Article: Jeremy Magan
Photos: Anthony Caffery Photography

Monaro Panthers FC 0 def. by Belconnen United FC 9 (Alexia Forner 7’,62’, Nicole Jalocha 30’,45’, Keira Bobbin 34’,42’, Karen Clarke 40’, Katie Woodman 48’, Samantha Price 88’)

Head coach Ahmed Ugool could not have asked for a better start for his debut season in charge of Belconnen United, as his side thrashed a young Monaro Panthers 9-0 at Hawker Football Centre on Saturday afternoon.

The scene was set from the seventh minute, when Alexia Forner’s corner missed her teammates and the defenders and found its way past the goalkeeper for a freakish goal to begin the 2020 NPLW season.

On the half hour mark, Nicole Jalocha double United’s lead by cutting inside her defender and finding the bottom corner calmly past Jelena Josipovic. In the space of 15 minutes, United found the back of the net another four times after Raechel Hardwicke spent 10 minutes on the sideline for dissent.

As good sides do, Belconnen put the game to bed thanks to another three goals in the second half, as Forner scored her second before she was joined on the scoresheet by Katie Woodman and Samantha Price.

Monaro Panthers will look to bounce back against Tuggeranong United, while Belconnen United will receive the weekend off due to a BYE.

Canberra Olympic FC 0 def. by Gungahlin United FC 2 (Elke Aitolu 57’, Erika Pennyfield 63’)

Gungahlin United claimed all three points points in an exciting game against Canberra Olympic at Gungahlin Enclosed on Sunday afternoon.

Olympic’s new recruits were in top form, with Sienna Farrar holding the midfield and former Canberra United stalwart Nicole Begg involved in every dangerous opportunity. Her twin sister Ash Sykes, one of the attractions of the NPLW and Canberra Olympic this year, was not on the teamsheet, out with a minor knee injury.

Gungahlin added more talent to an already solid core squad during the offseason, with Tianah Miro and Stef Leijins in the midfield, showing off their elegant technique and hard-working mindset throughout the game.

In a first half dominated by Gungahlin, Olympic goalkeeper Angelica Pahina showed she was in good form for her first game, preventing Ella-Rose Brown and Erika Pennyfield from putting their name on the scoreboard.

Both teams came back from the locker room with a more offensive mindset, but the Gunners’ drew first blood through Elke Aitolu’s free-kick from long range. Her powerful shot from 35 meters out landed just under the cross bar and left Pahina no chance.

Unfortunately for the away side, when goalkeeper Kailey Tonini wasn’t stopping their attempts, the post was.

Aitolu took advantage of the momentum and combined beautifully with Pennyfield, chipping the ball over the defence for Pennyfield to find herself alone facing Pahina. A smart lob from the Gunner’s forward gave her team a more comfortable lead.

Both teams showed on Sunday they will be serious contenders for the top four and Olympic’s strong performance shows last year’s record is definitely in the rear window.

Tuggeranong United FC 1 (Helmers 85’) def. by Canberra United Academy 3 (Sasha Grove 16’, Tara Cannon 35’, Anna Hunt 63’)

Canberra United Academy were lethal in Kambah on Sunday, making the most of their opportunities to get the three points against a combative Tuggeranong United FC.

CUA scored early in the game, with midfielder Sasha Grove landing a powerful shot from long range in the top left corner, out of reach of United’s goalkeeper.

They doubled their lead 10 minutes before the end of a first half they dominated, when Tara Cannon’s freekick squeezed under the keeper.

Down 2-0, Tuggeranong came back from the locker room with better intentions, changing their tactics to a 4-4-2 and taking the game to the visitors by positioning themselves higher up on the field.

Canberra United Academy kept playing a good passing football and won a penalty after a United abruptly stopped a swift Academy counterattack. Anna Hunt found the net from the spot kick to give her team a very comfortable 3-0 lead.

The Tuggies’ answer came too late as Kristy Helmers scored a penalty in the 85^th minute.

A great start of the season for Canberra United Academy, who will face a title contender this coming Sunday when they host Gungahlin United (Hawker Football Centre, 4.20pm).

Woden Weston FC 0 def. by Canberra Croatia FC 1 (Grace Gill 77’)

The duel between last year’s NPLW 5^th and 2^nd turned out to be long undecided, although the hierarchy was respected in the end.

With both teams pressing high up the field, Woden Weston FC had the best chances early but failed to find the back of the net.

Canberra Croatia let the storm pass and slowly took over, with the rest of the first half mostly played in their opponent’s half. The Grace duo of Field and Gill showed all their technique but the home defence was always well positioned and able to stop attacks without consequences.

The second half started with more of the same, the away team dictating the rhythm despite but hitting the Wanderers’ wall again and again. The few times they got through, goalkeeper Cristina Esposito was inspired between the sticks.

Grace Gill eventually helped break the deadlock when she received the ball in the Wanderers’ box. Her shot hit the post, but the ball bounced off a Woden defender and finished in the net for the only goal of the game.

Woden-Weston FC’s coach Mark Boyd gave credit to both teams after the game. He was proud of his team for showing up and almost getting the 3 points, an interesting effort before facing Olympic next week.

“I consider Canberra Croatia to be the benchmark for this year, they have a lot of very talented players in their team,” he said.

“We had a very good defensive game. We had some early chances to score. At this level, you got to take these chances, it would have been a different game.

“I was really happy with the girls, they never gave up, and they showed they can compete at a high level.”