The honours were shared in the mini-derby at the Australian Institute of Sport as O’Connor Knights came from 1-3 down to earn a point in a 3-3 draw with title-chasing Canberra Croatia.
It was the Knights who made the brightest start, and they were rewarded with a goal inside the opening quarter of an hour. A penetrating pass over the top of the Croatia defence allowed Luka Usljebrka to break away and slide a neat finish under the advancing goalkeeper.
Croatia would equalise twelve minutes later. Only seconds after having a goal disallowed, the visiting team struck in a very similar fashion to the Knights, with a long pass freeing Oliver Hawkins who fired past the ‘keeper to bring his team back on level terms.
And it was Hawkins who gave Croatia the lead seven minutes before the break, collecting a wonderful pass in behind the Knights back four and rounding the ‘keeper to score his fourth of the season. Shortly after the restart, Lemar Katawazai split the defence to add the third, his first at this level.
Rocco Di Placido pulled one back on the hour for the Knights and incredibly drew his team level with a glorious solo goal sixteen minutes later, a strike that was to earn parity come the full-time whistle.
The only match on Sunday afternoon ended honours even at Solar Mad Stadium on Griffith as Yoogali SC and Queanbeyan City were unable to be separated after ninety minutes, the match ending 0-0.
Bothe teams had opportunities, but there was nothing to choose between the two teams at the end of the fixture, the status quo preserved at the end of the game, the clubs staying in seventh and eight respectively.
The scheduled matches between Monaro Panthers and Tigers FC, and Tuggeranong United and Gungahlin United were both postponed.
RESULTS
ROUND 16
Saturday 26 July
O’Connor Knights 3 (Usljebrka 15’, Di Placido 60’, 76’) Canberra Croatia 3 (Hawkins 27’, 38’, Katawazai 48’)
Monaro Panthers v Tigers FC – Match Postponed
Sunday 27 July
Tuggeranong United v Gungahlin United – Match Postponed
Yoogali SC 0 Queanbeyan City 0
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Tigers FC | 15 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 50 | 21 | +29 | 34 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 33 |
| 3 | O’Connor Knights | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 24 | +12 | 27 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 24 |
| 5 | Monaro Panthers | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 32 | -8 | 18 |
| 6 | Gungahlin United | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 30 | -12 | 16 |
| 7 | Yoogali SC | 15 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 32 | -16 | 15 |
| 8 | Queanbeyan City | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 43 | -21 | 10 |
TOP SCORERS
13: Anthony ANTONIAK (Tuggeranong United), Cooper HEAGNEY (Tigers FC)
11: Zachary ILIJOSKI (Tigers FC)
8: Jebediah JEFFERY (Canberra Croatia)
7: Alexander EVANS (Queanbeyan City)
6: Rocco DI PLACIDO (O’Connor Knights), Leo DONALD (Tuggeranong United), Thinley DORJI (Tigers FC), Own GOALS
5: Elliot ALBERTO (Tigers FC), Ayham NASSER (Monaro Panthers)
4: Daniel ANDERSON (O’Connor Knights), Zia BAIRD (Monaro Panthers), Kaide CASTLE (Yoogali SC), James GODDING (Canberra Croatia), Oliver HAWKINS (Canberra Croatia), Jack JANKE (O’Connor Knights), Owen LEARMONTH (Canberra Croatia), Darcy MIDDLETON (Canberra Croatia), Fabian OLIVARES (Gungahlin United), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Luka USLJEBRKA (O’Connor Knights), Leo VANDERPOL (Monaro Panthers)
3: Stefan DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Ivan DZAJA (O’Connor Knights), Jake FATTORE (Tigers FC), Jacob KITE (Gungahlin United), Sebastian MUNOZ (Gungahlin United), Daniel OBST (Queanbeyan City), Samuel RACITI (Yoogali SC), Anthony RAKIC (Canberra Croatia), Timothy SANTOS (Tuggeranong United), Sam SHEEDY (Tuggeranong United)
2: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Joshua AMOAH (Tigers FC), Thomas BARBATANO (Gungahlin United), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Xavier BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Stephen CERNI (Gungahlin United), Zachary COLSON (Tigers FC), Kye COSSETTINI (Tigers FC), Marcus CRISPE (Tigers FC), Jack ELLWOOD (Monaro Panthers), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Mitchell JERVIS-HAMILTON (Monaro Panthers), Alexander LULIC (Monaro Panthers), Ivica MAJETIC (Canberra Croatia), Ahmed MUBAIDEEN (Tigers FC), Nikola PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Kris RAAD (Tuggeranong United)
1: Cos ARENA (O’Connor Knights), Luke ARMANINI (Yoogali SC), Daniel BARBATANO (Queanbeyan City), Jack BITANI (Queanbeyan City), Tanatswa BVIRAKARE (Tigers FC), Fabian CACOPARDO (Yoogali SC), Samson CARR (Tigers FC), Marcos DA SILVA (Canberra Croatia), Sivamsh DEEVI (Gungahlin United), Ethan DONETTO (Yoogali SC), Aleksandar DORDEVIC (Queanbeyan City), Tomer DORON (O’Connor Knights), Michael GALIC (Queanbeyan City), Dominic GALLUZZO (Yoogali SC), Aston GOODWIN (Canberra Croatia), Joshua HEDDITCH (Monaro Panthers), Luka JUKIC (Canberra Croatia), Lemar KATAWAZAI (Canberra Croatia), Joshua KEENAN (Yoogali SC), Marcus LAU (Gungahlin United), Jure LEMEZINA (Monaro Panthers), Alexei MARDIYANTS (Monaro Panthers), Mohammad MAZRAEH (Tuggeranong United), Leon MCLEAN (Canberra Croatia), Joseph MIKAHEL (Monaro Panthers), Hamish MOYLE (Gungahlin United), Ibrahim OBEID (O’Connor Knights), Samuel PALIC (Queanbeyan City), Nicholas PIVA (Yoogali SC), Nicolas PULCIANI (Tigers FC), Andrija RAKIC (Canberra Croatia), Jayden RIPPON (Gungahlin United), Abdin SAID (Tuggeranong United), Ali SOHANI (Monaro Panthers), Ethan SAUNDERS (O’Connor Knights), William TWEEDIE (O’Connor Knights), Josip UJDUR (O’Connor Knights)
