After years of falling narrowly short of securing the National Premier League Women’s league title, Belconnen United finally secured top spot for the first time since 2019, with a 1-0 Round 18 victory over Canberra Croatia at McKellar Park.
Scott Conlon’s team made a confident start to proceedings, and deservedly went in front after 20 first half minutes, following a superbly worked move ending in Keira Bobbin hitting the crossbar with an open net gaping, before Pascale La Hei headed home what would turn out to be an historic goal for Belconnen, to give them the lead.
A comfortable Blue Devils first half saw the table-toppers keep out a hard-working Croatia outfit, who struggled to create meaningful opportunities on goal, despite making things difficult for the home side at times.
The second half told a different story however, as Croatia began to open up Belconnen’s defensive unit, however the strength of the new league champions in defence, and the intensity of their work rate out of possession kept their opponents at bay, and wrapped up three important points, and the achievement of a third trophy in 2025 for the club.
The first match of the round however took place at Gungahlin Enclosed on Friday evening, in a match where Gungahlin United claimed a crucial three points to maintain their proximity to the top four, beating Majura FC 6-0.
The away side did well to hold out an attack-minded Gunners outfit for much of the first half, however on 31 minutes Megan Castle’s cool finish had them in front, before two more quickfire goals from Castle again and Darby Whiteley, made it three going into the break.
Two more goals for Whiteley mid-way through the second half had Marcial Munoz’s team cruising, before a Maddie Perceval goal towards the end of the 90 wrapped up the three points for Gungahlin, and saw the home side leapfrog Canberra Olympic into fourth place on the NPLW table.
It wasn’t long before Canberra Olympic reclaimed their finals spot however, claiming three important points in a 10-1 victory over Tuggeranong United away at Kambah 2 in the final match of Round 18.
The away side went ahead after just two minutes to get the goal-scoring started, as Olivia Gurney headed home her first of the season after a well-placed ball from Nikita Perry.
Jane Vanzino’s first of the season was paired with a further three assists to conclude the half with Olympic up by five, as the midfielder found Madison Cachia, Gurney for a second time and Nikita Perry who all converted before the end of the 45.
A third of the match for Gurney just ten minutes into the second half killed off any hopes of a comeback for Tuggeranong, despite a Claire Kennedy-Spencer rocket bringing the deficit back to five.
A late-half double from Sienna Birnie off the bench, and goals from Tatum Mazis and Cachia again, took the total to 10, and secured an important three points for Frank Cachia’s team.
In midweek, the bottom two teams met at Greenway Enclosed as Tuggeranong United hosted Majura FC with the match ending in a largely uneventful goalless draw with opportunities for both teams limited.
The point moved Majura FC onto seven for the season and kept them three points ahead of Tuggeranong at the foot of the NPLW table with the Southside club remaining at the bottom with a single win and draw from the 2025 campaign to date.
RESULTS
ROUND 7
Tuesday 5 August
Tuggeranong United 0 Majura FC 0
ROUND 18
Friday 8 August
Gungahlin United 6 (Castle 31’, 41’, Whiteley 43’, 60’, 67’, Perceval 76’) Majura FC 0
Sunday 10 August
Belconnen United 1 (La Hei 20’) Canberra Croatia 0
Tuggeranong United 1 (Kennedy-Spencer 64’) Canberra Olympic 10 (Gurney 1’, 28’, 55’, Vanzino 10’, Cachia 18’, 78’, Perry 29’, Birnie 69’, 75’, Mazis 72’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 9 | +97 | 48 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 50 | 15 | +35 | 28 |
| 3 | Canberra Olympic | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 51 | 25 | +26 | 27 |
| 4 | West Canberra | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 49 | 29 | +20 | 26 |
| 5 | Gungahlin United | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 51 | 22 | +29 | 24 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 68 | -57 | 7 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 16 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 117 | -108 | 4 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 42 | -42 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
21: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers)
14: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United)
12: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
11 Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers)
10: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
9: Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United)
8: Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
7: Own GOALS
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
5: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United)
4: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), April HILL (Canberra Croatia), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers)
3: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Leah CARNEGIE (Canberra Olympic), Sofia FURLANETTO (Majura FC), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Sofia MERKOUREAS (Canberra Croatia), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic)
2: Acacia ARGENTO (Tuggeranong United), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Hannah BOURKE (Canberra Croatia), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Olivia MARTINIELO (Majura FC), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Liana ALVES (Canberra Olympic), Angelina BABIC (Canberra Croatia), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Elvein IBRAHIM (West Canberra Wanderers), Nicole KALEB (Canberra Olympic), 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), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Maddison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Maddie STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers), Lauren WATT (Tuggeranong United), Maggie WRIGHT (Majura FC), Reilly YUEN (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
13: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
10: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia)
9: Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United)
8: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
7: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
6: Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
5: Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic)
4: Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
3: Tiana BOOTS (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United)
2: Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Annaliese GROVE (Gungahlin United), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Chelsea HATELY (Gungahlin United), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers), April HILL (Canberra Croatia), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Jada LAMOND (Gungahlin United), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Abigail RICHARDS (Majura FC), Juliana ROBERTSON (West Canberra Wanderers), Madeleine STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Liana ALVES (Canberra Olympic), Esperance ANDERSON (Tuggeranong United), Eliza BAKER (Majura FC), Layla BARBOUR (Majura FC), Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Lena CHRISTOPHERSON (Tuggeranong United), Lucy D’ARCY (Gungahlin United), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Ariana KASHAN (Majura FC), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Stefi LEJINS (Belconnen United), Olivia MARTINIELLO (Majura FC), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Stephenie NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Ariana RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Allegra SENTI (West Canberra Wanderers), Caitlyn SKILLICORN (West Canberra Wanderers), Ivy STEVENS (Gungahlin United), Sonja TOMANOVITS (West Canberra Wanderers), Maggie WRIGHT (Majura FC)
Words: Sam Watson
