Round 5 of NPL Women action commenced with a narrow 2-1 victory for Canberra Olympic over West Canberra Wanderers at Melrose Synthetic.
Frank Cachia’s team had been on a good run of form coming into the match and being able to recall Tianah Miro and Janet King to the starting lineup, having completed a season at Canberra United, Olympic were in prime position to maintain their hunt for top spot.
Off the back of their first loss of the season to Croatia, West Canberra needed points to remain in the fight for finals, however a fourth minute goal from Tatum Mazis, headed home at the back post after an Ella Brown free-kick delivery, wasn’t the start Steve Rohan-Jones’ side were after.
On 26 minutes the Wanderers fought back, after Zoe Halpin’s cross into a dangerous area was glanced by Audrey Ward into the path of Tamara Cochrane, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net to make it 1-1.
Olympic required two stunning strikes to get them over the line last week, and this was the case again against West Canberra, as Leah Carnegie incredibly launched a free-kick from inside the centre circle to find the back of the net, scoring from almost half the length of the field in a strike that wrapped up an important three points for Olympic, and their third consecutive victory in the league.
Gungahlin United returned to winning ways in the league with an emphatic 9-0 early afternoon victory over Tuggeranong United at Gungahlin Enclosed.
Marcial Munoz’s side wasted no time in reacting to defeat to Belconnen in the previous round by scoring two quickfire goals early, as Bonnie Young finished superbly on ten minutes before Megan Castle ran the length of her opponent’s half and scored to make it two.
Throughout the match, the Gunners displayed an uncompromising clinical edge in front of goal, frequently making the most of their opportunities, and this was clear on the brink of half time, as the score was rounded to five within the final few minutes of the first period, highlighted by two Ginger Oliver strikes and a thunderous Nat De Marco effort.
On the other side of the break another flurry of goals, this time two within a three-minute period saw Darby Whiteley score her first of the season and Natalie De Marco add her second of the match to put the game out of reach for the struggling away side.
Bonnie Young is rapidly becoming Gungahlin’s player to watch this season, bagging a second of the match in the final few minutes, before producing a fourth assist of the match to pick out Sharon Chao, who rounded off a nine-goal demolition with a simple finish.
Belconnen United maintained their winning start to 2025 with an imperious 10-0 victory over ANU WFC away at ANU South Oval.
In a match between the highest scorers in the league and a side who haven’t found the back of the net in 2025, it didn’t come as a surprise that the Blue Devils opened the scoring inside four minutes, as Pearl Tein converted a well-placed freekick into the bottom corner.
A six-minute spell 13 minutes in saw Scott Conlon’s team put the game beyond doubt with still around seventy to play, making it four through Alyssa Di-Campli twice and Keira Bobbin, before an Anneke Corry quickfire double rounded the total to six before half time.
Following half time, Keria Bobbin continued where Belconnen left off in the first half by scoring in the 52nd minute to extend the lead to seven.
The second period saw Scott Conlon’s side become increasingly threatening from set pieces particularly, first through Isabella Hindmarsh, directly scoring from a corner, before nine minutes later Maddison Sawkins repeated the trick, and converted from the same position to make it nine.
Despite the points being safe with Belconnen for most of the match, Lisa Cary added a tenth with just four minutes to go, to capture three comfortable points, and a big boost to the Blue Devils’ goal difference.
Canberra Croatia made a statement 6-0 victory over a Majura FC side who gave plenty of issues to Canberra Olympic last week, in a late afternoon kickoff at Deakin Stadium.
Musie Elongo’s side took the lead on 32 minutes, after a Jamie Berkeley effort looped into the back of the net, before Berkeley made it two just five minutes later with a glancing header off a Croatia corner.
Having supplied the first two for the home side, Bella Barac’s influence on the match was on full display in the first period, with the midfielder making it three assists inside 45 minutes by laying off a pass to Michaela Thornton, who scored a stunning goal on the stroke of half time.
The second period saw Croatia strike twice inside the opening ten minutes, with both goals again being created by an unplayable Barac, the first a long-range screamer from Jamie Berkeley to round off a superb hat-trick, before another successful corner kick routine found the head of Sofia Merkoureas to cement the victory for Elongo and his squad.
RESULTS
ROUND 5
Sunday 11 May
Canberra Croatia 6 (Berkeley 32’, 37’, 52’, Thornton 45’, A, Babic 47’, Merkoureas 54’) Majura FC 0
ANU WFC 0 Belconnen United 10 (Tein 4’, Di-Campli 13’, 19’, Bobbin 16’, 52’, Corry 38’, 43’, Hindmarsh 56’, Sawkins 65’, Cary 86’)
Gungahlin United 9 (Young 11’, 84’, Castle 13’, Oliver 41’, 45+1’, N. De Marco 43’, 67’, Whiteley 64’, Chao 90’) Tuggeranong United 0
West Canberra Wanderers 1 (Cochrane 25’) Canberra Olympic 2 (Mazis 4’, Carnegie 70’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | +28 | 15 |
| 2 | Gungahlin United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 5 | +17 | 9 |
| 3 | West Canberra | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 9 |
| 4 | Canberra Croatia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 9 |
| 5 | Canberra Olympic | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 9 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 20 | -13 | 3 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 32 | -28 | 3 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 28 | -28 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
11: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers)
7: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United)
6: Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
5: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United)
4: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC)
3: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Own GOALS
2: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Acacia ARGENTO (Tuggeranong United), Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Leah CARNEGIE (Canberra Olympic), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Sofia FURLANETTO (Majura FC), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Sofia MERKOUREAS (Canberra Croatia), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Angelina BABIC (Canberra Croatia), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Elvein IBRAHIM (West Canberra Wanderers), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Sofia MARTINIELO (Majura FC), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Jessica MITCHELL (Tuggeranong United), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers), Eliza-Jane NORRIS (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Maddison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Maddie STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
TOP ASSISTS
6: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United)
5: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
4: Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
3: Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers),
2: Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Chelsea HATELY (Gungahlin United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Abigail RICHARDS (Majura FC), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Esperance ANDERSON (Tuggeranong United), Eliza BAKER (Majura FC), Jamie BERKLEY (Canberra Croatia), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Tiana BOOTS (Canberra Croatia), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers, Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Ariana KASHAN (Majura FC), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Olivia MARTINIELLO (Majura FC), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Stephenie NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Allegra SENTI (West Canberra Wanderers), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United),
Words: Sam Watson
