ACT WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE
MATCHDAY 3
Sunday 17th April 2016
Canberra FC 0 Woden-Weston FC 0
(Deakin Stadium)
By Isaac Norwoozi
Georgia Boric shone as Woden-Weston FC hold Canberra FC to a nil-all draw at Deakin Stadium. Woden- Weston goalkeeper Georgia Boric was the hero as Canberra FC were frustrated at home in an exciting scoreless draw. Canberra FC started the game off strong, dominating possession and coming close on several occasions. Canberra’s Emma Bestek came close twice early on, but was denied both times by goalkeeper Boric. Jennifer Bisset came even closer soon after, her corner beat the keeper but came off the side post and the ball was eventually cleared.
It took Woden-Weston 25 minutes to find their feet, but when they eventually did they put Canberra FC under immense pressure. Woden’s Catherine Barnsley, Celina Gayer and Paula Van Dommelen gave Canberra’s defence trouble, but in they were able to hold on as the half ended nil-all. It was Woden that came out of the second half firing, dominating possession early on. However, they failed to create chances as balls were wasted time and time again. Canberra regained momentum and began to charge towards goal, giving Woden’s defence all they could handle.
Canberra managed to penetrate a solid Woden defence, however, they failed to break the final barrier. Despite going one-on-one with the keeper twice, goalkeeper Boric had it covered every single time. A visibly frustrated Canberra side nearly gave the game away in the 85th minute, when a back pass gone wrong nearly ended up in the back of their own net. Canberra would then go on to come agonizingly close to clinching a late winner. Amy McLachlan finally found a way to beat the keeper, however her shot bounced off the crossbar and was cleared to safety by the Woden defence. In the end both sides were forced to share the spoils, as the match ended nil-all. Woden coach Diego Elmoudawar was pleased with his sides’ performance, but feels that they still lack that finishing touch.
“It was a much better performance but we could have worked a lot harder,” said Elmoudawar. “Same as last week, we just got to work on that final third, the attacking third and creating chances”. Elmoudawar also praised the performance of Boric, who outstanding between the sticks. “Her (Boric) training with the Canberra United team has really helped,” he said. “She’s a big part of this team, I give my all to her, she is doing very well this year”.
Canberra FC coach Peter Kavouras was pleased with his team’s performance, and also praised Boric’s performance in goal. “I can’t complain, the girls played really well but we couldn’t get the ball in back of the net” said Kovouras. “If we scored one it could have been a different issue, but we knew the keeper was going to be an issue. We took her to Wagga (Boric) for our team to play in a friendly and she was quality”.
Canberra FC: 1. Georgia STEWART, 2. Amy MCLACHLAN, 4. Nida MOLLISON, 5. Kate THORNTON, 6. Alice CHURCHILL, 7. Kristy BABINGTON, 10. Jennifer BISSET, 11. Ella-Jane RILEY, 12. Emma BESTEK, 13. Bridget WRIGHT, 16. Kat CONROY
Substitutes used: 3. Meg MCFARLAND, 12. Sheridan MCELLIGOTT, 22. Milli MALLINSON
Woden-Weston FC: 1. Georgia BORIC, 3. Rhianna GOLDSTEIN, 4. Paula VAN DOMMELEN, 5. Catherine BARNSLEY, 6. Erika PENNYFIELD, 7. Georgie THOMSON, 8. Celina GAYER, 9. Sarah WHITFIELD, 12. Emma BEAUMONT, 16. Karen CLARKE, 17. Bridgit PLUMMER
Substitutes used: 11. Vanessa RYAN, 14. Edith MELI, 15. Loretta RAAP
YELLOW CARDS: 8. Celina GAYER (Woden-Weston FC)
RED CARDS: Nil
Gungahlin United 2 (Brittany Palombi 25’, 33’) Tuggeranong United 1 (Meg McLaughlin 35’)
(Gungahlin Enclosed)
By Nick Amies
A double from Brittany Palombi saw Gungahlin United retain top spot in the ACT Women’s Premier League in a 2-1 win over Tuggeranong United at Gungahlin Enclosed on Sunday. Both sides began the match in a positive manner, pressing hard for an early breakthrough. Tuggeranong’s Meg McLaughlin produced the first shot on target after meeting Sandra Hill’s cross from the right at the near post, but Gill Raymond was on hand to make the save. Quick-fire breaks for both sides nearly saw goals at either end inside the first ten minutes. A turnover in defence by Gungahlin saw Jamie Berkeley send McLaughlin through the heart of the defence, but her first touch was too heavy and allowed Raymond to clear the danger. Gunners captain Ashleigh Palombi was then put in behind the defence, but her first time shot sailed wide of the mark. McLaughlin continued to cause trouble for the home side, this time sending in a dangerous cross that nearly produced an own goal as Ilahna Aitchison’s clearance crashed into the crossbar. It was a near-miss for Gungahlin and they made their next chance count in the 25th minute as Brittany Palombi dribbled past her defender before unleashing a fierce left-foot shot past Jill Scott from just outside the box. It was soon two goals for the Gungahlin attacker as she was played into the penalty area before sending the ball crashing into the underside of the crossbar and over the goal line for her second of the match. With the game quickly slipping away from Tuggeranong a response was required and McLaughlin obliged within two minutes, sprinting past her defender before coolly slotting the ball past the on rushing Raymond. Gungahlin failed to restore their two-goal advantage before half time as Grace Field’s volley from a corner flew straight into the arms of Jill Scott.
The second half saw Tuggeranong up their intensity and commit further numbers forward in search of an equaliser, creating a more open match with opportunities abound for both sides. Brittany Palombi went searching for a hat-trick from a free-kick only to see the ball tipped over the bar before Tuggeranong’s Stephanie Coates had a shot on goal following a corner for her side.The drama of the match continued as Tuggeranong had another goal-bound effort hit the crossbar through McLaughlin. The ball hit the underside of the bar but did not cross the line, allowing the Gungahlin defence to clear the danger. Tuggeranong’s efforts to equalise continued to create openings for the home side, and found themselves lucky not to go further behind in the 78th minute. A turnover while playing out from defence gifted possession to Ashleigh Palombi who quickly lobbed the ball over Scott, catching the keeper well off her line. The shot evaded the outstretched arms of Scott, but the ball bounced centimetres over the crossbar to deny the Gungahlin captain. A change to three at the back failed to produce an equaliser for Tuggeranong in the final minutes, with the home side’s defence restricting their opposition to a series of hopeful crosses into a crowded penalty box. Gungahlin held on to preserve their 100 percent record ahead of next weekend’s clash with defending champions Belconnen United, while Tuggeranong must dust themselves off ahead of a crucial meeting with Canberra FC.
Gungahlin United: 1. Gill RAYMOND, 3. Georgia FOGARTY, 6. Najwa ALLEN, 8. Ilahna AITCHISON, 10. Ashleigh PALOMBI, 11. Brittany PALOMBI, 12. Grace FIELD, 13. Natalie DE MARCO, 15. Peta-Claire FOTHERGILL, 17. Sally ROJAHN, 19. Iesha DE ANDRADE
Substitutes used: 20. Kayla MARGIOTTA
Tuggeranong United: 1. Jill SCOTT, 2. Miranda SUMMERSBY-MITCHELL, 3. Renae SHATZMAN, 6. Rachael CORBETT, 8. Meg MCLAUGHLIN, 11. Rhiannon DAISLEY, 14. Sandra HILL, 15. Stephanie COATES, 24. Jamie BERKELEY, 25. Dianne WILSON
Substitutes used: 7. Hayley MCLACHLAN, 9. Sarah DAISLEY, 23. Kimberly MORGAN
YELLOW CARDS: Nil
RED CARDS: Nil
CU Academy 0 Belconnen United 9 (Ellie Raymond 4’, 12’, 37’, 60’, Cara Cutaia 14’, Aofie Colvill 52’, Michaela Day 74’, Amy Spence 78’, Jessie Williams 83’)
(Hawker Football Centre)
Belconnen United returned to winning ways following their surprise loss to Canberra FC in Round 2 as they swept aside the CU Academy, winning 9-0 at Hawker Football Centre. After scoring three times in the opening fourteen minutes the Blue Devils had the points secured however the Academy found their feet following that quick fire opening and played some good football throughout. It was Belconnen though who always looked the more likely goal-scorers and, after leading by four at the break, they netted a further five in the second stanza. Ellie Raymond scored twice early on for Belconnen to establish the lead before Cara Cutaia made it 3-0 before the quarter hour mark. Raymond had her hat-trick in the 37th minute but it was noticeable that the Academy defence had tightened up by this stage. It took seven minutes of the second half for Belconnen to increase their lead as young starlet Aofie Colvill made it five with her second of the season. Raymond hammered in her fourth goal of the afternoon on 60 minutes and late goals from Michaela Day, Amy Spence and substitute Jessie Williams added gloss to the scoreline late on.
Belconnen United: 1. Jessica GIOVINAZZO, 2. Katie WOODMAN, 3. Lauren KEIR, 4. Amy SPENCE, 5. Sofia MERKOUREAS, 8. Michaela DAY, 9. Aofie COLVILL, 10. Chloe CALLAGHAN, 13. Sam PRICE, 14. Ellie RAYMOND, 16. Cara CUTAIA
Substitutes used: 7. Jessie WILLIAMS, 11. Madelyn WHITTALL, 15. Jordan BUCHANAN
CU Academy: 1. Jaime BUTLER, 3. Mikayla VIDMAR, 4. Sophie BARNSLEY, 6. Cecilija MATIC, 7. Isabella TAMMARO, 9. Mia GIORGI, 10. Georja DICKIE, 12. Demi NIKIAS, 13. Stella DE MARCO, 14. Molly LAWLESS, 15. Isabel MULHALL
Substitutes used: 2. Bronte PYKE, 16. Lily DAWSON, Jasmine GENOVESI
YELLOW CARDS: Nil
RED CARDS: Nil
TABLE
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
1 | Gungahlin United | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | +16 | 9 |
2 | Canberra FC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 7 |
3 | Belconnen United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 6 |
4 | Woden-Weston FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 |
5 | Tuggeranong United | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 0 |
6 | CU Academy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | -25 | 0 |
LEADING SCORERS
6 Ashleigh PALOMBI (Gungahlin United)
4 Ellie RAYMOND (Belconnen United), Brittany PALOMBI (Gungahlin United)
3 Jessie WILLIAMS (Belconnen United)
2 Aoife COLVILL, Michaela DAY, Samantha PRICE (Belconnen United), Kate THORNTON, Marcia WALLIS (Canberra FC), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Own GOALS
1 Cara CUTAIA, Adriana ILHEO, Amy SPENCE (Belconnen United), Kat CONROY, Grace GILL (Canberra FC), Ilahna AITCHSION, Grace FIELD, Sally ROJAHN (Gungahlin United), Jamie BERKELEY, Hayley MCLACHLAN, Meg MCLAUGHLIN (Tuggeranong United), Leah CARNEGIE, Rhianna GOLDSTEIN (Woden-Weston FC)