Monaro Panthers v Canberra FC | Sunday, 2pm @ Googong

Canberra FC came from behind to share the points with Gungahlin United last weekend and will be looking for a better start this time out when they face Monaro out in Googong. So far this season Canberra FC have won 5-0 and 4-0 against the Panthers, but having not faced them now for more than nine weeks things can look a little different. Losing Chantel Jones was always going to be a big blow for the defending Champions, but with one win from their last five games things are maybe looking a little worse than expected. They have a top four spot all but sewn up and can confirm it with a win this weekend, but the side needs to begin playing themselves into form heading into the pointy end of the season.

For Monaro this season continues to be a learning curve and they will face another challenge this weekend as they look to cover the departure of young forward Darby Whiteley who jetted off to the United States during the week to join a college program. The Panthers have continually improved throughout the season, somewhat evident in their 3-0 loss to Belconnen last weekend being a magnitude less than their 16-0 thumping earlier on in the season. This will be another tough outing but they may have more chance to play out than they did against Belconnen and potentially able to make some inroads. This is the beginning of a tough end to the season with matches against Canberra United Academy and Canberra Olympic still awaiting them.

 

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

Gungahlin United face a big match this weekend that will be key to their hopes of securing a spot in the top four come the end of the season. A draw last week with Canberra FC was not a bad result but allowed Canberra Olympic to draw within two points of them on the table. This weekend presents them with the Academy, and it will be a tough matchup against one of the better sides in the competition. Gungahlin have lost both matches to the Academy but after facing them twice in the first eight weeks of the competition have not seen them since, and United have been a side clearly on the improve since then. The side has gelled and improved as a unit and will push the Academy in this outing if they can work to nullify their attacking threats.

For the Academy they saw off Woden-Weston easily to rebound from a big loss to Belconnen United the week before and are looking to close the gap to Canberra FC for second place. They sit just four points behind but with a game in hand, but are running out of time to close the gap definitively. This week they take on current top four opposition in Gungahlin, who while having beaten them twice were still pushed for their victories. With 59 goals to their name the Academy will be tough to stop on the scoring front, but they have also conceded the most of any side in the top four so will need to be wary of a home attack that has improved through the season.

 

Tuggeranong United v Belconnen United | Sunday, 3pm @ Kambah

Belconnen United are already guaranteed a top-three finish with six matches still to play, but there is no doubt they will push on until the end of the season as they look to secure another top of the table finish. A clinical win last weekend against Monaro continued their undefeated season and they are eight points ahead of second placed Canberra FC with a game in hand on them. At this late stage of the season Antoni Jagarinec could be forgiven for turning his attention towards finals already, but that is unlikely and he will be fully focused on this weekend. Belconnen have seen off Tuggeranong to the tune of 3-0 both times they have met and should be confident of adding a third win to that tally here.

Tuggeranong United suffered their 16^th loss of the season last weekend against Canberra Olympic but the 5-1 loss was an improvement on the 9-1 drubbing they suffered at their hands in round nine. The fixtures get no easier this weekend though as they take on the ladder leaders, and it is hard to see a result other than a Belconnen win. But Tuggeranong have fought well against them so far this year, restricting them to just six goals across their two meetings. If they can similarly keep the score down here then the goal will be to get on the board themselves, but with only nine goals scored across the season that has proved to be a hard task. This match is just part of a tough stretch as United turn to face Gungahlin after this outing.

 

Canberra Olympic v Woden-Weston | Sunday, 3pm @ O’Connor & LIVE on BarTV Sports

Canberra Olympic sit two points behind fourth placed Gungahlin United on the table and can help to bridge the gap this weekend when they take on Woden-Weston at O’Connor. An important win over Canberra FC two weeks ago was big in the context of the finals race, and they backed that up with a victory over Tuggeranong United on the weekend. Now they face the Wanderers who are still arguably in the top four race and have plenty to play four. Olympic have Grace Maher back and they are rolling, with Meg McLaughlin in fine scoring form with 15 goals since joining part way through the season. They saw off Woden-Weston the last time they met in round eight despite the visitors having the majority of possession and chances, and will maybe look to control the game a bit more this time out.

For Woden-Weston they are seven points outside fourth spot, but should not be counted out with five games to play. Stranger things have happened and a win here would open up the race for fourth dramatically, particularly dependent on what happens with Gungahlin United this weekend. A third heavy loss of the season to the Academy last weekend was a setback in their hopes though and they will need to bounce back here. The two sides drew 2-2 earlier in the season before Olympic’s afore-mentioned victory at O’Connor, and the Wanderers need to make the most of chances this time. They have plenty of players capable of scoring, and only need to put them in a position to do so to have a great chance in this match.