Critical matchups were a hallmark of NPL Capital Football Round 18. With just three rounds remaining after this one, West Canberra Wanderers would need to get the job done at home against Tuggeranong United to stave off the Gungahlin United finals threat. The Gunners would also need to win away against Wagga City Wanderers to maintain their pressure. There was also this highlight from the Belconnen United vs Canberra United Academy game:
MILESTONE
Congratulations to @BLUE_DEVILSFC‘s Katie Woodman on playing 250 NPL games!#GameOn pic.twitter.com/YDy20p0WCE
— NPL Capital Football (@officialNPLCF) August 23, 2022
In Beyond 90’s match of the round, it was first versus second at Deakin Stadium. Four points separated the sides – Canberra Olympic was desperate to stay in the premiership race, while a win to Canberra Croatia would all but hand the title to the defending Premiers.
Isobel Cootes of the Canberra Times provided her takes on the game, and Jeremy Magan’s round wrap for Capital Football can be found here.
Wagga City Wanderers vs Gungahlin United
Belconnen United vs Canberra United Academy
West Canberra Wanderers vs Tuggeranong United
Match of the Round: Canberra Croatia vs Canberra Olympic
Even with Jennie Bisset unavailable, Jamie Berkeley’s return from holidays and Krista Hagen’s comeback from a nasty early-season injury meant Canberra Croatia fielded their strongest-looking starting lineup for some weeks.
Canberra Olympic coach Nicole Begg has been wisely maintaining a core starting group to build cohesion for the 2022 campaign. It has also been beneficial that the team has largely escaped injury woes.
The first 20 minutes belonged to the home team as Canberra Olympic were slow out of the blocks. Canberra Croatia set piece danger was a characteristic of the first half, with Grace Gill and Rhiannon Fensom headers zinging just wide of goal. Centre-back Fensom was also proving to be effective in her own penalty box, shoulder to shoulder with Ash Sykes at the 17-minute mark and using her body well to steer the speedy forward away from the ball.
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Two further Canberra Croatia attempts on goal near the 20 minute mark (a Bella Barac shot from the back post off a corner and a left-footed strike from Gill) were a signal to Olympic’s Michaela Thornton, who recognised the need for change. After starting the game at the point of Olympic’s attack, Thornton dropped deeper and at times rotated with Nicole Jalocha. Olympic’s fortunes started to change.
Young centre-back Elke Aitolu was also at the heart of that change. Decisive, aware and with an enormous passing range, Aitolu had CCFC keeper Nat Vasta guessing at a bouncing bomb in the 23rd minute which landed on the roof of the net. Aitolu’s defensive partner Ally Cook is blessed with similar range, and usually if one of them is on song with their delivery, opponents suffer.
Two minutes later, Vanessa Ryan’s low, hard corner made its way past several legs on the way to Jaz Zabel at the back post, but Zabel couldn’t get enough on it to steer the ball past Vasta.
Three successive Canberra Croatia corners at the half-hour mark reminded everyone that the champions weren’t ever going to lie down in this contest. In response, two successive Sykes runs to the CCFC byline almost bore fruit, the second finding Thornton at the back of the penalty area. Cue Brittany Palombi to the rescue, doing what all great forwards do and helping out her defenders in their moment of need, dispossessing Thornton.
With three minutes left in the half, Aitolu fired a warning shot from distance, seeing Vasta slightly off her line – the ball once again hit the roof of the net. Undaunted, that decisive Aitolu quality came to the fore a minute later, changing the game. When a free kick was awarded 35 metres from the CCFC goal, Aitolu took a two-step approach, hoisting the ball over a retreating Vasta and into the net.
Stunned, CCFC had to ride out a smart step-over manoeuvre between Olympic’s Jaz Zabel and Meg Roden before halftime. The move gave Roden room to shoot, but in stretching for the ball the shot fell harmlessly wide.
As the second half began, and knowing that she had just 15 minutes remaining in the game, Ash Sykes set about wreaking left-sided havoc on CCFC. Sykes would hit the side netting on multiple occasions. Roden’s shot within the penalty box moments later almost caught Vasta off her line, with a hand to the ball saving her blushes.
A yellow card was brandished at Sarah Johnston near the hour for her late challenge on Hagen. Gill’s subsequent free kick was headed clear by Aitolu.
Canberra Croatia’s equaliser in the 66th minute – like Olympic’s goal – arrived during a period of sustained pressure from their opponent. Driving forward with the ball, Dianne Wilson passed a ball into the Olympic penalty area, and all Cook could do in stretching for the ball was to nudge it back in Wilson’s direction. Following up and now near the right edge of the six-yard box, Wilson placed her shot with precision across the face of goal and into the top left corner.
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The next two threats on goal came CCFC’s way, with Janet King pushing Palombi’s shot away for a corner and Berkeley failing to capitalise on a goalmouth melee. As the game entered the final quarter of an hour, Olympic substitute Olivia Gurney was bested by Vasta in a one-on-one opportunity.
Arusha Chew came into the Olympic attack and distinguished herself by finding great goalscoring positions three times in the last ten minutes. None of them, however, were to result in a scoreboard addition.
The pattern of the game – a goal after a period of pressure from the other team – was to repeat itself in the most dramatic way possible. Canberra Croatia midfielder Hagen went down with cramp in the dying minutes and clearly could not continue. 15-year-old substitute Maddison Sawkins replaced Hagen and within a minute of entering the fray, chipped King for the winning goal. CCFC’s fairytale moment consigned Olympic to their first league loss of the season.
It was quite the weekend for Canberra Croatia: not only did their men’s NPL side take out the league, the women are all but assured of the same after their stunning endgame performance.
Aitolu was fittingly awarded as Canberra Olympic’s player of the match. With so little between these teams and three goals of the highest quality, finals look to be a mouth-watering prospect.
Final score:
Canberra Croatia 2 (Dianne Wilson 66′, Maddison Sawkins 94′)
Canberra Olympic 1 (Elke Aitolu 43′)
Teams:
Canberra Croatia – Coach: Zoran Glavinic
Nat Vasta, Dianne Wilson, Amy McLachlan, Rhiannon Fensom, Bec Kiting, Krista Hagen, Jamie Berkeley, Bella Barac, Sienna Birnie, Grace Gill (c), Brittany Palombi
Subs: Angelica Pahina, Maddison Sawkins (90′ => Hagen), Shania Settin, Anna Ross, Scarlett Spong
Canberra Olympic – Coach: Nicole Begg
Janet King, Vanessa Ryan, Ally Cook, Elke Aitolu, Victoria Jamieson (c), Sarah Johnston, Meg Roden, Nicole Jalocha, Jaz Zabel, Ash Sykes, Michaela Thornton
Subs: Olivia Fogarty (60′ => Sykes), Olivia Gurney (72′ => Zabel), Anna Vandenbroucke, Katrina Peric (72′ => Jalocha), Arusha Chew (80′ => Ryan)
Yellow card: Johnston 56′
Around The Grounds:
Belconnen United 3-0 Canberra United Academy
Gungahlin United 2-1 Wagga City Wanderers
West Canberra Wanderers 2-0 Tuggeranong United
Ladder:
Next week:
Round 16 catchup
- Belconnen United vs Gungahlin United, AIS Grass Field 2, Thursday 25 Aug, 7:45pm
Round 17 catchup
- Tuggeranong United vs Canberra Croatia, Greenway Enclosed, Thursday 25 Aug, 6:30pm
Round 19
- Wagga City vs Canberra United Academy, Gissing Oval, Sunday Aug 28, 2:30pm
- Canberra Olympic vs West Canberra, O’Connor Enclosed, Sunday Aug 28, 2:30pm
- Tuggeranong United vs Gungahlin United, Kambah 2, Sunday Aug 28, 2:30pm
- Canberra Croatia vs Belconnen United, Deakin Stadium, Sunday Aug 28, 5pm
Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here
