PS4 NPL: Race for the Title Intensifies
PLAYSTATION 4 NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUES: CANBERRA
MATCHDAY 16
It’s a huge weekend in the PlayStation® 4 National Premier Leagues competition as Matchday 16 sees the top four sides all looking for maximum points as the race for the league title intensifies as we approach the final three weeks of what has been a fascinating season.
Leaders Tigers FC have the destiny of the title in their own hands with their lead at the top of the table forcing pressure on the chasing pack who need to win their games in hand in order to reign in the Cooma-based side who, by virtue of a superior goal difference, have another ace up their sleeve. With Stephen Domenici and Nicolas Abot in excellent goal-scoring form, Tigers will take some stopping.
Trying to do just that, and keep alive their hopes of retaining the League Championship, will be Canberra FC, the visitors to Nijong Oval on Sunday afternoon. FC saw their match with Gungahlin United postponed last weekend and will have had time to try and rehabilitate some of their walking wounded ahead of the trip South. Last season saw a remarkable game at this venue with FC claiming an amazing comeback win, so goals aplenty should be in store.
Canberra Olympic, the closest challengers to Tigers FC, will be out to take the points, and perhaps improve their goal difference into the bargain, when they meet the CU Academy at Hawker Football Centre on Saturday evening. Olympic did just enough to defeat a youthful looking Tuggeranong United at O’Connor Enclosed on Matchday 15 but they will come up against an Academy team in good form, buoyed by their 7-1 annihilation of Woden-Weston FC. They could yet throw a spanner in Olympic’s championship aspirations.
Belconnen United, third heading into the weekend, travel the short distance to Gungahlin United to meet the Gunners at Gungahlin Enclosed. The Blue Devils are four points adrift of Olympic before the match and nothing less than a full quota of the points will be acceptable if they are to continue to be a part of the picture in the championship chase. Gungahlin, meanwhile, are eyeing off a fifth placed finish.
Action starts on Saturday afternoon with a brace of matches scheduled for 3pm. The FFA COE boys, fresh from returning from representing Australia at the AFF Championships, welcome Monaro Panthers to the AIS whilst Woden-Weston FC will face Tuggeranong United at Woden Park. None of these sides can make the finals, but positions on the ladder are up for grabs and two keenly fought encounters are anticipated.
FIXTURES
Saturday 30th July
FFA COE v Monaro Panthers (AIS, 15:00)
Woden-Weston FC v Tuggeranong United (Woden Park, 15:00)
CU Academy v Canberra Olympic (Hawker Football Centre, 18:00)
Sunday 31st July
Gungahlin United v Belconnen United (Gungahlin Enclosed, 15:00)
Tigers FC v Canberra FC (Nijong Oval, 15:00)
TABLE
LEADING SCORERS
21 Stephen DOMENICI (Tigers FC)
12 Jason UGRINIC (Belconnen United), Nicolas ABOT (Tigers FC)
11 Thomas JAMES (Canberra FC)
8 Philippe BERNABO-MADRID (Canberra Olympic), Joshua GULEVSKI (CU Academy)
7 Sam SMITH (Belconnen United), Domenic GIAMPAOLO (Canberra FC), John ROBERTS (FFA COE)
6 Daniel BARAC (Tigers FC)
5 Aisosa IHEGIE, Dustin WELLS (Belconnen United), Jordan TSEKENIS (Canberra Olympic), Rahmat AKBARI (FFA COE), Nikolaos KALFAS (Tuggeranong United)
4 Josip JADRIC (Canberra FC), Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Canberra Olympic), Bul JUACH, Tomas KRKLEC, Sam WHITHEAR (CU Academy), Ed MCCARTHY (Monaro Panthers), Bryce BAFFORD, Jaidon SELDON (FFA COE), Andrew SLAVICH (Tuggeranong United), Matthew WATERS (Woden-Weston FC), Own GOALS
3 Ivan PAVLAK (Canberra FC), Daniel FABRIZIO (CU Academy), Louis D’ARRIGO, Mark MORIC (FFA COE), Mitch STEENBERGEN (Gungahlin United), Darian MCGARRY-WATSON, Mark SHIELDS (Monaro Panthers), Alex OLORIEGBE, Dejan SANTRAC (Tigers FC), Marco GAYER (Tuggeranong United)
2 Nikolas POPOVICH, Jonathan REIS*, Toby RICHTER (Belconnen United), Nikola BARISIC (Canberra FC), Robbie CATTANACH, Daniel COLBERTALDO, Nathen MEGIC (Canberra Olympic), Niko UJDUR (CU Academy), Jacob ITALIANO, Mirza MURATOVIC, Ben OBST, Marc TOKICH (FFA COE), Alex MOSCARITOLO, Marcial MUNOZ, Liam WALSH (Gungahlin United), Daniel FELIZZI, Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Monaro Panthers), Nahuel GUERRERO, Jeremias IBARRA (Tigers FC), Domenic COLUCCIELLO, Emilio KISTA (Tuggeranong United), Bensah AFIABO, Daniel DI-SALVATORE, Goran MILUTNOVIC (Woden-Weston FC)
1 Taylor BEATON, Matt GRBESA, David KEMP, Goran MUKEVSKI, Cameron REINHART (Belconnen United), Aidan BRUNSKILL, Izach CLEMENTS, Robbie DEELEY, Kye EDWARDS, Ian GRAHAM, Ryan KEIR, Misko NAUMOSKI (Canberra FC), Tim BOBOLAS, Angelo KONSTANTINOU, Tom MCLACHLAN, Michael REEVE, Oliver WIEDERKEHR, Victor YANES (Canberra Olympic), Mate BARISIC, David CARDER, Nicolas FELIZZI, Lachlan GRIFFITHS, Ridwan HANNAN, Tony MADAFFARI (CU Academy), Lachlan BROOK (FFA COE), Frano BLAZEVIC, Nathan DUCK, Jack GREEN, Christian JUNNA, Jason O’DWYER (Gungahlin United), Martin DENG, Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Tim ANDERSON (Tuggeranong United), Julian BORGNA, Osman FOFANAH, Alan GASTON, Goran JOSIFOVSKI, Milan POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Sam SHADBOLT Tuggeranong United), Tim DEHELEAN, Ben GRIEG, Tom HIRST (Woden-Weston FC)
*1 goal for Tuggeranong United
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