Belconnen United will play Canberra FC in the NPL Pre-Season Cup Final on Tuesday evening at Hawker Football Centre, kick off at 7pm following Round 3 of the competition played this weekend.

NPL Pre-Season Cup
Saturday 29th March 2014
Pool A
Monaro Panthers 0 Cooma Tigers 6 (Robbie Cattanach 25’, 44’, Stephen Domenici 29’, 71’, Pepe Varga 63’, 69’)
Cooma Tigers warmed up for the opening weekend of the National Premier League with a comfortable 6-0 win over Monaro Panthers at Hawker Football Centre in their final Pool A match of the NPL Pre-Season Cup. The Panthers, despite being outclassed on the scoreboard, had chances of their own to register but were denied by some good goalkeeping from Tigers’ stopper Jack Pettit, but at the other end Monaro had no answer to the pace and trickery of the Cooma attack. The Tigers should have led before Robbie Cattanach opened the scoring in the 25th minute but the usually reliable Cattanach clattered a 12th minute penalty against the outside of the post shortly after Stephen Domenici scooped over from six-yards. It mattered little after Cattanach made it 1-0 just over ten minutes later and further goals from Domenici and Cattanach again had Cooma home and dry before the half-time break. The Panthers attempted to play their way back into the match in the second half but the counter-attacking of the Tigers proved too much to handle. Substitute Pepe Varga was the main beneficiary, helping himself to a brace against his former club within six minutes before Domenici causally clipped home the sixth with nineteen minutes remaining.
Monaro Panthers: 1. Rory LARKIN, 2. Lewis BATES, 3. Tom CROSSLEY, 4. Alex HOLLIS, 5. Martin DENG, 6. Arok THON, 7. Deng PADIET, 8. Adrian CANIZARES, 9. Kamal AHMED, 10. Darian McGARRY-WATSON, 11. Peter MALITH
Substitutes used: 12. Nick VECCHI, 15. Sam ROESTBAKKEN, 16. Nathan ALFERINK, 14. Gianmarco SENATORE
Cooma Tigers: 1. Jack PETTIT, 2. Phil YARNOLD, 3. Glen CABLE, 4. Iain ELLIOTT, 5. Dejan SANTRAC, 6. Liam HIGHMORE, 7. Goran JOSIFOVSKI, 8. Tony ALEKSOVSKI, 9. Robbie CATTANACH, 10. Julian BORGNA, 11. Stephen DOMENICI
Substitutes used: 12. Jeremias IBARRA, 13. Pepe VARGA, 14. Rishabh SHARMA, 18. Dominic COLLUCIELLO
Discipline: YELLOW CARDS: 1. Rory LARKIN, 3. Tom CROSSLEY (Monaro Panthers), 11. Stephen DOMENICI (Cooma Tigers)
Match Officials: Daniel Rajic (referee), Richard Naumovski, Mark Young

Canberra FC 4 (James Field 16’, Philippe Bernabo-Madrid 28’, Nathan Evans 54’, Daniel Bennett 85’) Canberra Olympic 1 (Callum Smith 61’)
Canberra FC moved into the NPL Pre-Season Cup Final in confident fashion, seeing off Canberra Olympic 4-1 at Hawker to top Pool A. Despite the ultimately relative comfort with which they achieved the feat they didn’t have it all their own way in a decent contest. Olympic blew a guilt-edged chance to get off to the perfect start when they were awarded a sixth minute penalty for handball, only for Canberra FC goalkeeper Jakob Cole to prove he was up to the task, denying Olympic hit-man Mark Shields with a superb low diving save to his right, the ‘keeper showing wonderful reaction to smother the follow-up as well. FC made them pay ten minutes later as James Field ran on to a Philippe Bernabo-Madrid cut-back to calmly place a shot past the outstretched palm of Nick Owen in the Olympic goal. Ian Graham then hit the bar with a thunderous drive from distance shortly before Bernabo-Madrid made it 2-0, ghosting past his marker and coolly finishing across Owen into the far corner. It was a lead FC was to add to in the second stanza as Nathan Evans turned home a vicious low cross from Daniel Bennett for the third nine minutes after the re-start before Olympic substitute Callum Smith reduced the arrears with his first goal for the club. With Olympic pressing for a second, FC hit them on the break as Bennett took advantage of great approach work from Alex Tilley to roll home the clinching fourth.
Canberra FC: 1. Jakob COLE, 2. Aaron EVANS, 6. Ryan KEIR, 8. Ian GRAHAM, 9. Philippe BERNABO-MADRID, 13. Daniel BENNETT, 15. Jordan LAMB, 17. Aiden BRUNSKILL, 20. James FIELD, 23. Nathan EVANS, 99. Antonio BARBARO
Substitutes used: 5. Izach CLEMENTS, 10. Alex OLORIEGBE, 14. Alex TILLEY, 16. Niko KRESIC
Canberra Olympic: 1. Nick OWEN, 2. Nick SALLECCHIA, 4. Chris NIKITAS, 5. Nathan TIDMARSH, 6. Jeremy HABTEMARIAM, 7. Robbie DEELEY, 8. Joshua GASPARI, 10. Mark SHIELDS, 12. Michael REEVE, 19. Tim BOBOLAS, 99. Tim WOMACK
Substitutes used: 11. Marc O’NEILL, 14. Callum SMITH, 18. Josh PARISI
Discipline: YELLOW CARDS: 4. Chris NIKITAS, 7. Robbie DEELEY (Canberra Olympic)
Match Officials: Richard Naumovski (referee), Daniel Rajic, Mark Young

TABLE

Sunday 30th March 2014
Pool B
Belconnen United 6 (Dustin Wells 2’, Michael Taurasi 3’, 8’, 19’, Jason Ugrinic 77’, Tom McLachlan 83’) Tuggeranong United 0
Belconnen United eased into the NPL Pre-Season Cup Final with a 6-0 hammering of Tuggeranong United at Hawker Football Centre in a match in which Michael Taurasi grabbed a hat-trick inside the opening nineteen minutes. Needing a point to progress to the Final it took Belconnen only ten minutes to secure their passage by which stage they were 3-0 ahead having ripped Tuggeranong United to pieces with an early onslaught to which the Federation Cup holders had no answer. It took the Blue Devils just over a minute to take the lead as Taurasi picked out Dustin Wells on the back-post to nod his team in front, and they were 2-0 up from their very next attack as Taurasi rounded off a move by slotting in from close range. The Belconnen striker was in the mood for goals and duly made the game as good as over with his second in the 8th minute, going on to complete a hat-trick inside twenty minutes with a classy finish after bursting clear of a sluggish Tuggeranong defence. Jason Ugrinic could have added a fifth, but blazed over when well-placed before rattling the frame of the goal with a whipped free-kick. Ugrinic got his reward for his endeavour in the second half, netting in the 77th minute, with Tom McLachlan rounding out the half-dozen with seven minutes left to play.
Belconnen United: 1. Stipan UJDUR, 4. David KEMP, 5. Dustin WELLS, 6. Jack BLACKLEY, 7. Taylor BEATON, 9. Goran MUKEVSKI, 10. Michael TAURASI, 11. Jason UGRINIC, 13. George TIMOTHEOU, 15. Tom McLACHLAN, 16. Milan POPOVICH
Substitutes used: 3. Cameron REINHART, 12. Bernard RENE, 14. Jack GREEN
Tuggeranong United: 1. Rowan SHEPHERD, 2. Jonathan REIS, 3. Michael GURNEY, 4. Sean KIDDEY, 5. Chris RUIZ, 6. Daniel COLBERTALDO, 7. Matt MENSER, 8. Tim STEWART, 9. Zach MUNSTER, 10. Muad ZWED, 11. Sean MURPHY
Substitutes used: 12. Jordan GLOVER, 13. Harry PETTIT, 14. Mark DI BITONTO, 15. Andrew SELLERS
Discipline: YELLOW CARDS: 7. Taylor BEATON (Belconnen United), 4. Sean KIDDEY, 9. Zach MUNSTER (Tuggeranong United)
Match Officials: Matthew Cropper (referee), Owen Goldrick, Scott Robertson

Woden Valley 1 (Thomas Zeitlhofer 72’) Canberra City 3 (Misko Naumoski 28’, David Dexter 55’, Gimale Essacu 86’)
Canberra City warmed up for their opening match in the NPL season proper by winning their final Pool B NPL Pre-Season Cup match against Woden Valley 3-1. Driving rain for almost the entirety of the first-half made conditions treacherous and, as a result, the quality of the game was compromised with safety first being the order of the day and creativity playing second fiddle to industry and endeavour. When the rain eased the quality improved and City were first to take advantage, taking the lead in the 28th minute as Misko Naumoski arrived perfectly to steer a cross past Jason Denham in the Woden goal for his first official strike since his summer return to the club. It was a lead that City comfortably defended until the half-time break with Woden unable to find a way to break down a stubborn City defence. Renowned for their prowess from set pieces it was little surprise when City found a route to goal via a free-kick for their second ten minutes after the resumption. A wonderfully flighted ball into the box was met by a deft header from centre-back David Dexter that drifted past Denham and into the top corner. Woden hit back through Thomas Zeitlhofer but City substitute Gimale Essacu secured the win with a thumping finish into the top corner close to full-time.
Woden Valley: 1. Jason DENHAM, 5. John GIBSON, 6. Domenic SMEDLEY, 7. Regan WALSH, 8. Conor NOLAN, 9. Lukas COLE, 10. Jake WILSENER, 14. Thomas ZEITLHOFER, 15. Liam WALSH, 22. Marco GAYER, 28. David JENKINS
Substitutes used: 3. Sam OSSATO, 12. Mitch STEENBERGEN, 13. Andrew SLAVICH, 23. Romeo ROMEO
Canberra City: 1. Steven McLAUGHLIN, 2. Andrew MANLEY, 3. James PERRY, 4. David DEXTER, 6. Adam DOBELL, 9. Ben DOYLE, 10. Misko NAUMOSKI, 12. Brad SAWYER, 13. Alan GASTON, 14. Andrew ALIFFI, 16. Jeremy HEGARTY
Substitutes used: 7. Gimale ESSACU, 8. Matt RICE, 11. Daniel DI-SALVATORE, 15. Grant DAVOREN
Discipline: YELLOW CARDS: 4. David DEXTER, 10. Misko NAUMOSKI (Canberra City)
Match Officials: Owen Goldrick (referee), Matthew Cropper, Scott Robertson

TABLE

LEADING SCORERS
5 Michael TAURASI (Belconnen United)
4 Daniel BENNETT (Canberra FC)
3 Dustin WELLS (Belconnen United), Philippe BERNABO-MADIRD (Canberra FC), Mark SHIELDS (Canberra Olympic), Stephen DOMENICI, Pepe VARGA (Cooma Tigers)
2 Alex OLORIEGBE (Canberra FC), Robbie DEELEY (Canberra Olympic), Robbie CATTANACH (Cooma Tigers), Thomas JAMES (Monaro Panthers)
1 David KEMP, Tom McLACHLAN, Goran MUKEVSKI, Jason UGRINIC (Belconnen United), David DEXTER, Gimale ESSACU, Luke GIBSON, Misko NAUMOSKI (Canberra City), Nathan EVANS, James FIELD, Ryan KEIR (Canberra FC), Callum SMITH, Oliver WIEDERKEHR (Canberra Olympic), Julian BORGNA (Cooma Tigers), Kamal AHMED, Arok THON (Monaro Panthers), Conor NOLAN, Andrew SLAVICH, Mitch STEENBERGEN, Thomas ZEITLHOFER (Woden Valley)