together, we will be training together, and we will be connecting with each other on the field and off the field more," she said.
"When you go on those tours, you really have three days prior to the first game, and then you have to review and refocus for another game.
"It's really more about preparation for the opposition that we are playing against. During two months, spending time with the team, that is what can really make a difference.
"We will see them almost every day and that can be a critical piece for our preparation."
