Canberra Croatia took the honours as OPC NPL Women’s Reserves League Champions as they recorded a 2-1 win over Canberra Olympic at O’Connor Enclosed in their top-of-the-table title showdown.
It took until half-an-hour for the deadlock to be broken and it was the visiting team that did so. A pass sent Emily Hazilias through on goal and the forward picked her spot to finish low beyond the despairing reach of the Olympic goalkeeper for her sixteenth goal of the season.
The lead was short-lived. Just four minutes later the home team were awarded a penalty for handball and Tia Burridge confidently stepped up to stroke the ball down the middle of the goal and level the scores.
With the teams level at the break there was much to play for in the second stanza and it was Croatia who restored their lead eight minutes in as Rhiannon Fensom rounded the ‘keeper to score with what proved to be the match, and championship winning, goal.
Belconnen United took second place in the table, and a place in the Qualification Final, as they got the points needed to jump above Canberra Olympic on goal difference, the Blue Devils thumping West Canberra Wanderers 5-1 at McKellar Park.
The Blue Devils were in front in twenty-six seconds when the player wearing number twenty-six, Caitlin Koch, ran onto a square pass and finished with a superb strike into the top corner of the net.
Despite being reduced to ten players shortly afterwards, the Blue Devils were not derailed and extended their lead as Eden Rodda broke away to score her fifteenth of the season at the second attempt.
Scarlett Wells added the third, her nineteenth of the year, on yet another breakaway, before Rodda completed s dominant first-half performance. Wanderers pulled one back through Ella Hewson, but Katie Woodman drove home a fifth to confirm the victory.
RESULTS
ROUND 21
Sunday 31 August
Canberra Olympic 1 (Burridge 35’ (p)) Canberra Croatia 2 (Hazilias 31’, Fensom 53’)
Belconnen United 5 (Koch 1’, Rodda 13’, 44’, Wells 41’, Woodman 81’) West Canberra Wanderers 1 (Hewson 49’)
TABLE*
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 21 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 88 | 18 | +70 | 52 |
| 3 | Belconnen United | 21 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 94 | 14 | +80 | 51 |
| 2 | Canberra Olympic | 21 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 61 | 20 | +41 | 51 |
| 4 | Gungahlin United | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 41 | 40 | +1 | 33 |
| 5 | West Canberra | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 35 | 52 | -17 | 33 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 21 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 28 | 52 | -24 | 18 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 21 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 16 | 93 | -74 | 9 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 76 | -74 | 0 |
*Includes two further forfeited matches: Tuggeranong v Gungahlin (24 August) and Tuggeranong v Majura FC (31 August)
TOP SCORERS
19: Scarlett WELLS (Belconnen United)
16: Emily HAZILIAS (Canberra Croatia), Eden RODDA (Belconnen United)
14: Rhiannon FENSOM (Canberra Croatia)
9: Ella HALL (Gungahlin United), Pia MCGHIE (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
8: Sienna NESS (Canberra Olympic)
7: Leila BILLINGTON (Belconnen United), Arijana MAJETIC (Canberra Croatia)
6: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Sonja TOMANOVITS (West Canberra Wanderers), Nicole ZHAO (Canberra Croatia)
5: Elizabeth BARTONE (Canberra Croatia), Emily TOZER (Belconnen United)
4: Anna BENNETT (Canberra Olympic), Amy BONGIORNO (Canberra Croatia), Alexia CERNE (Canberra Olympic), Siena D’AMBROSIO (Belconnen United), Brittany FIORESE (Canberra Olympic), Samantha SHEA (Belconnen United), Matylda WELLS-SHEATHER (Gungahlin United)
3: Tia BURRIDGE (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), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Ariana RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Tayah SANDERS (Canberra Croatia)
2: Hannah BOURKE (Canberra Croatia), Georgia CHOUNDARY (Canberra Olympic), 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), Rhiannon DAVIS (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), 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)
