Canberra FC v Monaro Panthers | Sunday, 2pm @ Deakin Stadium

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Canberra FC can mathematically seal their top four spot this weekend when they host Monaro at Deakin Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Victory would leave them 14 points clear of fifth placed Woden-Weston with only 12 points left on offer for the Wanderers, making them safe in the finals. But they will have to get past Monaro first who lost narrowly to Tuggeranong in their last hit out on the park and sit in seventh spot, six points in arrears of Tuggeranong. Canberra FC saw off the Panthers 7-2 in a high-scoring affair back in round five but will be without some key personnel. Grace Gill may return from injury, but with Ivana Galic away and some other absentees, Sunday could see a re-jigged backline. They should still have enough firepower to get past the Panthers though, with Mel Bunker and Brittany Palombi both in strong form after the 10-0 thrashing of Wagga City before the break.

Monaro meanwhile haven’t played since the 30^th of June and should be fresh coming in to this match. That result was the loss to Tuggeranong, their second of the season and they struggled to make an impact going forward, while too often allowing Tuggeranong opportunities. While their finals race is obviously run there is still a chance for Ian Worthington’s side to push up a spot on the table if they can begin grabbing points as the season approaches its final stretch. With 12 points left on offer Monaro will need six to draw level with Tuggeranong in their current position, and need to begin accruing them now with a bye next week followed by matches against Gungahlin, Belconnen and Woden-Weston.

Gungahlin United v Canberra Olympic | Sunday, 3pm @ Gungahlin Enclosed

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Gungahlin United host Canberra Olympic at GEO on Sunday afternoon as the also look to sew up their top four spot, with the chance to increase their lead over Woden-Weston to nine points. They will be without some key bodies though, with both Stella and Nat De Marco unavailable and Rachael Corbett away too, leaving Diego Iglesias with some reshuffling to do in midfield. When these teams met in round five it ended with a 3-0 Gungahlin win and the hosts would probably be pleased with a similarly controlled performance here. They can hardly rest on their laurels though and will need to go into the match at full speed, particularly if they still harbor thoughts of chasing down Canberra FC in second spot.

For Olympic this game represents a chance to move off the bottom of the ladder with Wagga City missing a week through the bye but will need to rebound from a loss to Woden-Weston last week in their rescheduled game. Too often lapses of concentration at the back cost them in that game, and they will need to be quick out of the blocks against a dangerous Gungahlin outfit. After a slow start to the season scoring wise Andrew Woodman’s team picked up speed but have still picked up just the two wins and remain on the bottom thanks to a slightly worse goal difference than Wagga City. This clash precedes a game against Belconnen before a stretch of winnable games following, so Woodman will be keen for his side to establish some momentum here.

 

Woden-Weston v Belconnen United | Match forfeited

 

Tuggeranong United v Canberra United Academy | Match Rescheduled