Canberra Olympic will continue their efforts to maintain second spot in the National Premier League Women’s with a Round 12 home tie against West Canberra Wanderers, to kick off the weekend of football.
Frank Cachia’s side have bounced back superbly from their humbling Round 8 defeat to leaders Belconnen, by winning three of their last three, and scoring 18 on the way to claiming back a high standing on the league table.
The reigning Champions may be too far away from the Blue Devils to challenge for the league title, however holding on to second will be a firm focus for the team, with finals football at the end of the season in mind.
Opponents West Canberra remain competitive in the top four race, however Olympic have got the better of Steve Rohan-Jones’ side in recent encounters, and will take their Round 9 victory against Gungahlin United as reassurance that they can dispose of their close rivals.
The Wanderers will be full of motivation to pick up three points away from home however, having dropped out of the top four after being humbled by Canberra Croatia at Melrose Synthetic last week.
Sunday’s away side have had a significantly disrupted season but have done superbly to stay competitive in the race for finals, and will no doubt push Olympic close having narrowly lost in the Round 5 reverse fixture, where it took a Leah Carnegie free-kick from the half-way line to separate the sides.
Tuggeranong United will look to bounce back from six losses on the bounce in the NPLW, with a home contest against Gungahlin United at Kambah 2.
Ian Toms’ team are coming off a much-needed week off after heavy defeats to Canberra Olympic and Belconnen United in Round 9 and 10 left them lingering near the bottom of the table, and with just three points from an early season victory against ANU WFC.
While a 9-0 Gungahlin victory in the last meeting between the two makes the prospect of a second encounter undoubtedly daunting, in the likes of captain Casey Smith, the home side have a player that can lead by example in defence, and when combined with the attacking brilliance Acacia Argento has shown this season, the collection of points may be a possibility.
Their opponents will be considerably confident heading into the match however, taking into account the polarising fortunes of both outfits throughout the 2025 season, with the Gunners firmly in the race for a high position on the table.
Despite this, a defeat in the previous round to Belconnen dropped Marcial Munoz’s team to fourth overall, making three points a must in Gungahlin’s weekend match, having only picked up three points from their last three NPLW matches.
Majura FC host the final match of the round up against a Canberra Croatia side off the back of a big win against West Canberra, which emphatically ejected them from the top four.
Musie Elongo’s team exploded into life from an attacking sense in the previous round, making up for a lacklustre performance in the final third against Belconnen by hammering home six against a close challenger.
Brittany Palombi’s three goals and two assists from the Wanderers clash was a reminder of her quality, and when paired with the limitless attacking talent on show at the club, all odds point to the away side claiming another three points against a struggling Majura.
Davide Ruberto’s team fell to a quality Olympic in Round 11, and will not particularly fancy the prospect of a match against Croatia, given the 6-0 scoreline that finished the two sides’ meeting in Round 5.
While defensively they have caused teams issues, Majura will likely struggle to trouble Sunday’s opponents in the final third when they meet, having scored just once since their first two matches of the season, an Olivia Martiniello strike back in early May.
FIXTURES
ROUND 12
Sunday 6 July
Canberra Olympic v West Canberra Wanderers (O’Connor Enclosed, 14:00)
Tuggeranong United v Gungahlin United (Kambah 2, 14:00)
Majura FC v Canberra Croatia (Ainslie Oval, 15:00)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 8 | +69 | 33 |
| 2 | Canberra Olympic | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 19 | +17 | 21 |
| 3 | Canberra Croatia | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 13 | +16 | 19 |
| 4 | Gungahlin United | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 41 | 16 | +25 | 17 |
| 5 | West Canberra | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 16 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 41 | -34 | 3 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 67 | -61 | 3 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 42 | -42 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
15: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
13: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers)
11: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United)
10: Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
9: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United)
7: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Own GOALS
5: Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United)
4: Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers)
3: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Leah CARNEGIE (Canberra Olympic), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Sofia MERKOUREAS (Canberra Croatia)
2: Acacia ARGENTO (Tuggeranong United), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Sofia FURLANETTO (Majura FC), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Liana ALVES (Canberra Olympic), Angelina BABIC (Canberra Croatia), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Elvein IBRAHIM (West Canberra Wanderers), Mollie JONSSON (Tuggeranong United), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Sofia MARTINIELO (Majura FC), Audrey MCLAREN (West Canberra Wanderers), Jessica MITCHELL (Tuggeranong United), Abigail MOSS (West Canberra Wanderers), Eliza-Jane NORRIS (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Maddison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Maddie STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United), Reilly YUEN (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
10: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
8: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia)
7: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
6: Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
5: Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United)
4: Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United)
3: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United)
2: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Chelsea HATELY (Gungahlin United), Jada LAMOND (Gungahlin United), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Abigail RICHARDS (Majura FC), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Esperance ANDERSON (Tuggeranong United), Eliza BAKER (Majura FC), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Jamie BERKLEY (Canberra Croatia), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Tiana BOOTS (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Lena CHRISTOPHERSON (Tuggeranong United), Lucy D’ARCY (Gungahlin United), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Annaliese GROVE (Gungahlin United), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers, Ariana KASHAN (Majura FC), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Stefi LEJINS (Belconnen United), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Olivia MARTINIELLO (Majura FC), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Stephenie NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Ariana RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Juliana ROBERTSON (West Canberra Wanderers), Madeleine STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Allegra SENTI (West Canberra Wanderers), Ivy STEVENS (Gungahlin United), Sonja TOMANOVITS (West Canberra Wanderers), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic)
Words: Sam Watson
