Four goals from Ben Basser-Silk gave West Canberra Lightning a stunning 7-6 victory in a thriller over Queanbeyan-Palerang Power at Daramalan College.
Basser-Silk, who has been going through the gears in recent weeks, opened the scoring after just three minutes, showing acceleration to burst away from his marker and finishing off the inside of the near post via Power goalkeeper Josh Freeman’s right-hand.
Power equalised less than a minute later as Tony Spaseski threaded a shot through a crowd of players which Adrian Dawson dummied, fooling Benjamin Southam in the Lightning goal. However, it was Lightning that were back in front in the 12th minute as Ashley Blount finished at the near post, and Basser-Silk gave West Canberra a two-goal cushion seconds later.
That precipitated an incredible run of goals in the final three minutes of the half as the Power were able to turn the match on its head. Adrian Dawson pulled one back for Power only for Michael Southam to reestablish the Lightning two-goal lead.
Power was having none of it though, and 19-year-old Alan Kapchanga struck on debut to pull one back. A shot from Spaseski was then deflected off Callum Smith to level the scores, and Power were to lead at the break as Ed McCarthy followed up to blast home after Kapchanga had hit the post in front of a gaping goal.
The advantage didn’t last for long as a shot hit with some violence from Basser-Silk levelled the scores again early in the second stanza, setting the scene for an intriguing conclusion. The teams continued to trade goals at regular intervals, Power playing short-handed after Spaseski was dismissed for two cautions, but Lightning were able to come out winners.
The top-of-the-table clash saw UC Stars remain undefeated as they saw off South Canberra Swift 9-3 to claim a ninth win of the season to along with their one draw.
It was the Swift who got off to a dream start as they broke through past Jamie-Lee Guo, who kept the Men’s CFL maiden clean sheet in midweek, after only two minutes as Lucas Alcazar-Stevens fired an effort through the goalkeepers’ legs.
The lead lasted barely two minutes however as William Manolo and Jayde James-Ward combined to find Nick Rathjen in front of goal and the Futsalroos international did the rest to crack home the equaliser.
Stars were able to then turn the game around with a stunning second as Nick Dahl created space for himself on the right flank to arrow home a shot across Benivento into the far corner and put his team ahead at the halfway mark.
The League Champions turned on the style after the break and turned up the heat to take the game away from the Swift. Dahl and Rathjen scored one apiece to increase the lead to 4-1, before Alcazar-Stevens reduced the arrears.
Unperturbed the Stars switched back onto the attack as Michael Rinaudo and James-Ward struck, and when Nick Pratezina struck his 15th of the season, James-Ward immediately added another to move level onto the Golden Boot leadership ahead of the Sunday game.
David Seselja pulled one back for Swift, but Stars were too strong, and Will Manolo was able to wrap it up with the ninth late on.
North Canberra Fire ensured they would not finish with the wooden spoon as they held off an ANU Apex climax to win a thriller by 4-3 to finish off Round 10.
It took until the eleventh minute for the deadlock to be broken and when it was it was broken in some style. Jono Ciminelli created it, threading a perfectly weighted pass into Toby McPherson who finished with nonchalant ease past Sherab Guo, the stand-in ANU Apex goalkeeper.
Guo was otherwise in sensational form making a string of outstanding stops to deny the Fire further goals, notably keeping out fierce efforts from Elie Darwich and Brandon Hawker. At the other end Jenno Ceruti was foiled by Wilson Howden when seeking a way into the contest.
Fire began the second-half in wonderous style with two brilliant goals in quickfire succession as Darwich hammered in an effort that went in off the inside of the post before Elliot Alberto struck with a clinical volley, dispatched with some force and no little technique.
The Apex were in no mood to lie down, and they reduced the arrears with a brace of goals within seconds of each other themselves. Max Trushell got the first, a thumping shot that cannoned in off the underside of the bar and the inside of the post, before Connor Falusi netted after a sublime solo run.
However, it was the Fire who were to snatch it with the match’s seventh goal as Darwich danced past a couple of challenges to tee up Brandon Hawker for the winner.
RESULTS
Fri: QP Power 6 (Spaseski 4’, Dawson 17’, Kapchanga 17’, Smith 19’ (og), McCarthy 20’, Saleh 31’) West Canberra Lightning 7 (Basser-Silk 3’, 13’, 22’, 32’, Blount 12’, 31’, M. Southam 17’)
Sat: UC Stars 9 (Rathjen 4’, 26’, Dahl 13’, 24’, Rinaudo 27’, James-Ward 29’, 34’, Pratezina 30’, Manolo 35’) South Canberra Swift 3 (L. Alcazar-Stevens 2’, 28’, Seselja 29’)
Sun: North Canberra Fire 4 (McPherson 11’, Darwich 22’, Alberto 22’, Hawker 36’) ANU Apex 3 (Trushell 28’, Falusi 28’, De Vries 32’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | UC Stars | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 30 | +49 | 28 |
| 2 | South Canberra Swift | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 21 |
| 3 | West Canberra Lightning | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 55 | 50 | +5 | 14 |
| 4 | QP Power | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | North Canberra Fire | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 53 | -30 | 7 |
| 6 | ANU Apex | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 41 | 72 | -31 | 4 |
TOP SCORERS
15 Jayde JAMES-WARD (Stars), Nick PRATEZINA (Stars)
13 Johnny HAJDU (Apex)
12 Luca MACOR (Stars), Nicholas SUBASIC (Lightning)
11 Marco GAYER (Power), Michael RINAUDO (Stars)
10 Nic DAHL (Stars)
9 Ed MCCARTHY (Power), Alessandro PENA (Swift)
8 Ben BASSER-SILK (Lightning), FERNANDO Jorquera (Swift), Doug WOODIWISS (Power), Own GOALS
7 Lucas ALCAZAR-STEVENS (Swift), Elie DARWICH (Fire), Stephen DOMENICI (Lightning), Daniel FULTON (Lightning), Nick RATHJEN (Stars)
6 Ashley BLOUNT (Lightning), Bailey SORENSON (Fire)
5 Aisosa IHEGIE (Swift), Nathen MEGIC (Lightning), Tony SPASESKI (Power), Atiya WARAGA (Swift)
4 Hassan ALNUWAYSIR (Swift), Connor FALUSI (Apex), Jake FITZGERALD (Apex), Marley JACKSON (Power), Braulio MELO (Apex), Bruno MELO (Apex), Adam NEOU (Power), Robert TKATCHENKO (Stars)
3 Adrian DAWSON (Power), Bailey DICKINSON (Apex), Jake WILSENER (Stars)
2 Elliot ALBERTO (Fire), Caleb CULLEN-RUA (Power), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Power), Daniel GIOVINAZZO (Lightning), Brandon HAWKER (Fire), Bradley MALONE (Fire), William MANOLO (Stars), Toby MCPHERSON (Fire), Angus PITKIN (Swift), Nik POPOVICH (Lightning), Jeremy SALEH (Power), David SESELJA (Swift), Callum SMITH (Lightning), Michael SOUTHAM (Lightning), Kai THORNTON (Apex), Max TRUSHELL (Apex)
1 Micheal ADAMS (Swift), Jenno CERUTI (Apex), Arnold CHOI (Power), Ryan DE VRIES (Apex), Jason FARRELL (Lightning), Sherab GUO (Apex), Alan KAPCHANGA (Power), Chris LEE (Lightning), Van NGUYEN (Swift), Johnny PHAM (Swift)
