Canberra United Academy v Belconnen United | Saturday, 5pm @ AIS Grass & LIVE on BarTV Sports

The Canberra United Academy and Belconnen United will kick off round 15 with a massive clash at the AIS on Saturday evening. Sitting first and third on the table, the sides have been two of the form sides of the competition thus far and will both come into this match on strong form. Ryan Grogan will be without Karly Roestbakken once more as she continues her Young Matildas campaign in Asia, and she will be a big loss against an experienced Belconnen outfit. Aoife Colvill is in stellar form after another six-goal haul last weekend against Canberra Olympic and the visitors will look to nullify her threat early. These two met earlier in the season with United triumphing by a solitary goal and the Academy will be keen to reverse that.

For Belconnen, they dropped points for the first time all season last weekend against Gungahlin United although Antoni Jagarinec was far from concerned afterwards. It was a far less clinical performance than they are used to, and they struggled to break down a Gungahlin team that came ready to dig in. They are unlikely to face an opponent sitting so deep this weekend, rather a team that will try and bring the game to them and snap at their heels. They sit nine points ahead of the Academy with eight games each left in the season so even a loss would hardly ring alarm bells, but now is the time to begin tapering the side for the pointy end of the season so expect to see both teams have a proper crack here.

 

Canberra FC v Canberra Olympic | Sunday, 2pm @ Deakin Stadium

A Canberra derby beckons at Deakin Stadium on Sunday afternoon as Canberra FC host Canberra Olympic. The hosts picked up a 2-1 win over Tuggeranong United last weekend to remain just three points behind Belconnen United at the top and have lost only two matches all season, both to Belconnen, heading into the final third of the season. They have won both clashes against their rivals so far this season, and Mark Risteski will be keen to improve that record to three wins. Canberra FC are reportedly recruiting Brittany Palombi to bolster their stocks, particularly in the wake of Chantel Jones injury, but it remains to be seen whether she will be ready for this weekend.

Olympic were soundly beaten by the Academy last weekend as Aoife Colvill ran riot and they need to bounce back as they chase the final spot in the top four. With Gungahlin drawing against Belconnen last weekend the chance was there for Olympic to close the gap but they were unable to take advantage. They will face another tough test against Canberra FC and a loss here would be a big blow to their finals chances, particularly with Gungahlin in a winnable matchup with Monaro. Grace Maher is nearing a return from surgery earlier in the season and she will add another element to the team when she is back, but if that is this weekend or in a few weeks remains to be seen. A win here though for the visitors would make things very interesting heading into the back stretch of the season.

 

Tuggeranong United v Woden-Weston | Sunday, 3pm @ Greenway

The search continues for Tuggeranong’s first win of the season, and this weekend they host Woden-Weston at Greenway. Last week Michael Aldred’s side struck first against Canberra FC, but were quickly pulled back before the visitors scored a winner in the second half. This season has been one of constant improvement but lacking full 90-minute performances and a touch of experience. Woden-Weston were beaten by Monaro in their last outing so the chance is there for United to capitalise on a struggling side, but the Wanderers are also capable of turning in strong performances.

Before they were beaten by Monaro they pulled off a surprise 3-0 win over Gungahlin United and a number of players have impressed throughout the season. Woden-Weston should take the game to United this week given their array of attacking option and the Wanderers have won both of the matches between the two teams so far, kicking off the season with a 2-0 win before a 2-1 triumph later on. Their form has been up and down since then though and it is hard to predict what side will show up on any given weekend. They will still be favourites here, but back the hosts to push them all the way.

 

Gungahlin United v Monaro Panthers | Sunday, 3pm @ Kaleen Enclosed

Gungahlin United can strengthen their hold on fourth spot when they host the Panthers at Kaleen Enclosed in the final game of the round. United bounced back from a shock loss to Woden-Weston a couple of weeks back with a 1-1 draw at McKellar Park last weekend and are four points ahead of Olympic in fifth spot. They could end up as many as seven points ahead if everything goes their way or as few as one point if the reverse happens. Any lead of more than one game at this point is valuable to Diego Iglesias’ side and they can keep their fate in their own hands by picking up three points here. Their two wins over Monaro this season have been narrow but if they can start on the front foot then that will give them the confidence to go on with it.

For Monaro, they pulled within four points of fifth last weekend with a stirring win over Woden-Weston. Zoe Szeremet and Alicia Meuronen scored the goals in that outing and they will prove to be a hassle for the home backline this time out. This side have markedly improved as the season has gone on, and they can prove that here. As mentioned earlier the meetings between these two teams have been close so far, indicating that maybe bridging the gap to their opponents on the field will not be as tough as the table suggests. If the Panthers take the game to Gungahlin they may be exposed, but sitting deep and playing long balls as Gungahlin commit forward may be enough to catch them out.