Belconnen United 4 (Bobbin 3’, 53’, Yuen 9’, Thornton 10’) beats Canberra Olympic FC 2 (Cook 41’, Sykes 56’)

Belconnen United’s ruthless finishing strikes again. After scoring 3 goals in the first 10 minutes, Michael Zakoski’s troops managed their advantage at McKellar and put their opponents 9 points away from top of the table.

Nicole Begg must have felt like it was a bad dream. The first corner of the game happened at the 3^rd minute, and in the middle of a scramble, allowing Keira Bobbin to score her first of the day. 6 minutes later, Olivia Bomford snuck through the midfield before finding Reilly Yuen in the box, and the youngster, amidst the protests for offside, wrong foots Aurelia Haynes. On the very next attack, the Blue Devils earn a free kick just outside the box. Michaela Thornton picks the open side and her powerful strike can only be brushed by Haynes in her own nets.

Canberra Olympic looked like they had not gone out of the locker room yet, but for Belconnen, it was a dream start. Who else than Ashleigh Sykes to remotivate her teammates. Despite making run after run and outsmarting her opponents she failed to get an opener to endanger Cristina Esposito. The answer will come 5 minutes before half time, with another free kick.

Ally Cook and her left foot cleaned the cobwebs over Esposito with a superb effort from a distance, sending her team to the locker room full of hope.

Olympic played the momentum; after a couple of chances before half-time that the offensive duo Sykes-Vandebroucke could not convert, the visitors started the second act at full speed. Belconnen weathered the storm and made the most of their transition football. After five timid minutes, the Blue Devils decided to push forward and use the pace of their wingers to regain control of the game. Less than ten minutes in the second half, Bobbin struck again. At the end of a long run from her own half, she slalomed between two defenders and hit the ball so hard Haynes could only deflect it into her own goals. Olympic kept their head up and could count on their most lethal weapon to come back within two goals again minutes later. Sykes, found in the box, dragged the ball back on her left foot and buried it in the back of the net. Olympic kept pushing but the score would not change. Even with a newly imagined centre back duo Johnston-Thornton, after Karen Clarke’s injury, Belconnen’s solid defence blocked any further offensive ambition from the visitors.

The Blue Devils negotiated well 2 out of 4 games in a tough series: after seeing CUA and Olympic off, they host Michelle Heyman’s Gungahlin next week before travelling to Deakin. Canberra showed interesting offensive intents despite the loss. They will need to be more clinical if they want a result next week, when they host Canberra Croatia.

 

West Canberra Wanderers FC 1 (Savanhu 72’) beat Canberra United Academy 0

The Wanderers needed to bounce back after 2 straight losses and did it by the thinnest of margins against the Academy with Sam Savanhu scoring her second goal in seven days.

No Tiana Jaber, no Emma Stanbury, no problem. Without their two star players, West Canberra displayed the same discipline we have seen at Melrose since the start of the season. A solid defensive unit, and explosive counter attacks were the recipe for success this Sunday against the Academy. Vicki Linton’s squad cannot be blamed for not trying. Sasha Grove led her troops offensively and was able to create several opportunities for herself and her teammates. But in the last third, their inability to be in a position of scoring was the downfall during the first half. Grove was not able to catch the target when she could find the space to shoot, and Janet King was lucky to put a hand on a point blank header by Nikita Perry. At the other end Chloe Lincoln had to produce a couple of saves in an otherwise quiet first half.

Back from the locker room, the home team decided to play higher and tried to add presence in the box. The game remained a cagey affair, with great intensity in the middle of the pitch but little solution upfront for both sides.

The deadlock was finally broken with under 20 minutes left to play. A ball cheaply given away by the Academy midfield allowed Alex MacKenzie to offer Savanhu a ball at the edge of the box. The striker resisted Stephanie Nikias and her almost perfect shot found the top right corner, out of reach of Lincoln. The Academy kept going forward to try and level the game, but luck was not on their side. Alyse Jensen’s strike from the corner of the 16 yard box crashed on the crossbar of a helpless King, while Meg Roden’s attempt from distance was off-target. The score would not change again.

The result is important for West Canberra, who come back 4 points behind the Academy. Canberra United is still third on the ladder, but are now 8 points behind the leading duo. Both teams are travelling next week, the former in the Riverina to face the other Wanderers while the latter go to Kambah to face a winless Tuggeranong.

Gungahlin United FC 4(J. Brown pen. 14’, 30’, Perceval 27’, Heyman 85’) beat Wagga City Wanderers FC 0

Different venue, same result. For their second meeting this season, Gungahlin saw Wagga City off 4-0 again. The first 30 minutes and then the goal for Westfield W-League all-time leading scorer Michelle Heyman was the cherry on top for the Gunners.

Diego Iglesias would have been pleased to see his squad starting on the front foot, constantly bringing the ball near Sam Emms’ area from the get-go. The pace, physicality, and constant movement in Gungahlin’s midfield early on proved too much for Sam Gray’s young and injury laden squad. Emms was showing off her skills within 5 minutes, after returning to the starting line-up. In front of Ella Brown first, then Erika Pennyfield, Emms delayed the inevitable for as long as she could. Just before quarter of the hour unfortunately, Jade Brown dribbled and was fouled by the talented keeper. Brown decided to take care of the spot kick herself, picking the bottom right corner to score her first of the day. The Gunners kept the pressure up and 10 minutes later captain Maddie Perceval was forgotten in the middle of the box, and had all the time in the world to bury her header in the back of the net. 2 minutes later, another corner saw Ruby Gambale attempting a header. Emms deflected the ball on the crossbar, and before she could pick it up, Jade Brown tapped it in for the third goal of the day and her 4^th this season.

3-0 at half time, Wagga City needed to change something to be able to come back. Unfortunately for the visitors, Gungahlin dominated that second half as much as the first. Sam Emms again was fantastic to stop Natalie De Marco’s long range effort and Ella Brown’s volley from up close while Gungahlin’s Kailey Tonini had a quiet day at the office up the other end. Michelle Heyman signed her NPLW debut in a Gungahlin jersey with a goal at the 85^th minute. Following the 12^th corner for her new team, Heyman appeared at the far post to volley the ball with enough power and precision to leave Emms no time to dive. The addition of the international striker could be a season changer for Gungahlin, and it certainly started on a positive note.

Wagga City is still unable to gather a series of positive results, but the year has been tough for the squad, between injuries and unavailability. They will host West Canberra next week at Rawlings. Gungahlin, 24 hours earlier, will travel to Belconnen to challenge the Blue Devils on their turf.

 

Canberra Croatia FC 12 (Palombi 5’, 67’, Fogarty 19’, 23’, 44’, Fensom 27’, 38’, Matic 31’, Berkeley 68’, 71’, R. Daisley 72’ (og), Hagen 89’) beat Tuggeranong United FC 1(Terry 66’)

The reigning champions took the top spot with panache in Deakin, scoring 12 against bottom of the table Tuggeranong. Nik Brozinic’s squad passed Belconnen United on the ladder thanks to a better goal difference.

Tuggeranong came out trying to press high to prevent their opponents from finding their goal scorers, but their efforts did not pay off. 5 minutes into the game, Olivia Fogarty saw Brittany Palombi’s run through the defence and found her perfectly in the box. Facing Sophie Rolfe alone, Palombi left her no chance and scored the first goal of her team. A minute later, the goalkeeper won her duel with the striker, and then beat away an attempt on target from Grace Gill to keep her team in the game for a few extra minutes.

In the 19^th minute, Fogarty half volleyed a ball from the edge of the box in the bottom corner, and the attack continued to be this relentless for the home side. 4 minutes later, Palombi became the passer and found Fogarty in the box, for the number 7 to wrongfoot Rolfe. Before the half hour mark, centre back Rhiannon Fensom inherited the ball in the middle of the box after a corner kick, and buried it with her right foot. The very next corner kick was successfully headed in by the other centre back, Cecilia Matic, before Fensom scored her second of the day with a beautifully chipped ball from 25 meters away. Another corner kick meant another goal 2 minutes before half time, with Fogarty recording her first hat trick of the season and making it 7-0.

The Tuggies came back from the locker room with more density in their defence, and could count on Rolfe again to make a few saves to keep Canberra Croatia mute for 20 minutes. Zoe Terry even put her name on the scoresheet with a powerful left footed effort from long range that took a dive behind Ally Hinson and under the crossbar. That goal did seem to wake up the home side though, who struck 4 times in the following 5 minutes. First Palombi, found in the back of the defence by Chantel Jones, won her one vs one with Rolfe. Jones and Palombi were also involved in a smooth sequence of play that ended with Jamie Berkeley opening her right foot to find the opposite side. 2 minutes later, Berkeley was lucky to see the ball literally fall onto her lap in the 6 yard zone, and just tapped it in the empty net, before Rhiannon Daisley tried to clear a cut back pass from Alice Churchill, only to send the ball in her own goals. Palombi thought she would get her own hat trick 5 minutes before full time but could only find the cross bar from outside the box. The 12^th and last goal for Canberra Croatia was scored by Krista Hagen from long range.

Tuggeranong was no match for the reigning champions on Sunday and will hope for a better result in Kambah next week, when the Academy visits them. Canberra Croatia took back a first spot they had abandoned a month ago, and will fight to keep it in O’Connor this weekend.