Canberra Olympic sent the National Premier League Women’s Reserves League Champions, Canberra Croatia, packing, earning a place in the Grand Final at McKellar Park with a goal-laden 6-2 success at Stryda Park on a bright and sunny Sunday morning.
Canberra Olympic got off to a flyer and had one foot in the Grand Final after just a quarter of the contest had been played as the team that finished third on the table ran up a three-goal lead with an exhilarating opening spell.
From the moment that Alexia Cerne found the room in behind the Croatia to defence to finish with confidence in just the sixth minute, Olympic were buzzing. It got even better for them just past the quarter of an hour mark as, after being awarded a penalty, Brittany Fiorese confidently stroked home the spot-kick.
Eight minutes later and it was 3-0, and near enough, game over. Croatia failed to clear the ball adequately, and Sienna Ness reacted sharpest to poke home through a crowd of players and send the Olympic following, at the home of the Monaro Panthers NPL team, wild.
As if to rub salt into the gaping Croatia wound, there was a fourth goal before the interval as Alexia Cerne took control of a poor clearance and sent a left-footed lob arcing over the head of the goalkeeper and into the net for her second goal of the contest.
Croatia needed a miracle, and they began the long road back by scoring within a minute of the restart as Pia McGhie steered home a Rhiannon Fensom cross, but within minutes the four-goal lead had been restored, Alexia Cerne completing her hat-trick with another fine finish.
Rhiannon Fensom reduced the arrears again just before the hour mark, but Olympic hit back again through a stunner from Georgia Choundary, cutting inside to curl a wonderous effort into the far corner, a strike that effectively ended any slim hopes of a comeback from the Champions.
RESULTS
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sunday 14 September
Canberra Croatia 2 (McGhie 46’, Fensom 59’) Canberra Olympic 6 (A. Cerne 6’, 43’, Fiorese 16’ (p), Ness 24’, Choundary 74’)
TOP SCORERS
19: Scarlett WELLS (Belconnen United)
16: Emily HAZILIAS (Canberra Croatia), Eden RODDA (Belconnen United)
15: Rhiannon FENSOM (Canberra Croatia)
10: Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Sienna NESS (Canberra Olympic), Own GOALS
9: Ella HALL (Gungahlin United)
8: Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Alexia CERNE (Canberra Olympic)
7: Arijana MAJETIC (Canberra Croatia)
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Sonja TOMANOVITS (West Canberra Wanderers), Nicole ZHAO (Canberra Croatia)
5: Elizabeth BARTONE (Canberra Croatia), Brittany FIORESE (Canberra Olympic), Emily TOZER (Belconnen United)
4: Anna BENNETT (Canberra Olympic), Amy BONGIORNO (Canberra Croatia), Siena D’AMBROSIO (Belconnen United), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Samantha SHEA (Belconnen United), Matylda WELLS-SHEATHER (Gungahlin United)
3: Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Georgia CHOUNDARY (Canberra Olympic), Sophie COULDRICK (West Canberra Wanderers), Sienna DY-MORTIMER (Canberra Olympic), Samantha HOST (West Canberra Wanderers), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Evdoxia MANTINAOS (West Canberra Wanderers), Ariana RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Tayah SANDERS (Canberra Croatia)
2: Hannah BOURKE (Canberra Croatia), Lily D’ADDARIO (Canberra Olympic), Danielja ESKINJA (Belconnen United), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Ella HEWSON (West Canberra Wanderers), Abbey HURMAN (Canberra Olympic), Caitlin KOCH (Belconnen United), Elianne LUM (Majura FC), Josephine MCKENZIE (Gungahlin United), Tahli MILIN (Canberra Croatia), Hannah MORRISON (Gungahlin United), Jessica PEARSON (Gungahlin United), Marija RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Jasmine RICHARDS (Gungahlin United), Margaux SIEB (Majura FC), Caitlyn SKILLICORN (West Canberra Wanderers), Ava WILLIAMS (Canberra Croatia), Darcy WILLIAMS (Canberra Olympic), Katie WOODMAN (Belconnen United)
1: Isla ALLEWAY (Tuggeranong United), Chloe BARKER (Canberra Croatia), Sofia BISSELL (Majura FC), Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Natalia CERNE (Canberra Olympic), Sophia DOUMOS (Belconnen United), Charlotte EVANS (Tuggeranong United), Hannah FERGUSON (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Zara HALL (Gungahlin United), Tayla HAMPSON (Canberra Olympic), Bente HELGEBY (West Canberra Wanderers), Isabella HOPKINS (Canberra Olympic), Olive HUDDY (Majura FC), Brianna LAZZARI (Tuggeranong United), Sophie MCGLYNN (Gungahlin United), Olivia MEDINA (Wet Canberra Wanderers), Elfin MOKANY (Belconnen United), Josie MONTANARI (Gungahlin United), Elizabeth MOSS (Gungahlin United), Gabriella PAUL (Canberra Croatia), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Lucija PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Sofia PIROTTA (Canberra Olympic), Isabella POLE (Majura FC), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Chelsea ROLLS (Majura FC), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Vanessa SOPHCOLI (Majura FC), Lauren WATT (Tuggeranong United)
