A week after heavy rain prevented half of Round 4 from taking place, the teams in the Women’s National Premier League are itching to get back to it on Sunday. From Kambah 2 to Hawker Football Centre, the four encounters promise a few surprises.
The action-packed Sunday kicks off at Deakin Stadium where Gungahlin United visits Canberra Croatia. The reigning League Champions have recovered well from their initial defeat against Canberra Olympic, finding the back of the net eight times while conceding only once in their following three successes.
Led by goal-scoring machine Brittany Palombi, the team sitting second before the weekend will have their work cut out for them when they host the Gunners on Sunday – a team that has scored in every game so far this season.
So far, only Canberra Olympic and Tuggeranong United were able to pierce through the solid Deakin defence. Andrew Woodman will do what it takes to see his troops be the third team to achieve that feat.
They can count on Ginger Oliver for the offensive threat, after her maiden goal for the Gunners turned into a maiden double (and close to a hat-trick) against the ANU WFC in Round 2, and the last-minute goal midweek that sent her team to the Federation Cup final. Gungahlin United is slowly finding their strength this season, and the trip to Deakin will be a real test of their level.
With their Round 4 fixture rained out, ANU WFC ends up hosting consecutive games at their ANU South Oval, with the West Canberra Wanderers visiting on Sunday.
Rob Illingworth’s team have scored a single goal in each of their first four competitive games, ending up winning only one, against Tuggeranong in Round 2. Finding that elusive second goal could coincide with a second success – a first at home in their new Women’s NPL history.
The Wanderers seem readier than ever to get their first point on the table. Their performance against Belconnen United under poor weather was commendable at McKellar Park, where they would have deserved at least a goal.
The team that made the finals last year finally seems to have adapted to the new players in their ranks, and vice versa. The trip to the university seems a perfect excuse to rise to the occasion for Rey Castro and his team.
Tuggeranong United and Belconnen United face each other at Kambah 2 at the same time. Charli Gregson’s smooth finish justly rewarded the Tuggies’ valiant efforts despite the defeat against Canberra Croatia last week.
Paulo Romero has his work cut out for him in Round 5 to try and stop one of their worst series in the competition: Tuggeranong have not beaten Belconnen United since Round 2 of 2017, losing to the Blue Devils the thirteen matches they have met in since and always conceding at least three goals.
Scott Conlon’s troops did the job against the Wanderers last week and need to repeat that level of performance to keep the pressure up at the top of the table. The midweek success against the Academy sees Talia Backhouse leading her team to a third attempt at silverware in 12 months, and the Blue Devils play like they want it all this season.
With four different goal scorers finding the back of the net last Sunday, they have also shown how threatening they are upfront this season. Sammy Emms is warned.
It’s a big ten days for the Canberra United Academy. After a tough Federation Cup Semi-Final encounter with Belconnen United, the youngest team in the league now faces the reigning champions Canberra Olympic at Hawker Football Centre, before another meeting with the Blue Devils next Saturday.
Matty Moore’s team building exercise started well with two successes in the first three league games, with each goal coming from different players. These ten days will test the Academy’s resilience, as well as their ability to level up to the best teams in the competition.
Olympic on the other hand will approach this game as a trap they need to be strong enough to avoid. Their midweek result in the Federation Cup Semi-Final came as a surprise and Nicole Begg will count on her team to bounce back immediately.
Potential favourites to win it all this season, the O’Connor team has already had to see two trophies get away, but they have the talent to get the two remaining in contention.
FIXTURES
ROUND 5
Sunday 7 May
Canberra Croatia v Gungahlin United (Deakin Stadium, 14:30)
ANU WFC v West Canberra Wanderers (ANU South Oval, 15:00)
Tuggeranong United v Belconnen United (Kambah 2, 15:00)
Canberra United Academy v Canberra Olympic (Hawker Football Centre, 15:00)
TABLE
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
1 | Belconnen United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 9 |
2 | Canberra Croatia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 9 |
3 | Canberra Olympic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
4 | Canberra United Academy | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 |
5 | Gungahlin United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 6 |
6 | ANU WFC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 3 |
7 | Tuggeranong United | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 3 |
8 | West Canberra Wanderers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | -8 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
4 Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Belconnen United)
3 Kiera BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic)
2 Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Charli MITCHELL (Canberra Croatia), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Roxie SWART (ANU WFC), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Olympic)
1 Latisha BABIC (Canberra United Academy), Ella-Rose BROWN (Gungahlin United), Tamara COCHRANE (Canberra United Academy), Alexandra COOK (Canberra Olympic), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Canberra United Academy), Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United), Rhiannon FENSOM (Canberra Croatia), Charli GREGSON (Tuggeranong United), Sarah MATTHEWS (Tuggeranong United), Alexandra NEALAND (Canberra United Academy), Rainey NILES (Tuggeranong United), Nikita PERRY (West Canberra Wanderers), Madeleine STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Darby WHITELY (Gungahlin United), Elisha WILD (Canberra United Academy), Juliet WILLIAMS (ANU WFC), Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)