Six points from two matches has allowed Canberra Olympic to close the gap on league leaders Belconnen United in the OPC NPL Women’s Reserves competition as they defeated Canberra Croatia and Majura FC within the space of a week.
Canberra Olympic started their work with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Canberra Croatia in their midweek catch-up fixture at the Australian Institute of Sport, a fixture in which they led from the eleventh minute via a well-taken goal from Lucija Peric.
There was more to come after the break as Olympic took the game away from their opponents with a pair of fine strikes from teenage striker Darcy Williams, the goals coming within four minutes of each other in a fine Olympic display.
And they backed that up on the weekend with a terrific 2-0 away win over Majura FC on a difficult pitch at Ainslie Oval, the hard-packed surface eventually leading to the postponement of the first team match that was scheduled to follow.
Two goals was enough this time as strikes in each half from Sienna Ness, her eighth goal of the season, and Anna Bennett with her third, allowed Olympic to move to within a point of the league leaders.
Belconnen United continue to lead the way thanks in main to a crushing 6-1 victory over Gungahlin United at McKellar Park, a result that further improved the Blue Devils mightily impressive goal difference.
A rare goal from Katie Woodman opened the scoring early on for the home team, before they began to take control of the contest. Scarlett Wells helped herself to a treble, moving onto seventeen goals for the season and a lead on the Golden Boot race.
Eden Rodda is also in contention for that particular individual honour, and her pair of goals, one in each half, helped Belconnen to a comfortable 6-0 lead. Zara Hall netted a late consolation for the Gunners.
To complicate matters further, Canberra Croatia remains in contention for top spot, their 5-0 home victory over West Canberra Wanderers meaning they are just two points off Belconnen at the summit.
Arijana Majetic scored twice for Croatia whose own Golden Boot contender, Emily Hazilias, took her personal total for the campaign to fifteen with the third goal of the afternoon, Rhiannon Fensom having made it 2-0 just past the half-hour with her twelfth of the year.
An own goal from Wanderers’ Abigail Moss rounded out the Croatia victory at Deakin Stadium, the fifth of the match coming with thirteen minutes left on the clock.
RESULTS
ROUND 7
Wednesday 13 August
Canberra Olympic 3 (L. Peric 11’, Williams 50’, 54’) Canberra Croatia 0
ROUND 19
Sunday 17 August
Belconnen United 6 (Woodman 11’, Wells 17’, 54’, 67’, Rodda 34’, 55’) Gungahlin United 1 (Hall 72’)
Canberra Croatia 5 (Majetic 18’, 40’, Fensom 31’, Hazilias 38’, Moss 71’ (og)) West Canberra Wanderers 0
Majura FC 0 Canberra Olympic 2 (Ness 34’, Bennett 57’)
TABLE*
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 19 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 88 | 11 | +77 | 48 |
| 2 | Canberra Olympic | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 55 | 14 | +41 | 47 |
| 3 | Canberra Croatia | 19 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 82 | 17 | +65 | 46 |
| 4 | Gungahlin United | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 41 | 40 | +1 | 33 |
| 5 | West Canberra | 19 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 44 | -13 | 32 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 20 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 28 | 48 | -20 | 18 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 21 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 16 | 93 | -74 | 9 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 76 | -74 | 0 |
*Includes two further forfeited matches: Tuggeranong v Gungahlin (24 August) and Tuggeranong v Majura FC (31 August)
TOP SCORERS
17: Scarlett WELLS (Belconnen United)
15: Emily HAZILIAS (Canberra Croatia)
14: Eden RODDA (Belconnen United)
12: Rhiannon FENSOM (Canberra Croatia)
9: Ella HALL (Gungahlin United), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia)
8: Sienna NESS (Canberra Olympic)
7: Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Arijana MAJETIC (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Nicole ZHAO (Canberra Croatia)
5: Elizabeth BARTONE (Canberra Croatia), Emily TOZER (Belconnen United)
4: Brittany FIORESE (Canberra Olympic), Samantha SHEA (Belconnen United), Sonja TOMANOVITS (West Canberra Wanderers), Matylda WELLS-SHEATHER (Gungahlin United)
3: Anna BENNETT (Canberra Olympic), Amy BONGIORNO (Canberra Croatia), Alexia CERNE (Canberra Olympic), Sophie COULDRICK (West Canberra Wanderers), Siena D’AMBROSIO (Belconnen United), Sienna DY-MORTIMER (Canberra Olympic), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Evdoxia MANTINAOS (West Canberra Wanderers), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Ariana RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United)
2: Hannah BOURKE (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Georgia CHOUNDARY (Canberra Olympic), Lily D’ADDARIO (Canberra Olympic), Danielja ESKINJA (Belconnen United), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Samantha HOST (West Canberra Wanderers), Abbey HURMAN (Canberra Olympic), Elianne LUM (Majura FC), Josephine MCKENZIE (Gungahlin United), Tahli MILIN (Canberra Croatia), Hannah MORRISON (Gungahlin United), Jessica PEARSON (Gungahlin United), Marija RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Jasmine RICHARDS (Gungahlin United), Tayah SANDERS (Canberra Croatia), Margaux SIEB (Majura FC), Caitlyn SKILLICORN (West Canberra Wanderers), Darcy WILLIAMS (Canberra Olympic)
1: Isla ALLEWAY (Tuggeranong United), Chloe BARKER (Canberra Croatia), Sofia BISSELL (Majura FC), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Natalia CERNE (Canberra Olympic), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Sophia DOUMOS (Belconnen United), Charlotte EVANS (Tuggeranong United), Hannah FERGUSON (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Zara HALL (Gungahlin United), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Bente HELGEBY (West Canberra Wanderers), Ella HEWSON (West Canberra Wanderers), Isabella HOPKINS (Canberra Olympic), Olive HUDDY (Majura FC), Caitlin KOCH (Belconnen United), Brianna LAZZARI (Tuggeranong United), Sophie MCGLYNN (Gungahlin United), Olivia MEDINA (Wet Canberra Wanderers), Elfin MOKANY (Belconnen United), Josie MONTANARI (Gungahlin United), Elizabeth MOSS (Gungahlin United), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Lucija PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Sofia PIROTTA (Canberra Olympic), Isabella POLE (Majura FC), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Chelsea ROLLS (Majura FC), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Vanessa SOPHCOLI (Majura FC), Lauren WATT (Tuggeranong United), Ava WILLIAMS (Canberra Croatia), Katie WOODMAN (Belconnen United)
