Having received word in the morning that the ACT NPL (Capital Football) game between Tuggeranong United and Gungahlin United was postponed, we headed to the ANU South Oval to see the ANU side face the always tricky prospect of Canberra Croatia.
Other Round 13 games were:
West Canberra Wanderers vs Canberra Olympic – probably the upset of the season so far
Canberra United Academy vs Belconnen United
For an alternate review of the round, check out Jeremy Magan’s article for Capital Football.
Match of the Round: ANU vs Canberra Croatia (Bar TV)
Canberra Croatia captain Brittany Palombi was in the mood, firing four bullets by Claire Joseph in the ANU goal in the warm afternoon sun in what ended as a 5-0 victory to the visitors. With three of her goals coming in the opening 32 minutes, it was always going to be a difficult start to overcome for the students.
ANU had designated this game as a Pride Round, and their rainbow-adorned supporters remained vocal and enthusiastic throughout. Many of their players also showed support, ranging from hair ribbons to goalkeeper socks to tattoos.
ANU coach Rob Illingworth has shown a willingness to rotate the squad, and with centre-back Ailish McDonagh still unavailable to play alongside Annie Grove, it was perhaps a bit of a surprise to also see consistent defender Tiana Malnar on the bench (perhaps nursing a niggle?). Captain Roxie Swart started the match up front, a welcome sight for supporters.
The absence of Canberra Croatia striker Charli Mitchell (under an injury cloud) saw Nikita Perry in her first start in the red and white, having transferred mid-season from the West Canberra Wanderers. Perry took up Mitchell’s central attacking role and was to impress with her efforts. Midfielder Jamie Berkeley was on the bench for the visitors, but they welcomed back the defensive strength of Rhiannon Fensom.
Palombi’s goal procession started in the ninth minute after her cross from the left side of the ANU area met the arm of Alice McNeil. Palombi was clinical with her finish to the bottom right corner.
Her second came just two minutes later and was just as emphatic. An early smartly taken free kick on the right flank found Palombi unattended in her favoured left side of the box, as she lashed the ball into the top left corner of the net.
Canberra Croatia keeper Chloe Lincoln was called into serious action for the first time in the 21st minute, her fingertip save from Edith Fordyce-Croker’s fine left-foot effort going onto the crossbar and behind for a corner.
Such moments from the ANU were rare in the first half however, with the visitors reasserting their dominance via Palombi once again for her third goal just after half an hour, this time from a set piece.
With two minutes left in the half an opportunistic Palombi goal attempt hit the base of the ANU right post, while at the other end, the bounce of a Sheridan McGelligott free kick proved difficult for Lincoln to gather. The teams went into the sheds with the visitors 3-0 up.
The game reached its final score just seven minutes into the second half. Bella Barac first capitalised at close range from Perry’s delicate layoff just two minutes in. Some nice Palombi-Diane Wilson combination play five minutes later allowed Palombi to drive her fourth into the bottom left corner of Joseph’s goal.
As is customary from ANU, their determination was unwavering, and they were able to stem the goal-scoring flow for the balance of the half. Tatum Mazis enjoyed more attacking involvement in the second half for Canberra Croatia, as did Fensom. With a five-goal lead, the central defender took every opportunity to push forward into and around the ANU area, looking for a goal of her own.
In some ways the game was a hard lesson for the ANU defence, who will reflect on the amount of space that champion goal-scorer Palombi was allowed to operate in. The four-goal haul lifts Palombi above Belconnen United’s Bessie Riethmuller as the leading goal scorer for the league, with twelve now to her name.
>>> Full match timeline and team line-ups can be found here <<<
Final score:
ANU 0
Canberra Croatia 5 (Brittany Palombi 9′ 11′ 32′ 52′, Bella Barac 47′)
Around The Grounds:
West Canberra Wanderers 3-2 Canberra Olympic
Canberra United Academy 0-3 Belconnen United
Tuggeranong United vs Gungahlin United – postponed
Ladder:
Next Round:
Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here.
