The final round of the National Premier League Women’s season saw Canberra Olympic claim three important points to enhance their confidence heading into their finals campaign, following a 1-0 home victory against Canberra Croatia.
The two historic rivals went toe to toe for much of the first period, and despite both sides being defensively strong, the half lacked a significant number of clear-cut openings for either side.
With chances at a premium, it was Olympic who made the most of a rare sight of goal, stealing a 1-0 lead on the brink of half time, following a superb Corinne Denton set piece finding Tatum Mazis, whose cut back was brilliantly finished by Tianah Miro on 45 minutes.
Having endured a cagey first half, fans were treated with a much more engaging second 45, as Musie Elongo’s Croatia went in search of an equaliser, and despite creating plenty of opportunities, and profiting from nervy Olympic defending, the second-placed team couldn’t find a goal to bring things level.
Over at Kambah 2, Majura FC put an incredible seven past Tuggeranong United away from home in the bottom of the table clash, further reinforcing their deserved avoidance of last place on the NPLW table.
Following a Carmel Lynch opener after 28 minutes, Majura led just 1-0 at the break, despite having a plethora of opportunities in a dominant first 45.
A five-minute early second half blitz from the away side suddenly saw Tuggeranong go behind by four having played just 55 minutes, as an Olivia Martiniello stunner, and two superbly taken Carmel Lynch goals, to complete her hat-trick had Majura out of sight.
Another quickfire spell of goalscoring saw the scoreline change again, as April Van Duren and Halle Nyamekye struck either side of a Charlotte Doldissen goal back for Tuggeranong to round the scoreline to 6-1 Majura, before a second for Martiniello wrapped up a memorable three points to end the club’s first season in the NPLW.
The final match of the round saw Belconnen United secure their unbeaten league record by defeating West Canberra Wanderers 5-0 at McKellar Park, to make it astonishingly 19 wins out of 19 for the season.
Six minutes was all it took for Scott Conlon’s team to get going, as Bronte Pyke met Isabella Hindmarsh’s delivery to head home an 11th goal of the season, and eventually put her team ahead heading into the break.
A dominant first period from the Blue Devils was continued into the second, as Hindmarsh made it two after just 55 minutes directly from the corner flag, before she turned provider to again supply Pyke with a second header of the game, and an incredible 12th of the season from fullback.
Keira Bobbin added her 26th of the season seven minutes before full-time, and alongside a Pascale La Hei goal just two minutes after, Belconnen secured their Invincibles status, to cap off an utterly dominant 2025 campaign, and undoubtedly enhance their confidence heading into finals football.
RESULTS
ROUND 21
Sunday 31 August
Canberra Olympic 1 (Miro 45’) Canberra Croatia 0
Belconnen United 5 (Pyke 6’, 59’, Hindmarsh 55’, Bobbin 83’, La Hei 85’) West Canberra Wanderers 0
Tuggeranong United 1 (Doldissen 68’) Majura FC 7 (Lynch 28’, 53’, 55’, Martiniello 50’, 73’, Van Duren 68’, Nyamekye 70’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 11 | +109 | 54 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 19 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 67 | 20 | +47 | 40 |
| 3 | Canberra Olympic | 19 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 65 | 32 | +33 | 39 |
| 4 | Gungahlin United | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 59 | 29 | +30 | 30 |
| 5 | West Canberra | 19 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 50 | 38 | +12 | 26 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 19 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 19 | 86 | -67 | 10 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 19 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 132 | -122 | 4 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 42 | -42 | 0 |
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: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United)
12: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
11 Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers)
10: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Own GOALS
9: Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
8: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), April HILL (Canberra Croatia), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC)
7: Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Tianah MIRO (Canberra Olympic), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United)
5: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United)
4: Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Olivia MARTINIELO (Majura FC), 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), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Sofia MERKOUREAS (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United)
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), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Michaela THORNTON (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), 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), 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
15: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United)
11: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia)
10: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
9: Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United)
8: Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic)
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), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
5: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra Croatia), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic)
4: Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), 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
