Belconnen United v Monaro Panthers | Saturday, 5:15pm @ McKellar Park

Belconnen United bounced back from their first drop of points all season with a statement 5-1 win over the Academy last week and face Monaro Panthers at home this Saturday night. Antoni Jagarinec may take the chance to rest key players ahead of the run into finals considering his side saw off Monaro 16-0 at McKellar earlier this season but will also refuse to become complacent against a side that has troubled some of the better teams in the competition in recent weeks. With Canberra FC losing last weekend United now have a six point gap to second with a game in hand, and are getting closer to locking up yet another Premiership.

Monaro played well last weekend against Gungahlin United but were unable to consistently withstand United’s attack as the game wore on, but are an improved side from the one that was thrashed at McKellar earlier in the year. Zoe Szeremet and Darby Whiteley impressed last weekend and will be threats once more here, but the side as a whole need a consistent 90-minute display to remain in games. They will clearly face a big test here against the best team in the competition but a strong performance and giving a good account of themselves will be a good marker of how far the side has progressed.

 

Canberra FC v Gungahlin United | Sunday, 2pm @ Deakin Stadium

Canberra FC will be looking to bounce back from a damaging loss to Canberra Olympic when they host Gungahlin United on Sunday afternoon. The 4-2 loss put a big dent in their chase of Belconnen United for top spot and now Mark Risteski’s side will likely focus on securing a top two berth. Grace Gill found the score sheet once more as she continues a stellar season but the side were opened up too easily with Grace Maher returning for Olympic and helping to pull the strings. The hosts here have won the two clashes between these sides so far to the tune of 1-0 and 3-1 but Gungahlin have been a side steadily improving and gelling throughout the season.

Diego Iglesias’ side recorded a strong draw with Belconnen United two weeks ago before seeing off Monaro last weekend and are shaping up well for a strong run home. They need to be mindful of Olympic hot on their tail for fourth spot however and can hardly afford to slip up in their final few games. They have been playing into form though, and a hat-trick from Mel Bunker last weekend combined with strong recent performances from a number of players means that they are well stocked heading towards finals. A win here would go a long way to increasing their hold on fourth but any drop of points could open the door for Olympic to cut the gap down.

 

Woden-Weston v Canberra United Academy | Sunday, 2pm @ Woden Park

The Academy can bounce back from their big loss to Belconnen United when they meet Woden-Weston at Woden Park on Sunday afternoon. After scoring first the young side were overrun by the ladder leaders in a big second half and need to put together a far more complete performance this time out. Ryan Grogan’s side created chances but were unable to take them at times and that cost them on the scoreboard. They have comfortably beaten Woden-Weston in contests between the two so far this year and should be confident headed into it, but need to be wary of fatigue with some players coming off a week of Kanga Cup action.

Woden-Weston were struggling earlier in the season but some recent wins mean they now sit just two points off fifth spot and six from the top four. A finals berth at this point seems unlikely based on their inconsistency throughout the season, but Football has a habit of being unpredictable. Things would be largely different if it was not for a surprising loss to Monaro two weeks ago and Diego Elmoudawar must rue that slip-up now. The Wanderers have struggled against the pace and width of the Academy so far this year but if there was a time that they could have a real crack then it is probably this weekend.

 

Tuggeranong United v Canberra Olympic | Sunday, 3pm @ Greenway

Canberra Olympic will continue their chase of a top four spot when they visit Tuggeranong United on Sunday afternoon. A 4-2 win over Canberra FC last weekend was a strong statement, and the return of Grace Maher clearly had an impact. She will play a key role here as she did in the first match between the sides this season, where she orchestrated much of the attack. Meg McLaughlin had an outing the last time these teams met with a bag of goals, and after a hat-trick last weekend will likely be a consistent threat here. Olympic should be too strong but must avoid becoming complacent against a side that has shown improvement this season.

For Tuggeranong, they are still on the hunt for their first points of the season and will face a stern test to take any out of this contest. Their aggregate from two contests against Olympic this season is 14-1 in favour of the opposition and they need to find more goals for this outing. They currently average around half a goal per game with eight scored in their 15 matches, seven goals less than anyone else in the competition. Last weekend they pushed Woden-Weston for large parts of the match but struggled once more to put together a complete performance, and that continues to be a factor behind their season struggles.