Canberra Olympic recorded their largest success of the season to take back the top spot, at home against Tuggeranong United. Gungahlin United sealed the deal in one half against ANU WFC, and West Canberra Wanderers finally got a win against a team from the top four.
The West Canberra Wanderers finally earned a success against a team in the top four, only their second ever against Croatia in the NPLW, with 3-1 at home over Canberra Croatia. Although the result will not see the Wanderers able to challenge for the finals, it comes as a reward for a talented team that went from strengths to strengths in 2024. Goals from Alexandra Gidis, Zoe Halpin and Lauren Hall secured the three points, and a late goal from Megan Castle gave little hope to the visitors.
Gidis and Halpin’s goals could somewhat be given to lack of focus in the Croatia defence. The former struck at the 23rd minute, after stealing a ball in the feet of Riley McQueenie who had just received the ball from Ellie Summers. Gidis did not hesitate, seeing Summers was not fully back in position, and snuck the ball between the keeper and her near post.
Two minutes in the second half, Halpin was happy to see Rhianon Fensom clearance falling in her feet. From the right side, the ensuing cross ended up in the back of the net, finding the opposite top corner with the help of the post. Lauren Hall’s second goal of the season, 15 minutes from the final whistle, was all about the home team.
A recovery in their own half, the ball reached Halpin on the right wing. She found Sarah Whitfield in the midfield, who had all the time to turn and progress before finding Hall in the box. A quick control later, the Wanderers’ number 7 launched a rocket from a narrow angle in the top left corner that Summers could do nothing about.
The Wanderers deserved their result on Sunday. In a largely even encounter, they were often the most aggressive, at both ends of the pitch, forcing Croatia’s errors. The visitors’ had two real chances at equalising in the first half, but Arusha Chew skyed a chance in the six-yard box, and Dianne Wilson’s attempt from distance crashed on Amy Wiggan’s crossbar.
Once the advantage was doubled just after the break, Croatia, who had travelled without a quartet of players showed a bit more offensive intent, and threatened on set pieces, but the density of the Wanderers’ defence made it a deadlock too hard to break. Castle’s 90th minute goal would then only be a meagre consolation.
Canberra Olympic took no prisoners at home against Tuggeranong United, with eight unanswered goals to take back their first spot. A hattrick from Tehya Aspland and Kat Peric’s sixth and seventh goal of the season highlighted the home team performance.
Frank Cachia’s team knew they had a job to do on Sunday, and they got to it early.
Dominating from the get-go, they started the festivities at the seventh minute. Tianah Miro selflessly found Michaela Thornton in the box, the midfielder’s shot was parried by Ruby Ashton, and Aspland was there to bury it in the empty net.
Five minutes later, Leah Carnegie from distance might have looked for a teammate in the box, but instead she found the top right corner for her team’s second goal. And they never ceased to attack. Miro hit the crossbar, and later crossed the ball to find Peric’s 28th minute header. Often on the back foot, the visitors found one or two moments to try and answer. They came close on set piece, or try to threaten with shots from distance, without success.
The second half had similar dynamics. Ashton had to get to work two minutes in, and after a few inspired saves, she could do nothing when a cross from Ella Brown found Peric storming through the Tuggeranong defence to smash a second header in at the hour mark. Cara Ceruti five minutes later added her goal, a half volley from within the six-yard box.
Aspland completed her hat-trick with two goals at the 76th and 91st minute. Her first goal was served on the platter by Miro, the second was all her doing, with an interception just after the box, and a mix of speed and precision to finish.
In between, she was at the assist, with a powerful cross acrobatically volleyed in by Sienna Ness. Olympic could celebrate their largest success this season, and their first clean sheet in six weeks, ramping nicely two weeks before the title-deciding game at McKellar.
Gungahlin United can still mathematically challenge Belconnen for the second spot after their success against ANU WFC, obtained thanks to four first-half goals. The Gunners are two points behind the Blue Devils, who have played two games less.
On Sunday, the Gunners were playing once again at Ainslie, and look more and more comfortable on the surface.
The first half saw the home team attacking relentlessly, proving threatening several times in the opening ten minutes. Georgia Ritchie’s interventions delayed the inevitable for a while, but Gungahlin eventually found the solution, thanks to a hattrick from Ginger Oliver before the break.
At the 19th minute, the forward was found behind the defence by Natalie De Marco, and cleverly lobbed the ball over Ritchie. The keeper had a hand on it, but not enough to prevent the first goal. Sheridan McElligott had the equaliser on her right foot seconds later, when Sammy Emms gifted her the ball at the edge of the box, but just like last week, Madeleine Perceval was there to make the save.
The danger cleared the Gunners were back on the front foot. Goals from De Marco and Alison Seeney were rightfully denied for offside, but the home team used the last minutes of the half to make their advantage comfortable.
First Seeney served Darby Whiteley in the box at the 43rd minute, to finish from point blank range. A minute later, Oliver saw Ritchie off her line and dinked the ball over the keeper, before completing her hattrick in injury time with another spectacular goal, this time s shot from distance that dipped right under the crossbar.
An injury to Ritchie meant Sofia Chaverra spent the second half with gloves on. The usual forward showed off her skills straight away with a great save in front of De Marco, and a few inspired anticipations to clear the danger. She kept her net untouched for 45 minutes, offering a useful solution to the ANU bench in the future.
RESULTS
ROUND 18
Sunday 11 August
Gungahlin United 4 (Oliver 19’, 45’, 45+2’, Whiteley 44’) ANU WFC 0
West Canberra Wanderers 3 (Gidis 23’, Halpin 47’, Hall 74’) Canberra Croatia 1 (Castle 90+1’)
Canberra Olympic 8 (Aspland 6’, 75’, 90+1’, Carnegie 12’, Peric 27’, 59’, Ceruti 65’, Ness 81’) Tuggeranong United 0
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Olympic | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 11 | +33 | 40 |
| 2 | Belconnen United | 15 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 57 | 15 | +42 | 37 |
| 3 | Gungahlin United | 17 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 21 | +19 | 35 |
| 4 | Canberra Croatia | 17 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 23 |
| 5 | West Canberra Wanderers | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 33 | -14 | 14 |
| 6 | ANU WFC | 15 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 50 | -41 | 6 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 15 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 50 | -46 | 3 |
TOP SCORERS
14: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United)
11: Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
10: Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Madelyn WHITTALL (Canberra Olympic), Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)
7: Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic)
6: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Megan CASTLE (Canberra Croatia), Alex MARTENS (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United),
5: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Croatia), Sarah WHITFIELD (West Canberra Wanderers)
4: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Alyse JENSEN (Belconnen United), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Alex NEALAND (Gungahlin United), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United)
3: Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Sheridan MCELLIGOTT (ANU WFC), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Own GOALS
2: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Jaya BOWMAN (Canberra Olympic), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), Lauren HALL (West Canberra Wanderers), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers), Nicole JALOCHA (Canberra Olympic), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Saskia NEWMAN (ANU WFC), Ella PALFRAMAN (Canberra Croatia), Sofia PALYWODA (Belconnen United), Allegra SENTI (West Canberra Wanderers)
1: Angelina BABIC (ANU WFC), Eliza BAKER (ANU WFC), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Amy BONGIORNO (Canberra Croatia), Leah CARNEGIE (Canberra Olympic), Cara CERUTI (Canberra Olympic), Sofia CHAVERRA (ANU WFC), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Corinne DENTON (Gungahlin United), Jade EMMS (Belconnen United), Rhiannon FENSOM (Canberra Croatia), Edith FORDYCE-CROKER (ANU WFC), Elvein IBRHAIM (Tuggeranong United), Sarah MATTHEWS (Tuggeranong United), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Tiana PHILLIPS-MAYNARD (Tuggeranong United), Sienna NESS (Canberra Olympic), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Canberra Olympic), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Olympic), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers), Matylda WELLS-SHEATHER (Tuggeranong United), Kayla WRIGHT (Gungahlin United), Nadia ZAKMAN (Canberra Croatia)
