A sensational derby match ended all-square as White Eagles and Queanbeyan City shared four goals in an epic Capital Premier League Clash at Woden Park which also featured a brace of red cards for the visiting team.

The Eagles led 2-0 but ten-man Queanbeyan, who went into the fixture top-of-the-table and undefeated, showed immense character and resilience to get themselves back into the fixture and earn a point.

Steven Kreskas put the Eagles ahead after only eight minutes and when City striker Michael Mensah was dismissed just five minutes later, the advantage appeared to be firmly with the home side.

And that advantage was even further enhanced when Kreskas was able to double the lead in the 26^th minute with his second of the match. That might have seen lesser teams crumble, but Queanbeyan crucially pulled one back just three minutes after the second Eagles goal as Argentinean forward Niko Abot struck.

That gave the visitors the toe-hold they needed and, after clinging on, they were able to peg the Eagles back as Abot scored again with fourteen minutes left on the clock. The goal earned one of the early pace-setters a gritty point and showed that, even depleted and with their backs to the wall, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

ANU FC claimed a second win of the season as they swept aside league newcomers Canberra Juventus with a resounding 5-1 success in an away match played at ANU South Oval. The University team could even afford to miss an early penalty as Juventus goalkeeper Jason Denham brilliantly denied the usually unflappable Chase Deans from the spot.

Juventus stayed in the game for large periods, managing to claw themselves back into the contest via an equaliser from William Dwight after Nicholas Hope had given ANU FC the lead after a dozen minutes, netting for the third time this campaign to put the visitors an early advantage.

The match turned though in a five-minute spell either side of the interval as Rory Spiers netted twice. Spiers, who also moved onto three goals for the season, scored right on half-time to give ANU FC a crucial lead at the break, and was on target again, five minutes after the resumption, scoring after talking over the penalty duties.

An own goal from Andrew Georgiou made sure that any hopes of a Juventus comeback were stymied in the 65^th minute and the three points were signed, sealed, and delivered as Jack Gibson rounded off the scoring in the final minute.

A goal two minutes from time from their talismanic striker Curtis Schaeffer gave Brindabella Blues a narrow 1-0 win over Wagga City Wanderers at Ipan Park in Calwell. In an exciting match that could have gone either way, the Blues odd start to the season continued as they inflicted a second defeat of the season on the Wanderers.

Both teams had chances to take the points before the defining moment, but Schaeffer was on target, his second goal of 2023, to make certain that it was the home side who were celebrating at the final whistle.

At Solar Mad Stadium on Sunday, Yoogali SC inflicted a first loss of the season on visiting Belconnen United, blitzing the Blue Devils in a superb first-half display, netting three times, before ultimately winning for the second time in 2023, with a 3-1 success.

Indeed, the match was firmly in the hands of the home team after they scored twice within the opening eleven minutes of the contest. Joe Preece gave Yoogali an early lead, scoring after nine minutes with an own goal from William Buckmaster increasing the advantage just 120 seconds after the opener.

Belconnen went seeking a way back into the match, but Yoogali had the cushion of a three-goal lead at the break as Reuben Donadel struck on the stroke of the half-time break. Not even an own goal, Luke Pandolfo putting past his own goalkeeper with just over twenty minutes to play, could derail the hosts who were well worth their success.

RESULTS

ROUND 4

Saturday 29 April

Canberra Juventus 1 (Dwight 38’) ANU FC 5 (Hope 12’, Spiers 45’, 50’ (p), Georgiou 65’ (og), Gibson 90’)

White Eagles 2 (Kreskas 8’, 26’) Queanbeyan City 2 (Abot 29’, 75’)

Brindabella Blues 1 (Schaeffer 88’) Wagga City Wanderers 0

Sunday 30 April

Yoogali SC 3 (Preece 9’, Buckmaster 11’ (og), R. Donadel 45’) Belconnen United 1 (Pandolfo 69’ (og))

TABLE

		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Queanbeyan City	4	3	1	0	9	5	+4	10
2	Belconnen United	4	2	1	1	11	8	+3	7
3	Wagga City Wanderers	4	2	0	2	11	8	+3	6
4	ANU FC	4	2	0	2	13	11	+2	6
5	Yoogali SC	4	2	0	2	10	8	+2	6
6	White Eagles	4	1	1	2	10	8	+2	4
7	Brindabella Blues	4	1	1	2	3	9	-6	4
8	Canberra Juventus	4	1	0	3	7	16	-9	3

 

TOP SCORERS

6 Morris KADZOLA (Wagga City Wanderers)

4 Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Zac LAWRENCE (White Eagles)

3 Niko ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Nicholas HOPE (ANU FC), Rory SPIERS (ANU FC), Own GOALS

2 Nathan DUCK (Canberra Juventus), Ryan GULEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Abraham KEMP (Belconnen United), Steven KRESKAS (White Eagles), Goran MILUTINOVIC (White Eagles), Curtis SCHAEFFER (Brindabella Blues), Luke VALLONE (Belconnen United)

1 Hassan ALNUWAYSIR (ANU FC), Aleksander BELJANSKI (White Eagles), Harry BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Adam BROOKS (Canberra Juventus), David CARDER (Belconnen United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Reuben DONADEL (Yoogali SC), William DWIGHT (Canberra Juventus), Hussein FUREJE (Queanbeyan City), Jack GIBSON (ANU FC), Monteagh GRACE (ANU FC), Oliver GRIST (ANU FC), Andre JUGOVAC (Canberra Juventus), Andrew MANLEY (ANU FC), Nathan MATTHEWS (Canberra Juventus), David MCCARRON (Belconnen United), Zac MAYBURY (Belconnen United), Van NGUYEN (Canberra Juventus), Michael PICCOLO (Queanbeyan City), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Maxwell PREST (Wagga City Wanderers), Jake PLOENGES (Wagga City Wanderers), Dejan SANTRAC (White Eagles), Kolby SEARS (Yoogali SC), Zac STEELE (Wagga City Wanderers), Nashwan SULAIMAN (Wagga City Wanderers), Nikola TRAJKOVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Hayden TUNNEY (Belconnen United), Dustin WELLS (Belconnen United), Henry WILKS (Brindabella Blues), Jan WOJNA (ANU FC)