The Women’s Capital Futsal League kick-started its second season with a total of 24 goals in two matches as the North Canberra Fire and West Canberra Lightning began the campaign with large victories.
A six-goal blitz in the first-half eventually broke the UC Stars resistance as North Canberra Fire began the season with a devastating attacking display to eventually run out comfortable winners by 10-2 at Daramalan College.
Ayla Robertson netted twice in the space of thirty seconds to get the ball rolling, beating the impressive Kelly Stirton with a brace of close-range finishes, and from there the goals flowed at regular intervals.
By the interval the Fire had seven, Stella and Natalie De Marco adding to Robertson’s brace, before Elke Aitolu netted a quickfire double of her own. Aitolu completed a first-half treble on the stroke of half-time.
The second-half was a more even contest as after Pearl Tein and Bessie Riethmuller had increased the score to nine, Stars struck back via a thunderbolt from Emily Daniel. Latterly, Nikita Perry brought up double figures for the 2023 beaten Finalists, before a consolation with virtually the last kick from Jada Lamond.
The Champions, West Canberra Lightning began their defence of the crown with a convincing victory over a gallant, and well-drilled, ANU Apex team in the Sunday evening encounter wining 12-0.
Apex looked very strong in the opening stages, bustling into challenges, and using their physicality to great effect, but it was the ruthless nature of the Lightning that was the prime difference.
Jamie Berkeley stuck twice in the opening eleven minutes, either side of Alexandra Serras own goal, before Jennifer Bisset, scorer of eighteen goals last term, grabbed her first of the 2023/24 campaign with a typically adroit finish.
Further goals in the opening twenty minutes from Erika Pennyfield and Krista Hagen had the Lightning in firm control, despite some quite brilliant goalkeeping from Amalia Edevane in the Apex goal, and a typically boisterous display from both Sheridan McElligott and Brianna Maguire.
The goals continued to flow in the second stanza as Berkeley took her total to four, Bisset, and Pennyfield added a second each, Dianne Wilson bagged a brace and the lively Krista Hagen also struck as Lightning eased to a thirteenth straight win.
The scheduled fixture between the Queanbeyan-Palerang Power and South Canberra Swift was postponed due to the unavailability of our Futsal specific match officials on Saturday afternoon/evening.
RESULTS
UC Stars 2 (Daniel 28’, Lamond 40’) Canberra Fire 10 (Robertson 10’, 10’, S. De Marco 11’, N. De Marco 11’, Aitolu 12’, 12’, 20’, Tein 22’, Riethmuller 24’, Perry 31’)
ANU Apex 0 West Canberra Lightning 12 (Berkeley 6’, 11’, 25’, 35’, Serras 8’ (og), Bisset 11’, 25’, Pennyfield 18’, 34’, Hagen 18’, Wilson 22’, 29’)
QP Power v South Canberra Swift – Match Postponed
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | West Canberra Lightning | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 3 |
| 2 | North Canberra Fire | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 3 |
| 3 | South Canberra Swift | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | QP Power | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | UC Stars | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 0 |
| 6 | ANU Apex | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | -12 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
4 Jamie BERKELEY (Lightning)
3 Elke AITLOU (Fire)
2 Jennifer BISSET (Lightning), Erika PENNYFIELD (Lightning), Dianne WILSON (Lightning), Ayla ROBERTSON (Fire)
1 Emily DANIEL (Stars), Natalie DE MARCO (Fire), Stella DE MARCO (Fire), Krista HAGEN (Lighting), Jada LAMOND (Stars), Nikita PERRY (Fire), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Fire), Pearl TEIN (Fire), Own GOALS
