ACT Women’s Premier League Football Round 8 – Review.
Thursday 22nd May
ANU WFC 0 v Canberra FC 11
Canberra FC romped to their fifth win of the season as they crushed ANU WFC 11-0 in a match brought forward from Round 10 and switched to Deakin Stadium under lights in midweek. The victory moved Canberra FC into second place on the league ladder, leaping ahead of Monaro Panthers, before the completion of the Round 8 matches that took place on Sunday. ANU was again depleted with half a dozen players stepping up from lower grades to compete with one of them, Jane Maher, outstanding on the left wing. Lizzie Ingham and Holly Burke competed well for the University team but they were under pressure for most of the game where central defender Klara Verbyla did her best to keep put the FC attacks. But the hosts simply possessed too much pace and power in the final third and were clinical in their finishing racing into a 5-0 half-time lead to kill the match as a contest. The goals continued to flow in the second half with a further half-dozen finding their way past stand-in goalkeeper Sue Read to confirm a comfortable home win. FC shared the goals amongst a number of players but Rachael Goldstein led the way in the scoring with an excellent five goals haul whilst Eden Stoddard (2), Alice Churchill, Bronwyn Studman, Erin Holder and Gabriella Risteska also got on the score sheet as FC continue to press for a top two finish.
Sunday 25th May
ANU WFC 0 v Monaro Panthers 10
Monaro Panthers roared to a 10-0 victory over ANU WFC to go a perfect eight from eight in the ACT Women’s Premier League and maintain their lead at the head of the table. The Panthers were too fast and too good on the counter attack for ANU WFC, using the space at the Riverside Stadium to great effect with Meg McLaughlin and Ashleigh Palombi running riot. ANU WFC improved in attack from their midweek mauling by Canberra FC with Holly Burke and Candice Allan in midfield combining well with Lizzie Ingham to cause quite a few issues for the Monaro defence on occasions. But the Panthers were ruthless in front of goal with McLaughlin helping herself to four goals and Ashleigh Palombi to three. Jaline Hoek gave Monaro the lead in the second minute before Ashleigh Palombi doubled the lead in the 23rd minute. Brittany Palombi made it three and McLaughlin opened her account four minutes before the interval. The in-form striker netted goal number five eight minutes into the second half with Ashleigh Palombi adding number six two minutes later. Ashleigh Palombi completed a hat-trick in the 78th minute after McLaughlin had struck a treble of her own. Brittany Palombi made it 9-0 before McLaughlin moved onto eighteen for the year with two minutes to play to round out a comprehensive win.
ACTAS 2 v Belconnen United 3
REPORT BY JOHN COLLEY: ACTAS and Belconnen United have played out an enthralling match, in which ACTAS let go of a two-goal lead before falling behind in the final minutes of the match. The majority of the opening 30 minutes was played out in the middle of the pitch as both teams settled slowly into the match. Then much to the surprise of the crowd ACTAS took the lead in the 30th minute, when Grace Maher timed her run perfectly to break the offside line before tapping her shot past Belconnen keeper Jessica Giovinazzo. While ACTAS’s first goal came as a surprise, their second just six minutes later stunned everyone at the ground. ACTAS pounced on an error in Belconnen’s defence, the ball falling to ACTAS captain Julia De Angelis, who quickly fired off a shot from 35 yards, which beat the retreating Giovinazzo to the goal. Despite being two down Belconnen showed their experience and fought their way back into the match on the stroke of half time, as Jaime Williams headed home from a corner. Belconnen came out a much-improved outfit in the second half, pressing the young ACTAS side much higher up the field and they were rewarded for their intensity within 15 minutes of the break. A series of quick passes got Sally Rojahn behind the defence, Rojahn crossing from the bar line to the back post to the late arriving Talia Backhouse who smashed the ball home from close range. With the match heading towards a draw Belconnen pushed one last time and found the winner through Jaime Williams, who picked up her second for the match both from corners.
Tuggeranong United 2 v Weston-Molonglo FC 1
A double from former Canberra United Westfield W-League player Samantha Wood gave Tuggeranong United a 2-1 victory over Weston-Molonglo FC at Kambah 2. Wood’s brace has pushed Tuggeranong onto the cusp of the top four as Weston’s season appears to be heading in the opposite direction after an excellent start to the campaign has dissolved into a number of defeats. Wood gave the home team the dream start by putting them in front in the eighth minute and leaving Weston to chase the game. It was a chase that the Magpies gave their all and only some excellent United defending left the hosts ahead at the half-time break. If the advantage was a slender one then Tuggeranong was able to breathe a little easier nine minutes after the re-start as the irrepressible Wood bagged her fifth goal of the season. At 2-0 there was a comfort for Tuggeranong that they managed to hold onto until a couple of minutes from the end of the ninety when Hope Wilkins, who has enjoyed an excellent season so far, found the space to register her seventh goal of a productive campaign. That left Tuggeranong with a nervy last five minutes to negotiate but the home support was sent home happy as the final whistle sounded.
Canberra Olympic 0 v Canberra FC 9
Canberra FC completed a memorable week as they racked up a 9-0 victory over Canberra Olympic to add to their eleven goals they scored against ANU WFC during the week meaning that the red machine has clocked up an amazing twenty goals in only two matches. Not even the debut of ex-Matildas international Anissa Tann for Olympic could prevent FC from storming to a comfortable win with the visitors scoring regularly and turning a half-time lead of 4-0 into a nine goal victory. Rachael Goldstein netted five on Thursday and she was back amongst the goals again in this match bagging a brace to move onto eleven goals for the season and in the hunt for the golden boot. Erin Holder also grabbed a brace for Canberra FC and young Clare Hunt was another who scored a double as FC shared the goals around. The impressive Eden Stoddard, Bronwyn Studman and substitute Kaysha Moore also found a way past Rebecca Lutterell in the Olympic goal as the pace and power of FC proved too much for Olympic. Sarah Tutt had a good match for Olympic as did young Ruth Kravis but FC was worthy winners in the end.
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