Of the four games planned for Round 4 in the Women’s National Premier League, two only made it through the inclement weather that hit the Capital. As a result, a well-known duo lead at the top of the league table, both having played a match more than the chasing group.
On Friday, Canberra Croatia struck early to avoid a repeat of last year’s surprise draw against Tuggeranong United. Four goals were scored in the first half-an-hour at Kambah 2, as both teams showcased their attacking prowess under the lights in treacherous and difficult conditions.
Isabella Barac, found behind the hosts’ defence by Amy McLachlan, opened the score within the first ten minutes with a superb flick over the advancing Sammy Emms, before what looked like an unavoidable handball in the box offered Brittany Palombi a chance from the penalty spot, and the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Golden Boot found the net for the fourth time in the last three games.
Paulo Romero’s troops answered almost immediately by Charli Gregson, who took aim and scored with a precise shot taken from outside the box. Tuggeranong hopes lasted less than 15 minutes though, until Rhiannon Fensom got on the end of a corner kick and, on the turn, fired the the ball past Emms.
Keepers and defences were tested at both ends on Friday night, and eventually the rain would claim its first victim of the weekend when the hosts’ keeper slipped when taking a defensive free kick. Charli Mitchell happily accepted the offering and netted the fourth goal for the visitors into the empty goal on the hour mark, sealing the fate of the game and placing Canberra Croatia on three wins from four.
Scott Conlon knew he could take the top-spot back off Croatia less than 48 hours later when Belconnen United hosted West Canberra at McKellar Park, on their return to their spiritual home, one of the only fields that had survived the heavy rain on the weekend.
The Wanderers wanted to finally get off the mark on the table and started the game well, with all guns blazing. Unfortunately for Rey Castro and his team, their threatening attempts early on were either blocked, deflected out, or saved by the Blue Devils’ defence.
Once the storm was weathered – pun intended – the home team went into second gear and scored two in five minutes. Madeleine Steinacker and Reilly Yuen combined well, the latter finding the former in the box, and the midfielder’s shot glanced past Samantha Briggs and into the back of the net.
Steinacker was involved in the second, a few minutes later, being able to find Hattie Cram on the right wing, and the former Wanderer’s cut back pass allowed Yuen to combine power and precision to put batter home the second goal. The visitors have undoubtedly made progress already since the beginning of the season despite still being pointless, but on Sunday the Blue Devils were too strong. In the second half, the home team hit twice more.
Cram scored her first goal of the season in WNPL, her maiden Blue Devils strike, against her former club with a left footed effort just after the hour mark. Ten minutes later, substitute Keira Bobbin finished the job when she was the fastest onto the ball after a good save from Briggs. With a better goal difference, Belconnen regained top-spot on the table ahead of a Federation Cup Semi-Final against the Canberra United Academy.
RESULTS
ROUND 4
Friday 28 April
Tuggeranong United 1 (C. Gregson 19’) Canberra Croatia 4 (Barac 8’, Palombi 17’ (p), Fensom 31’, Mitchell 64’)
Sunday 30 April
Canberra Olympic v ANU WFC – Match Postponed
Gungahlin United v Canberra United Academy – Match Postponed
Belconnen United 4 (Steinacker 19’, Yuen 24’, Cram 65’, Bobbin 75’) West Canberra Wanderers 0
TABLE
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
1 | Belconnen United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 9 |
2 | Canberra Croatia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 9 |
3 | Canberra Olympic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
4 | Canberra United Academy | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 |
5 | Gungahlin United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 6 |
6 | ANU WFC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 3 |
7 | Tuggeranong United | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 3 |
8 | West Canberra Wanderers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | -8 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
4 Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Belconnen United)
3 Kiera BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic)
2 Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Charli MITCHELL (Canberra Croatia), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Roxie SWART (ANU WFC), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Olympic)
1 Latisha BABIC (Canberra United Academy), Ella-Rose BROWN (Gungahlin United), Tamara COCHRANE (Canberra United Academy), Alexandra COOK (Canberra Olympic), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Canberra United Academy), Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United), Rhiannon FENSOM (Canberra Croatia), Charli GREGSON (Tuggeranong United), Sarah MATTHEWS (Tuggeranong United), Alexandra NEALAND (Canberra United Academy), Rainey NILES (Tuggeranong United), Nikita PERRY (West Canberra Wanderers), Madeleine STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Darby WHITELY (Gungahlin United), Elisha WILD (Canberra United Academy), Juliet WILLIAMS (ANU WFC), Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)