Canberra Croatia booked themselves a place in the OPC NPL23 Grand Final and a ticket to play Tigers FC with a 6-3 success over O’Connor Knights at a sun-drenched, but cool, Deakin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was Canberra Croatia who opened the scoring in the contest, registering the first goal after thirteen minutes when Anthony Rakic placed a perfectly weighted free-kick over the top of the O’Connor Knights wall, the ball arcing majestically into the top corner of the net.
The Knights responded within five minutes. Rocco Di Placido caught a Croatia defending dawdling over a clearance, and nicked the ball form his toe, advancing to slot underneath the advancing goalkeeper to level the scores at 1-1.
Croatia were to restore their lead just past the half-hour mark. Midfielder James Godding provided it, finding space at the top of the penalty area to guide a precise finish low into the bottom corner of the net for what was his eighth goal of an excellent season.
History was to repeat for the Knights as they levelled again within five minutes of the goal, with a finish that was eerily similar. Di Placido again got in behind and finished with a carbon copy of his first to make it all-square once more.
Canberra Croatia led for a third time three minutes before half-time, Ivica Majetic sweeping home, and they had a potentially killer fourth on the cusp of the break as Oliver Hawkins stabbed home at the near post for his tenth goal of the campaign.
And Hawkins was to seal the deal for his team by netting the fifth in the 58th minute. A clearance was pushed onto the post by the Knights goalkeeper, only for Hawkins to react fastest to tap into the empty goal.
Knights made for a semi-nervous finale to the contest as Jack Marjoribanks adroitly sent a half-volley into then top corner with thirteen minutes to play, only for Anthony Rakic to snuff any hopes of an unlikely comeback with six minutes remaining.
RESULTS
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Saturday 13 September
O’Connor Knights 3 (Di Placido 18’, 38’, Marjoribanks 77’) Canberra Croatia 6 (Anthony Rakic 13’, 84’, Godding 33’, Majetic 42’, Hawkins 45’, 58’)
TOP SCORERS
18: Anthony ANTONIAK (Tuggeranong United)
15: Zachary ILIJOSKI (Tigers FC)
13: Cooper HEAGNEY (Tigers FC)
11: Oliver HAWKINS (Canberra Croatia)
10: Fabian OLIVARES (Gungahlin United), Own GOALS
9: Jebediah JEFFERY (Canberra Croatia)
8: Rocco DI PLACIDO (O’Connor Knights), James GODDING (Canberra Croatia), Owen LEARMONTH (Canberra Croatia), Anthony RAKIC (Canberra Croatia)
7: Alexander EVANS (Queanbeyan City), Luka JUKIC (Canberra Croatia), Ayham NASSER (Monaro Panthers), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights)
6: Leo DONALD (Tuggeranong United), Thinley DORJI (Tigers FC), Darcy MIDDLETON (Canberra Croatia)
5: Elliot ALBERTO (Tigers FC), Daniel ANDERSON (O’Connor Knights), Ivan DZAJA (O’Connor Knights), Jake FATTORE (Tigers FC), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Jack JANKE (O’Connor Knights), Ivica MAJETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sebastian MUNOZ (Gungahlin United), Andrija RAKIC (Canberra Croatia), Luka USLJEBRKA (O’Connor Knights)
4: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Zia BAIRD (Monaro Panthers), Thomas BARBATANO (Gungahlin United), Xavier BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Kaide CASTLE (Yoogali SC), Stephen CERNI (Gungahlin United), Marcus LAU (Gungahlin United), Samuel PALIC (Queanbeyan City), Leo VANDERPOL (Monaro Panthers)
3: Jack BITANI (Queanbeyan City), Fabian CACOPARDO (Yoogali SC), Zachary COLSON (Tigers FC), Kye COSSETTINI (Tigers FC), Sivamsh DEEVI (Gungahlin United), Stefan DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jacob KITE (Gungahlin United), Ahmed MUBAIDEEN (Tigers FC), Daniel OBST (Queanbeyan City), Samuel RACITI (Yoogali SC), Timothy SANTOS (Tuggeranong United), Sam SHEEDY (Tuggeranong United)
2: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Tigers FC), Joshua AMOAH (Tigers FC), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Marcus CRISPE (Tigers FC), Marcos DA SILVA (Canberra Croatia), Ethan DONETTO (Yoogali SC), Jack ELLWOOD (Monaro Panthers), Aston GOODWIN (Canberra Croatia), Mitchell JERVIS-HAMILTON (Monaro Panthers), Lemar KATAWAZAI (Canberra Croatia), Alexander LULIC (Monaro Panthers), Kyah MILIN (O’Connor Knights), Hamish MOYLE (Gungahlin United), Nikola PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Kris RAAD (Tuggeranong United), Ethan SAUNDERS (O’Connor Knights)
1: Marcus AGNELLO (O’Connor Knights), Joshua AMOAH (Tigers FC), Cos ARENA (O’Connor Knights), Luke ARMANINI (Yoogali SC), Daniel BARBATANO (Queanbeyan City), Nico BULJAN (Queanbeyan City), Tanatswa BVIRAKARE (Tigers FC), Samson CARR (Tigers FC), Alexander DAVIDS (Queanbeyan City), Aleksandar DORDEVIC (Queanbeyan City), Tomer DORON (O’Connor Knights), Jydon FIELD (Tuggeranong United), Michael GALIC (Queanbeyan City), Dominic GALLUZZO (Yoogali SC), Joshua HEDDITCH (Monaro Panthers), Joshua KEENAN (Yoogali SC), Jure LEMEZINA (Monaro Panthers), Jack MARJORIBANKS (O’Connor Knights), Alexei MARDIYANTS (Monaro Panthers), Mohammad MAZRAEH (Tuggeranong United), Leon MCLEAN (Canberra Croatia), Joseph MIKAHEL (Monaro Panthers), Ibrahim OBEID (O’Connor Knights), Nicholas PIVA (Yoogali SC), Nicolas PULCIANI (Tigers FC), Jayden RIPPON (Gungahlin United), Abdin SAID (Tuggeranong United), Ali SOHANI (Monaro Panthers), Coen STORER (Tuggeranong United), William TWEEDIE (O’Connor Knights), Josip UJDUR (O’Connor Knights), Archie VARNES (Tuggeranong United), Angus WALES (Tigers FC(), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Ryan ZANATTA (Yoogali SC)
