Belconnen United, Canberra Olympic and Gungahlin United all earned three points on the weekend, increasing their advance on the rest of the competition as the first third of the season concluded.
Friday night lights at Kambah were the backdrop of Gungahlin United’s 3-0 success against Tuggeranong United, as the visitors bounced back well, 48 hours after their Federation Cup Semi-Final defeat at the hands of Canberra Croatia. The disappointment of not making a second consecutive Federation Cup final had to be forgotten quickly. At Kambah on Friday, two goals within the first half hour were the best way to go about it.
Dominating from the start of the game, albeit without testing Emily Pearce too much, the solution came from a Ginger Oliver inspiration at the 15th minute. Twenty-five meters from goal, the forward’s powerful attempt hit crossbar, bounced and hit the bar again before landing in Pearce’s hands. A quick check by the referee with his assistant confirmed the ball had indeed crossed the line, offering Oliver her fourth goal of the season.
Tuggeranong’s answers were too few and far between, and the Gunners hit again at the 27th minute. A forward run full of determination from Alex Nealand, a couple of duels going her way, and the wing back aimed a right footed effort from the edge of the box straight in the opposite side netting.
Oliver hit the crossbar minutes later with an almost carbon copy of her goal, but the two-goal advantage would not bulge until half time. Back from the break, Gungahlin United managed their lead, and after a couple of half chance, increased it just past the hour mark. A minute after a triple change, two of the three new entrants would be involved.
Emily Daniel’s press far up on the right wing saw her getting the ball back and driving it in the box, where she found Oliver, who in turns selflessly squared it to Amy Moore. The young forward celebrated only her second WNPL appearance with a goal from close range to complete the scoresheet. Tuggeranong’s best chances came in that last half an hour. A mid-range shot from Ashlee Smith-Roberts seemed destined for the net, but Matilde Laurel Tighe was alert with a great save on her left.
Canberra Olympic battled for over an hour before finding the back of the net twice and securing the three points against West Canberra Wanderers at O’Connor Enclosed. The team coached by Steve Rohan-Jones showcased once again their remarkable solidity but could not hold for the whole 90 minutes.
Olympic were on the front foot from the first whistle, putting relentless pressure on Wiggan’s area, albeit without adjusting their aim to really threaten Amy Wiggan in the Wanderers goal.
The home side also faced an impenetrable wall for most of the afternoon. The centre-back pairing Stephanie Nikias and Oliva Hicks, as well as full backs Allegra Senti and Juliana Robertson always found a way to put their body in the way when Olympic’s forwards arrived in the box. And when all else failed, the post was there to stop Bessie Riethmuller from netting one at the half hour mark, the best chance of a goalless half.
Maddy Whittall thought she had broken the deadlock within a minute of the second act, but a raised flag cut the celebrations short. The Wanderers, only able to reach Janet King a couple times in the first 45 minutes, tried to surprise their opponents, but neither Lauren Hall not Sarah Whitfield managed to convert their chance.
At the other end, Wiggan was helped once again by her woodwork, when it was Jaya Bowman’s turn to try and get the job done from the edge of the box. Eventually, Frank Cachia’s players were rewarded for their efforts.
Not for the first time in 2024, Olympic turned to their centre back Katrina Peric to put the ball in the back of the net. A free-kick taken by Ella-Rose Brown from 35 meters out at the 77th minute bounced in the box before Peric pushed the ball in the net from point blank range. Two minutes later, Brown was behind another set piece, at the corner of the box this time. The former Gungahlin forward found the opposite top corner to confirm her team’s success.
Belconnen United confirmed their excellent form since the start of the year with an 8-goal thrashing of the ANU WFC at Hawker Football Centre, thanks in part to two hat tricks, from Alyssa Di-Campli and Keira Bobbin.
The former had completed the feat in a first half that saw the Blue Devils finding the back of the net five times. Scott Conlon’s team laid the siege on Georgia Ritchie’s area from the get-go. The University keeper and her defense resisted for ten minutes, until Pascale La Hei’s attempts rattled the crossbar, and Di-Campli pounced fastest to open the score.
Seven minutes later, a counterattack ended with another run by La Hei in the box, and this time the forward served Di-Campli on a platter for her second unit. The Blue Devils sensation completed her hat-trick at the 35th minute on the exact same sequence.
Bobbin, a constant threat with her speed on the left wing on Sunday, had before that earned a penalty at the hour mark, that she converted to start her own tally. She doubled it four minutes before the break from close range. Sofia Palywoda, a week after scoring the goal of the round, took a chance from distance again, and once again, the power and precision in her right foot paid off.
Twenty minutes later, the Blue Devils were put the last two nails in two minutes. Leila Billington, just entered on the pitch, finished from the six-yard box after a good effort from Alina Roberts on the wing. It was then time for Bobbin, with another assist from Roberts, to complete her hattrick.
RESULTS
ROUND 7
Friday 17 May
Tuggeranong United 0 Gungahlin United 3 (Oliver 15’, Nealand 27’, Moore 62’)
Sunday 19 May
ANU WFC 0 Belconnen United 8 (Di-Campli 10’, 17’, 36’, Bobbin 31’, 41’, 73’, Palywoda 52’, Billington 72’)
Canberra Olympic 2 (Peric 76’, Brown 79’) West Canberra Wanderers 0
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 4 | +25 | 18 |
| 2 | Canberra Olympic | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 15 |
| 3 | Gungahlin United | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 11 | +10 | 12 |
| 4 | Canberra Croatia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 6 |
| 5 | West Canberra Wanderers | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 4 |
| 6 | ANU WFC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 25 | -21 | 2 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 16 | -15 | 1 |
TOP SCORERS
8: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United)
7: Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)
5: Alex MARTENS (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
4: Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
3: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Sarah WHITFIELD (West Canberra Wanderers)
2: Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Nicole JALOCHA (Canberra Olympic), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Sheridan MCELLIGOTT (ANU WFC), Sofia PALYWODA (Belconnen United)
1: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Jaya BOWMAN (Canberra Olympic), Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Sofia CHAVERRA (ANU WFC), Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Corinne DENTON (Gungahlin United), Jade EMMS (Belconnen United), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Croatia), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Alex NEALAND (Gungahlin United), Saskia NEWMAN (ANU WFC), Ella PALFRAMAN (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen 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), Nadia ZAKMAN (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
Words: Jeremy Magan
