Canberra Olympic needed extra time to guarantee their place in the National Premier League Women’s Grand Final against Belconnen United, with a 3-2 victory over Canberra Croatia at Stryda Park on Sunday afternoon.
On paper, with Croatia finishing above their opponents in the league, Musie Elongo’s team might have gone into the ‘Canberra Classico’ with greater odds, however it was Olympic who went ahead after 18 minutes, after Katrina Peric’s rocket header found the back of the net at the back post.
Just a minute later Frank Cachia’s team had a second, as Madison Cachia, who set up the initial move, received the ball again and played in Tatum Mazis who finished clinically, to extend their lead to 2-0.
With seconds remaining of the first period Croatia pulled a goal back out of nothing, as Michaela Thornton incredibly picked out the top corner from long range against her old club, to get her team back in the game.
A much-improved attacking display in the second half proved to be enough to get the league’s second-placed side back level, as Jamie Berkeley struck a well-hit low effort to make it 2-2, and eventually take Olympic to extra time.
In the end the quality of Tianah Miro proved to be the difference between the two sides, after the number 11 cut inside and struck a stunning effort past Ellie Summers, as she did in the last meeting between these two sides, to take her side into the Grand Final for a rematch with Belconnen United.
RESULTS
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sunday 14 September
Canberra Croatia 2 (Thornton 45’, Berkeley 62’) Canberra Olympic 3 (Peric 18’, Mazis 19’, Miro 90+4’) – after extra time
TOP SCORERS
26: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
21: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers)
16: Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
14: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United)
13: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United)
12: Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
11 Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic)
10: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Own GOALS
9: Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
8: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), April HILL (Canberra Croatia), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic)
7: Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United)
5: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United)
4: Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), Olivia MARTINIELO (Majura FC), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Reilly YUEN (Canberra Croatia)
3: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Leah CARNEGIE (Canberra Olympic), Sofia FURLANETTO (Majura FC), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Sofia MERKOUREAS (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia)
2: Acacia ARGENTO (Tuggeranong United), Liana ALVES (Canberra Olympic), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Hannah BOURKE (Canberra Croatia), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers), Nicole KALEB (Canberra Olympic), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Angelina BABIC (Canberra Croatia), Layla BARBOUR (Majura FC), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Charlotte DOLDISSEN (Tuggeranong United), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Elvein IBRAHIM (West Canberra Wanderers), Mollie JONSSON (Tuggeranong United), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Audrey MCLAREN (West Canberra Wanderers), Jessica MITCHELL (Tuggeranong United), Abigail MOSS (West Canberra Wanderers), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Saskia NEWMAN (Canberra Croatia), Eliza-Jane NORRIS (Canberra Croatia), Halle NYAMEKYE (Majura FC), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Maddison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Maddie STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), April VAN DUREN (Majura FC), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic), Lauren WATT (Tuggeranong United), Maggie WRIGHT (Majura FC)
TOP ASSISTS
16: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
11: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
10: Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
9: Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United)
7: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers)
6: Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
5: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic)
4: Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), April HILL (Canberra Croatia), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic)
3: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Tiana BOOTS (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Olivia MARTINIELLO (Majura FC), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Madeleine STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
2: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Annaliese GROVE (Gungahlin United), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Chelsea HATELY (Gungahlin United), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Jada LAMOND (Gungahlin United), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Eliza-Jane NORRIS (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Abigail RICHARDS (Majura FC), Juliana ROBERTSON (West Canberra Wanderers), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Liana ALVES (Canberra Olympic), Esperance ANDERSON (Tuggeranong United), Eliza BAKER (Majura FC), Layla BARBOUR (Majura FC), Lena CHRISTOPHERSON (Tuggeranong United), Lucy D’ARCY (Gungahlin United), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Sofia FURLANETTO (Majura FC), Nicole KALEB (Canberra Olympic), Ariana KASHAN (Majura FC), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Stefi LEJINS (Belconnen United), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Saskia NEWMAN (Canberra Croatia), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Stephenie NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Ariana RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Vanessa RITCHIE (Majura FC), Allegra SENTI (West Canberra Wanderers), Caitlyn SKILLICORN (West Canberra Wanderers), Ivy STEVENS (Gungahlin United),Shayma TAWEEL (Majura FC), Sonja TOMANOVITS (West Canberra Wanderers), April VAN DUREN (Majura FC), Zoe WILLIAMS (Tuggeranong United), Maggie WRIGHT (Majura FC)
Words: Sam Watson
