The Women’s National Premier League continued to provide unexpected twists and turns in Round 3 as five teams ended the weekend level on six points at the top of the early league table, with another two of the eight participants, just three points adrift.
One team still chasing a first result is West Canberra Wanderers, who would have hoped that a home game against the Canberra United Academy would bring a first point of 2023, however they were punished twice within seven second half minutes as the Academy recovered from defeat last week to secure the victory.
There is a large colony of Academy alumni in the Wanderers’ jersey this season, and unsurprisingly, it meant that the Round 3 encounter saw two teams with similar qualities battling it out at Wanderers Park in Melrose, the synthetic the home of the West Canberra outfit.
Under the warn autumn sun, the game remained goalless until after the hour mark. The Academy then struck twice in quick succession. First it was a penalty, at the 62nd minute, given for a shove in the box under the eyes of the referee. It was converted by Alyssa Di Campli, minutes before Tamara Cochrane snuck her way past the host’s defence and volleyed a precise effort in the top left corner, Wanderers goalkeeper Sam Briggs was left helpless both times.
The highly anticipated duel of the weekend took place at Deakin Stadium, between arch-rivals Canberra Croatia and Belconnen United. If the former has dominated the league in the past couple of seasons, no player, or supporter, has forgotten the last encounter between these two teams, a nerve-shredding 5-4 win after extra time for the Blue Devils in the Preliminary Final 2022.
On an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon, the two giants of Women’s football in Canberra started the game with a cautious rhythm, with both defences ready to stand solid and offensive threats rare in the first half.
The momentum quickly shifted from one team to the other several times, but the teams entered the locker room goalless. The second half saw an improvement in the intensity and a few more chances either side, with the Blue Devils hitting the woodwork twice, both Bessie Riethmuller and Isabella Hindmarsh denied by the uprights.
The Deakin side is never as dangerous as when they are appearing to struggle, and once again, it was Brittany Palombi who would break the deadlock. At the 73rd minute, a seemingly casual cross bounced awkwardly in front of Ellie Summers, lobbing the Belconnen goalkeeper to reach the back of the net.
The game winner-to-be reenergised both teams for the last quarter of an hour, but the home side did enough to keep their clean sheet, thanks to a strong defense, led by a particularly in-form Rhiannon Fensom.
The result would have been received well at O’Connor Enclosed, where Canberra Olympic was hosting Tuggeranong United a week after conceding defeat to Belconnen. In what seemed to be the theme of the weekend, we were treated to another goalless first half, with the visitors doing better than just resisting against the reigning champions.
The team coached by Nicole Begg did eventually find a way to break the deadlock when a free kick from the halfway line by Elke Aitolu reached the box. An awkward touch by a Tuggeranong defender offered Tia Burridge her third goal of the season on a silver platter just before the hour mark.
Alexandra Cook doubled the advantage five minutes later from the penalty spot, after Vanessa Ryan was pushed down in the box. Tuggeranong tried to answer, mainly with shots from distance, but Olympic showcased all their experience in the remaining half hour and ended up looking after their goal difference in the final minutes.
Michaela Thornton finished the job, first heading in a corner kick for the third goal at the 88th minute, before taking advantage of a scramble in the visitors’ box to lodge a right footed effort out of reach for Samantha Emms.
The win made sure that Olympic stay in contact with the top of the table with the three points, levelling with Belconnen with an identical goal difference.
The final game of the weekend was played at the ANU South Oval, where the ANU WFC and Gungahlin United met. The Gunners did enough in the first-half to collect all three points, despite another strong display by the team coached by Rob Illingworth.
Andrew Woodman and his troops hit the front in the 25th minute, when Erika Pennyfield, perfectly launched by Natalie De Marco on the right wing, crossed a flat ball between the ANU keeper and her defence, only for Ginger Oliver to take advantage of the scramble that ensued.
Another expertly executed ball through, this time by Ella Brown, launched Oliver for her second goal seven minutes later. The former Wanderer was at it again not long after but saw her hat-trick effort denied for offside.
The University team had their chances, and finally found the answer early in the second half. This time the confusion in the defence was at the other end, and Juliet Williams did not refuse the gift when it was time to find the back of the net.
The encounter remained evenly disputed until the very end, but the visitors kept their thin advantage and claimed their second success of 2023, matching the other four teams ahead of them on the table.
RESULTS
Sunday 23 April
West Canberra Wanderers 0 Canberra United Academy 2 (Di-Campli 63’ (p), Cochrane 70’)
Canberra Olympic 4 (Burridge 57’, Cook 66’ (p), Thornton 88’, 90+2’) Tuggeranong United 0
Canberra Croatia 1 (Palombi 72’) Belconnen United 0
ANU WFC 1 (Williams 51’) Gungahlin United 2 (Oliver 26’, 34’)
TABLE
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
1 | Belconnen United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
2 | Canberra Olympic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
3 | Canberra Croatia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 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 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 3 |
8 | West Canberra Wanderers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
4 Bessie RIETHMULLER (Belconnen United)
3 Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
2 Kiera BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Roxie SWART (ANU WFC), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Olympic)
1 Latisha BABIC (Canberra United Academy), Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Ella-Rose BROWN (Gungahlin United), Tamara COCHRANE (Canberra United Academy), Alexandra COOK (Canberra Olympic), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Canberra United Academy), Sarah MATTHEWS (Tuggeranong United), Charli MITCHELL (Canberra Croatia), Alexandra NEALAND (Canberra United Academy), Rainey NILES (Tuggeranong United), Nikita PERRY (West Canberra Wanderers), Darby WHITELY (Gungahlin United), Elisha WILD (Canberra United Academy), Juliet WILLIAMS (ANU WFC)
Words: Jeremy Magan