Despite creating history with their opening upset win over Norway, the Football Ferns won't call their World Cup campaign a success if they fail to advance to the knockout stage.
Their shock defeat to the Philippines on Tuesday has left the Ferns needing a win against Switzerland on Sunday to guarantee their spot in the round of 16 and avoid relying on the outcome of Norway's group A closer against the Pinays.
While the victory over the Norwegians was the first by any NZ men's or women's teams at a World Cup, they insist that feat alone wouldn't be enough to give their campaign a pass mark if they're unable to emerge from the group.
"I would say no," said Ferns midfielder Olivia Chance.
"I wanted us to get out of the group and I think that's what the team want."
After the highs of Auckland, the loss to the Philippines in Wellington was a cruel reality check for the Ferns, who couldn't convert their dominance of the general contest into goals.
Chance admits there would be some silver linings to any potential failure on Sunday, most notably the way the country have embraced both the team itself and the sport, with the 42,137 at Eden Park in the tournament curtainraiser setting a record for a football crowd in Aotearoa.
However, anything less than progression past the group stage would still constitute a cross mark in the eyes of the players themselves, she adds.
"The other side [of our performance] - how much New Zealand has got behind football - I see that as a success no matter what happens on Sunday.
"But for our performance and what we want as a team, we want a good performance on Sunday. We want to get out of the group."
That sense of desire is even more pronounced for veteran Annalie Longo. The 32-year-old Cantabrians has been part of four previous Cup campaigns during her 127 international appearances and is desperate to rewrite the record books again this weekend and avoid suffering a familiar fate at this tournament.
"For me, there's a bit of unfinished business," said Longo.
"Obviously I've been fortunate to be a part of a few World Cups. We create history on opening night and we want to go that one step further.
"All to play for. I think there's a real confidence and belief in the group, and I just can't wait to go out and perform well and hopefully create more history with this team."
Longo made a staggering recovery from an ACL rupture in September to take her place in the squad and - with the team holding their fate in their own hands - has implored her team to take advantage of the sitaution they've put themselves in.
"That's why we play football and why we put ourselves in these positions," she added.
"It's all in our hands now and that's what we've spoken about. Control what you can control and Sunday is obviously going to be a big test for us
But as a group, we've shown already that we can do it…. and man, I want to get out of this group so I'm going to do everything possible to try and do that."
Join Newshub at 7pm Sunday for live updates of the NZ v Switzerland World Cup clash
