North Canberra Fire ended West Canberra Lightning’s incredible eighteen match unbeaten Capital Futsal League run with a stunning 3-0 success at a sweltering hot Daramalan Dome on Friday evening leaving the Lightning invincible no more.
Defensively the Fire were impenetrable, with their defence blocking any attempts that the Lightning could muster, a team that before this clash had netted 154 goals, unable to breach the Fire rearguard no matter what they tried.
A solid first-half saw the defensive units in the ascendency as the Fire stymied the usual free-scoring Lightning attacking unit. Fire stopper Jess Giovinazzo was in superb form, making a trio of sensational saves, two from the usually lethal Brittany Palombi.
The breakthrough came a minute from half-time as Pearl Tein pounced on a loose ball to drive an effort pass Natalie Lacey at her near post. The Lightning stopper was beaten again early in the second stanza, again a loose ball finding a Fire player, in this case Stefi Lejins, who rammed home from mid-range.
Lejins crashed home a second four minutes later, thumping a drive across Lacey and into the top corner for her third goal of the season, and that set the scene for the Fire to set up their defensive action. Karen Milewska might have added a fourth, Lacey making a sublime save in the one-on-one, but the Fire had done enough to claim a memorable and historic win.
The surprises continued Saturday evening as ANU Apex stunned South Canberra Swift with an exceptional defensive display earning the University side a welcome 3-2 victory to reignite their own hopes for the top four.
Apex began the match well, stifling the Swift attacking threat and with Sofia Chaverra in goal performing admirably once more making several smart saves including a stunning one-handed repelling of a Reilly Yuen thunderbolt.
Taking advantage of their goalkeeper’s fine form, the Apex hit the front via a brilliantly worked opener as Edith Fordyce-Croker played a one-two with Brianna Maguire to slot confidently past Emily Pearce in the Swift goal.
And ANU were able to double that lead six minutes later as Ailish McDonagh thrashed home from the edge of the penalty area, the ball crossing the line before Roxie Swart volleyed home to make sure.
The half-time team-talks took a turn however in the final minute of the half as firstly Samantha Price fired a shot past Chaverra before Yuen intercepted a Chaverra clearance to acrobatically hit home her 22nd goal of the season and send the teams into the changing rooms all-square 2-2.
Whilst the momentum appeared to be with the Swift, it was Apex who came out firing and Grace Davey beautifully converted a lofted pass early in the second stanza to restore their lead which, despite Swift peppering efforts in on the ANU goal, the combination of Chaverra and sensational defence, proved to be the matchwinner.
UC Stars kept touch with the league leaders as a Becky Rizzo hat-trick helped them to a 10-1 victory over the Queanbeyan-Palerang Power in the Sunday evening fixture, Becky Rizzo claiming a hat-trick in the win.
The Stars scored inside of the opening minute as Eliza-Jane Norris opened the scoring before Rizzo got her first of the day with three minutes played. Jada Lamond made it 3-0, Emily Daniel added a fourth, and an own goal from goalkeeper Maja Dodt, who was once again in excellent form and made some outstanding blocks, secured the points early on.
Elke Dunn struck the sixth just before the interval, but the second-half was a much better showing from the Power who reduced the deficit thanks to a second of the season from Jamine Norton.
Stars blew out the scoreline late on as Daniel added the seventh four minutes from the final whistle, and there were three inside the final sixty seconds as the Power ran out of legs. Rizzo claimed two to end with a trio of goals and Lamond brought up double- figures with seconds remaining.
RESULTS
Fri: North Canberra Fire 3 (Tein 19’, Lejins 22’, 26’) West Canberra Lightning 0
Sat: South Canberra Swift 2 (Price 19’, Yuen 20’) ANU Apex 3 (Fordyce-Croker 6’, McDonagh 12’, Davey 23’)
Sun: UC Stars 10 (Norris 1’, Rizzo 3’, 40’, 40’, Lamond 5’, 40’, Daniel 9’, 36’, Dodt 11’ (og), Dunn 19’) QP Power 1 (Norton 35’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | West Canberra Lightning | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 12 | +58 | 18 |
| 2 | South Canberra Swift | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 66 | 19 | +47 | 12 |
| 3 | North Canberra Fire | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 19 | +17 | 12 |
| 4 | UC Stars | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 12 |
| 5 | ANU Apex | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 31 | 46 | -15 | 3 |
| 6 | QP Power | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 114 | -110 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
22 Reilly YUEN (Swift)
15 Brittany PALOMBI (Lightning)
13 Isabella BARAC (Lightning)
12 Jamie BERKELEY (Lightning)
10 Tatum MAZIS (Lightning)
8 Sienna BIRNIE (Swift)
7 Ella PALFRAMAN (Stars), Emily ROBERTSON (Apex), Maddie STEINACKER (Stars)
6 Kaitlyn COLWILL (Swift), Natalie DE MARCO (Fire), Alexandra SERRAS (Apex)
5 Jennifer BISSET (Lightning), Sharon CHAO (Swift), Emily DANIEL (Stars), Isabella HINDMARSH (Swift), Jada LAMOND (Stars), Ginger OLIVER (Swift), Becky RIZZO (Stars), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Fire)
4 Sofia CHAVERRA (Apex), Edith FORDYCE-CROKER (Apex), Tayla HAMPSON (Stars), Sofia PALYWODA (Swift), Pearl TEIN (Fire)Dianne WILSON (Lightning)
3 Elke AITOLU (Fire), Ella BROWN (Fire), Stella DE MARCO (Fire), Stefi LEJINS (Fire), Amy MCLACHLAN (Lightning), Eiza-Jane NORRIS (Stars), Nikita PERRY (Fire), Samantha PRICE (Swift), Ayla ROBERTSON (Fire), Own GOALS
2 Cara CERUTI (Swift), Grace DAVEY (Apex), Tallis EVERARD (Power), Olivia GURNEY (Fire), Pascale LA HEI (Apex), Ailish MCDONAGH (Apex), Jasmine NORTON (Power), Erika PENNYFIELD (Lightning), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Lightning)
1 Elke DUNN (Stars), Jessica GIOVINAZZO (Fire), Charli GREGSON (Stars), Krista HAGEN (Lightning), Isabella HOPKINS (Apex), Samantha HOST (Lightning), Alyse JENSEN (Swift), Brianna MAGUIRE (Apex), Sheridan MCELLIGOTT (Apex), Emily PEARCE (Swift), Sabrina SPINAPOLICE (Stars), Kate WALKER (Stars)
