ACT WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE
MATCHDAY 13
Leaders Belconnen United will travel to the AIS Grass fields on Sunday afternoon when they meet the CU Academy. With a seven-point lead at the top of the table a win against the team ranked last would give the Blue Devils their first trophy of the season with only two rounds remaining after this weekend. They will be heavily favoured to do so, however, we can expect the Academy team to be well structured and make life as difficult as possible for the champions-elect.
Both Woden-Weston FC and Tuggeranong United face massive tests of their finals capabilities this weekend when they meet top opposition in the ACT Women’s Premier League as the competition moves into the finals few weeks of the regular season. And with finals places up for grabs there is a lot to play for.
Tuggeranong United moved into the top four last weekend at an opportune time with fixtures rapidly running out. Their 3-0 win over Woden-Weston FC at Viking Park saw them leap above their opposition on the league ladder with a two-point advantage heading into Matchday 13. But the challenge of Gungahlin United at Kambah 2 promises to be a stern test of their credentials.
The Gunners are approaching half a century of goals this season and possess the two in-form strikers in the league in the Palombi sisters. Brittany (17) and Ashleigh (13) have thirty goals between them this term and keeping this duo quiet is an almost impossible task. United will need to find a way to do so thus allowing their seventeen goal pair, Meg McLaughlin (11), and Kristy Helmers (6), a chance to punish the Gunners at the other end.
Woden-Weston FC will be aiming to bounce back straight away when they welcome Canberra FC to Woden Park. It’s a huge task for Woden-Weston against an FC team that has only suffered two losses in ten matches and is looking assured of a third place finish in the final reckoning. The hosts know that they must achieve a positive result in order to keep the pressure on Tuggeranong in fourth.
FIXTURES
Sunday 24th July
Woden-Weston FC v Canberra FC
(Woden Park, 14:00)
Tuggeranong United v Gungahlin United
(Kambah 2, 14:00)
CU Academy v Belconnen United
(AIS Grass, 16:00)
TABLE
LEADING SCORERS
17 Brittany PALOMBI (Gungahlin United)
13 Ashleigh PALOMBI (Gungahlin United)
11 Meg MCLAUGHLIN (Tuggeranong United)
6 Michaela DAY, Ellie RAYMOND, Madelyn WHITTALL (Belconnen United), Kristy HELMERS (Tuggeranong United), Erika PENNYFIELD (Woden-Weston FC)
4 Talia BACKHOUSE, Aoife COLVILL, Cara CUTAIA, Caitlin MUNOZ (Belconnen United), Emma BESTEK, Kate THORNTON, Marcia WALLIS (Canberra FC), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Own GOALS
3 Chloe CALLAGHAN, Samantha PRICE, Jessie WILLIAMS, Katie WOODMAN (Belconnen United), Alice CHURCHILL, Grace GILL (Canberra FC), Alex LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Karen CLARKE (Woden-Weston FC)
2 Jennifer BISSET, Kat CONROY, Eden STODDARD (Canberra FC), Ilahna AITCHSION, Grace FIELD, Georgia FOGARTY, Alex MARTENS, Sally ROJAHN (Gungahlin United), Jamie BERKELEY (Tuggeranong United)
1 Adriana ILHEO, Nicole JALOCHA, Amy SPENCE (Belconnen United), Chantel JONES, Rachael GOLDSTEIN, Brigitte WRIGHT (Canberra FC), Lily DAWSON, Karly ROESTBAKKEN (CU Academy), Caitlin CANTRILL, Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United), Sarah DAISLEY, Sophia EVANS, Sandra HILL, Hayley MCLACHLAN (Tuggeranong United), Leah CARNEGIE, Sarah CRITTENDEN, Rhianna GOLDSTEIN, Paul VAN DOMMELEN, Cassandra WATSON (Woden-Weston FC)