Canberra Croatia flexed their muscles once more, recovering from their shock home defeat to Gungahlin United last time out to claim a convincing 4-0 win over their closest challengers Tigers FC at Deakin Stadium.
As the storm clouds gathered around the venue, the depleted Tigers were put to the sword by the hosts who, much like last week, struck twice in the first-half but, unlike last week, finished the job with aplomb to go nine points clear at the top.
Nick Pratezina netted twice, moving to eleven goals for the season, the first a simple tap-in from a low cross from the right flank, the second a stupendous chip that arced over Willem Lejeune after great approach work from Tony Spaseski, the full-back ending the game with two assists.
His second creation was the fourth goal of the match, Thomas James back-heeling home from close range, with Daniel Subasic nodding in the third in between times, as Croatia recorded an eleventh win of the season.
Queanbeyan City claimed a second Clearwaters Derby victory over Monaro Panthers with a stunning 2-1 success at Stryda Park in front of a large crowd on a exciting Saturday evening.
The home team had the better of the possession and territory and looked certain to level matters in the early stages of the second-half but were surprised by two smash-and grab City goals.
After soaking up some Monaro pressure, Queanbeyan struck right on the half-time break. Jack Leverett burst forward from left-back and drew a challenge passing inside to Misko Naumoski who struck a shot that deflected off Dylan Deep-Jones and wrongfooted Heath Ilitch in the goal.
Monaro fought back and Nick Middleton made a sensational save to thwart Zac McLaren, and Queanbeyan hit again on the counterattack. Abderrahim Dellahi found Gabriel Ayuel in acres of space and the left-back turned forward for the day, clumped a finish past Ilitch at his near post.
The Panthers pulled one back in the final minute through Connor Mynott-Smith, after excellent approach work from substitute Sam Roestbakken setting up a nervy stoppage time in which Marco Gayer was sent off for the hosts, but City held on for another memorable victory.
There was a boost for the top four hopes of Tuggeranong United as they travelled to O’Connor Enclosed and came away with a vital 3-2 success over O’Connor Knights.
Tuggeranong dominated the early stages of the match so, it was somewhat against the run of play when O’Connor took the lead in the 24th minute,. Marko Rathouski played in Aisosa Ihegie and, from an acute angle, the striker, squeezed his shot underneath Callum Cook and into the net.
It was a lead that was to last for eight minutes as Tuggeranong drew level from a set-piece. Luke Stevens was the provider, swinging in a delicious free-kick behind the retreating defence, where Euan Peterkin arrived on the scene to stretch out a leg and stab the ball home.
Shortly after the restart, Tuggeranong were ahead. Peterkin scuffed a shot at goal that Markus Smith palmed away and, following a goalmouth scramble, Zac Lawrence was on hand to stab the ball home from close-in. When Steve Nealon, introduced off the bench, thundered in a penalty in the 64th minute, it appeared game over.
Daniel Galic pulled one back with a fizzing low drive from long-range that deceived Callum Cook in the United goal and the Knights later hit the crossbar, but Tuggeranong had done enough.
Gungahlin United moved to within five points of the top four as they defeated Yoogali SC 3-1 at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval in a match that was delayed by an hour due to the inclement weather.
When the match did get underway it was the Gunners who struck first, Angus Bailey meeting a delicious cross from Yoshida Shoki to head home. Yoogali levelled though after they were awarded a penalty, Darren Bailey crashing home the spot-kick to make it 1-1.
Gungahlin missed a penalty of their own, Shoki seeing his effort saved by Michael Di Paoli, but Gungahlin led again when Ayumu Kimura reacted fastest to a shot from AJ Malauulu that clattered off the bar, to head in.
And Kimura wrapped up the points with fifteen minutes to spare, hammering a loose ball through a crowded area to make it 3-1.
RESULTS
ROUND 13
Saturday 5 July
O’Connor Knights 2 (Ihegie 24’, Galic 72’) Tuggeranong United 3 (Peterkin 32’, Lawrence 51’, Nealon 64’ (p))
Monaro Panthers 1 (Mynott-Smith 90’) Queanbeyan City 2 (Naumoski 45’, Ayuel 61’)
Sunday 6 July
Canberra Croatia 4 (Pratezina 20’, 45+3’, D. Subasic 68’, James 78’) Tigers FC 0
Gungahlin United 3 (Bailey 8’, Kimura 68’, 75’) Yoogali SC 1 (Bailey 24’ (p))
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 13 | +40 | 33 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 24 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 39 | 17 | +22 | 23 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 25 | -9 | 17 |
| 5 | Queanbeyan City | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 23 | -10 | 17 |
| 6 | Gungahlin United | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 34 | -18 | 12 |
| 7 | O’Connor Knights | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 38 | -16 | 10 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 33 | -16 | 6 |
TOP SCORERS
11: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
10: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
8: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
7: Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
6: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights/Tigers FC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC)
5: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Own GOALS
4: Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
3: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers / Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC / Gungahlin United), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Ayumu KIMURA (Gungahlin United), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Gabriel AYUEL (Queanbeyan City), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Queanbeyan City), Misko NAUMOSKI (Queanbeyan City), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Joey SEO (Yoogali SC), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Noah VANDERPOL (Queanbeyan City), Hamish WALES (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
13: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
8: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia)
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights)
4: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
3: Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Riley BROWN (Gungahlin United), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Bailey DICKENSON (Gungahlin United), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Marco GAYER (Monaro Panthers), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), AJ MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Monaro Panthers), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
