Blue Devils’ striker Reilly Yuen scored all five goals in her team’s win over Tuggeranong United as Belconnen United followed up their Federation Cup win over the same opponents with a 5-0 success at Greenway Enclosed.
All five goals scored by one player is not something you see every day in the NPLW competition, but neither is a talent like Reilly Yuen. The game itself felt tighter than the scoresheet read for one hour. With only single a goal in the first half, scored late, the Blue Devils struggled to breakdown the solid home team’s defence despite their domination.
Sarah West’s team was even inches from opening the score, thanks to an inspired Tiana Phillips-Maynard. The midfielder took her chance from 35 meters, trying to lob Monique Pinkiewicz, and the keeper was happy to see the attempt fail the wrong side of her post.
The Reilly Yuen show started ten minutes later. One lapse of focus from Tuggeranong and Isabella Hindmarsh sent a free kick from her half to line of forwards outnumbering their opponents. Pearl Tein’s headed the ball in Yuen’s run and the striker toed it with power past Pearce.
The keeper had some more work to keep the deficit unchanged until the break. She would however concede a minute into the second act. Belconnen’s eighth corner kick, taken by Hindmarsh, found Yuen’s head at the near post. The forward scored her last three within seven minutes past the hour mark.
All were from close range, and if the fourth goal followed a nice pass in space from Pascale La Hei, the other two both times saw Yuen at the right place, at the right time, making the most of a loose ball.
A blockbuster started us off at a choppy Gungahlin Oval Enclosed. Gungahlin United and Canberra Croatia responded blow for blow, and if the visitors led twice, it was the home team that stole all three points in injury time winning 3-2.
The Deakin side started the game on the front foot. The Gunners were forced to show patience and defend well and used the pace of Darby Whiteley and Ginger Oliver in transition. The goalkeepers were untested for the first 15 minutes, yet remained focused when the ball was in their area. The home team was the first one to break, just as they started to see the other half of the field a bit more.
Thirty meters away from the goal must feel like a penalty kick for Brittany Palombi and her left foot. Inheriting the ball at the 22nd minute slightly on the left side, she quickly glanced at Matilde Laurel-Tighe and launched a perfect shot under the crossbar.
The Gunners response only came five minutes before the break. Stella De Marco launched lightning quick Alex Martens on the right side, the forward selflessly looking for a teammate at the far post, and Oliver pounced to finish with power.
Croatia was in front when Laurel-Tighe was unable to box away a Palombi corner, Ella Palframan punishing her from close range. This was rectified when Darby Whiteley sent Oliver away on the left wing. The number 7 took her time when getting close to the box, and picked out Martens, unmarked, to finish clinically with her open right foot.
The last half hour saw Canberra Croatia with the most opportunities, but a combination of lack of execution in the final third and more saves from Laurel-Tighe left the door open for the Gunners. And Injury time came.
A first alert at the 92nd minute was saved by Ellie Summers, but a minute later, Erika Pennyfield launched Maddison Sawkins on the right wing, and the substitute picked Olivia Buyteweg in the box. Gungahlin’s number 17 did not hesitate and picked a side, leaving Summers no chance, while offering her outfit all three points.
Canberra Olympic are staying in touch with the Blue Devils after their success at Woden against an ANU WFC down to ten players for almost an hour, as the visiting team won 4-0.
Olympic, after a few minutes needed to acclimatise to the field on which they were playing, took control of the game, as they have done since the start of the season: rarely in danger defensively, they work the ball upfront with ease, but face teams that leave very little space for them to find solutions in the final third.
The first goal was very opportunistic from Madison Cachia, reading well a miscommunication in the ANU defence, to pounce and sneak the ball under Oliva Kent. Ella-Rose Brown came close to scoring minutes later, but a superb save from Kent kept the forward quiet.
A second arrived at the half-hour mark. A free-kick, a yellow card for Sofia Chaverra, and Jaya Bowman, from the edge of the box, expertly swerved the ball over the wall and in the top left corner.
It went from bad to worse for ANU when two minutes later Chaverra was given a rather severe second yellow for a collision with King. Her team would be down one player for the remaining 57 minutes. They would concede once more three minutes before half time. Katrina Peric, just like last week, rose over the defence for a powerful header that is becoming her trademark on corner kick.
The three goal and numerical advantage saw a pretty one-sided second half unfold. Olympic pushed for a fourth goal. They would hit the woodwork on a couple of occasions before, at the hour mark, Jane Vanzino, served by Tianah Miro, sent a powerful left footer in the top corner.
RESULTS
ROUND 5
Sunday 5 May
Gungahlin United 3 (Oliver 41’, Martens 60’, Buyteweg 90+4’) Canberra Croatia 2 (Palombi 22’, Palframan 56’)
ANU WFC 0 Canberra Olympic 4 (Cachia 14’, Bowman 31’, Peric 42’, Vanzino 60’)
Tuggeranong United 0 Belconnen United 5 (Yuen 37’, 46’, 57’, 67’, 70’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | +15 | 12 |
| 2 | Canberra Olympic | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 12 |
| 3 | Gungahlin United | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 9 |
| 4 | Canberra Croatia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -3 | 3 |
| 5 | ANU WFC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 14 | -12 | 2 |
| 6 | West Canberra Wanderers | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -5 | 1 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | -11 | 1 |
TOP SCORERS
7: Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)
5: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Alex MARTENS (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
4: Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
3: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
2: Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Nicole JALOCHA (Canberra Olympic), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Sarah WHITFIELD (West Canberra Wanderers)
1: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Jaya BOWMAN (Canberra Olympic), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Sofia CHAVERRA (ANU WFC), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Corinne DENTON (Gungahlin United), Jade EMMS (Belconnen United), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Croatia), Saskia NEWMAN (ANU WFC), Ella PALFRAMAN (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Canberra Olympic), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Olympic), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic), Matylda WELLS-SHEATHER (Tuggeranong United), Kayla WRIGHT (Gungahlin United)
Words: Jeremy Magan
