Belconnen United put five past Gungahlin United in the first match of a two-game OPC National Premier League Women’s weekend, as Scott Conlon’s team edged ever closer to going an entire campaign undefeated with a 5-0 victory at McKellar Park.
It took the home side 23 minutes to open the scoring, as Maddie Steinacker picked out Talia Backhouse superly, who stayed strong in a challenge with Maddie Perceval and fired past Georgia Ritchie to make it 1-0 Belconnen.
Goals either side of half-time extended the Blue Devils’ lead to three, as a Keira Bobbin penalty on the brink of the break was followed up with a second stunning Talia Backhouse finish after just two second half minutes.
With just eight minutes of the match remaining Belconnen had a fourth, as Izzy Hindmarsh’s expertly taken free-kick found the crossbar and eventually the back of the net via an unfortunate deflection off Ritchie in the net for the Gunners.
Bobbin got her second of the match a few minutes later to make it five, bagging to take herself two goals clear in the golden boot race, and her side onto a 17th win of the season.
Over at Deakin Stadium Canberra Croatia retook second spot on the NPLW ladder with a 2-0 victory over finals-chasing West Canberra Wanderers.
The home side had the edge in a first half that saw both sides with limited opportunities on goal, however the second belonged to Croatia, going ahead after 60 minutes through a Brittany Palombi penalty.
It was 2-0 to Musie Elongo’s side just two minutes later, as Reilly Yuen bagged her third of the season with a cool finish, following a moment of defensive indecision in the Wanderers backline.
Croatia held out their lead until the full time whistle for a crucial three points that took them ahead of Canberra Olympic and back into second, following the postponement of Olympic’s meeting with Majura FC, while the result left West Canberra a point behind Gungahlin United, and outside the top four.
RESULTS
ROUND 12
Tuesday 12 August
Tuggeranong United 0 Gungahlin United 4 (Smith 13’ (og), Young 51’, Whiteley 56’, N. De Marco 87’)
ROUND 7
Wednesday 13 August
Canberra Olympic 3 (Miro 20’ (p), 22’, Cachia 55’) Canberra Croatia 2 (Yuen 53’, Palombi 60’)
ROUND 19
Sunday 17 August
Canberra Croatia 2 (Palombi 60’ (p), Yuen 62’) West Canberra Wanderers 0
Majura FC v Canberra Olympic – Match Postponed
Belconnen United 5 (Backhouse 22’, 47’, Bobbin 44’ (p), 89’, Ritchie 82’ (og)) Gungahlin United 0
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 9 | +102 | 51 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 54 | 18 | +36 | 31 |
| 3 | Canberra Olympic | 15 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 27 | +27 | 30 |
| 4 | Gungahlin United | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 55 | 27 | +28 | 27 |
| 5 | West Canberra | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 49 | 31 | +18 | 26 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 68 | -57 | 7 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 17 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 121 | -112 | 4 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 42 | -42 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
23: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
21: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers)
14: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
12: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United)
11 Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
10: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United)
9: Own GOALS
8: Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
7: Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United)
5: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United)
4: Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), April HILL (Canberra Croatia), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers)
3: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Leah CARNEGIE (Canberra Olympic), Sofia FURLANETTO (Majura FC), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Sofia MERKOUREAS (Canberra Croatia), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Reilly YUEN (Canberra Croatia)
2: Acacia ARGENTO (Tuggeranong United), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Hannah BOURKE (Canberra Croatia), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Olivia MARTINIELO (Majura FC), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Liana ALVES (Canberra Olympic), Angelina BABIC (Canberra Croatia), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Elvein IBRAHIM (West Canberra Wanderers), Nicole KALEB (Canberra Olympic), Mollie JONSSON (Tuggeranong United), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Audrey MCLAREN (West Canberra Wanderers), Jessica MITCHELL (Tuggeranong United), Abigail MOSS (West Canberra Wanderers), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Saskia NEWMAN (Canberra Croatia), Eliza-Jane NORRIS (Canberra Croatia), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Maddison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Maddie STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers), Lauren WATT (Tuggeranong United), Maggie WRIGHT (Majura FC)
TOP ASSISTS
14: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
11: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia)
9: Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
8: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United)
7: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
6: Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
5: Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic)
4: Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Ailish Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
3: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Tiana BOOTS (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), April HILL (Canberra Croatia), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Madeleine STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
2: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Annaliese GROVE (Gungahlin United), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Chelsea HATELY (Gungahlin United), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Jada LAMOND (Gungahlin United), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Abigail RICHARDS (Majura FC), Juliana ROBERTSON (West Canberra Wanderers), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Liana ALVES (Canberra Olympic), Esperance ANDERSON (Tuggeranong United), Eliza BAKER (Majura FC), Layla BARBOUR (Majura FC), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Lena CHRISTOPHERSON (Tuggeranong United), Lucy D’ARCY (Gungahlin United), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Ariana KASHAN (Majura FC), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Stefi LEJINS (Belconnen United), Olivia MARTINIELLO (Majura FC), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Stephenie NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Ariana RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Allegra SENTI (West Canberra Wanderers), Caitlyn SKILLICORN (West Canberra Wanderers), Ivy STEVENS (Gungahlin United), Sonja TOMANOVITS (West Canberra Wanderers), Maggie WRIGHT (Majura FC)
Words: Sam Watson
