McKellar Park hosted the Round 14 Capital Football NPLW game between Belconnen United and ANU Women’s Football Club, with both teams coming off losses.
Other games from this round include:
Gungahlin United vs Tuggeranong United (full stream)
(to be played Wednesday, July 10th) West Canberra Wanderers vs Canberra Olympic (full stream)
For an alternate review of the round, check out the Capital Football article from Jeremy Magan.
Match of the Round: Belconnen United vs ANU (Bar TV)
A loss is a loss, but you could wager that ANU came into this one feeling better about their last outing (1-0 down away to Canberra Croatia) than the home side (a record 4-0 NPLW loss against Canberra Olympic, also away).
The surprise selection for the Blue Devils was Leila Billington – picked on the bench as an outfield player four times in the top grade – donning the gloves in place of Monique Pinkiewicz. Amongst those on the bench this week were Sofia Palywoda and vice-captain Keira Bobbin. Reilly Yuen and Madeleine Steinacker were also unavailable. Belconnen set up with a back three, as captain Lauren Preston joined Izzy Hindmarsh in a defensive midfield role.
The two main outs for the ANU were Georgia Ritchie and Latisha Babic, with Claire Joseph back between the sticks.
It was a scratchy and disjointed first half hour for Belconnen by their own standards. Alyssa Di Campli shot wide early from close range, while Joseph’s point-blank range save from the same player minutes later brought fire to the eyes of the keeper. Centre-back Briana Maguire proved to be an inspiration for the students, showing more energy in her defensive efforts than what was on show from the attackers in blue. Sheridan McGelligott on the right side of the defence also showed composure under pressure.
In the 19th minute, ANU captain Edith Fordyce-Croker released Angelina Babic into space down the left. Babic ran unopposed to the Blue Devils six-yard box and placed a shot by Billington, with Ailish McDonagh’s slide unable to prevent a goal against the run of play.
ANU striker Sofia Chaverra also took a shot five minutes later, but it appeared as if the shock of the goal was slowly awakening the sleeping Blue Devils giant. Midfielder Alyse Jensen’s energy was making things happen, culminating in a fine left foot effort from 20 yards into the top left corner of Joseph’s net, just after the half-hour.
The final ten minutes of the half saw the Blue Devils looking more like their usual selves, and they were to carry this vibe into the second half. Di Campli finished the first stanza in style, also with a sharp left-footed effort to where the spiders live. The promise of ANU’s start had dissipated, and the home side went into the break 2-1 up.
The second half was one way traffic, with very little in the way of chances for the students. Belconnen United’s attempts on goal in various guises came from Hindmarsh, Hattie Cram, Pascale La Hei, and Jensen, within the first ten minutes of the half. The ANU defence continued to scramble, with Joseph confident in her handling, but the pressure was unrelenting. A well-directed Di Campli shot with 20 minutes remaining went into the goal off the inside of the left post to complete her brace, for a 3-1 scoreline.
A steady procession of substitutions appeared for both sides in this period of the game, with Bobbin and Alina Roberts looking dangerous for the home side. Jensen matched Di Campli’s brace just seven minutes later, neatly side-footing past Joseph to cap off Roberts’ and Hindmarsh’s lead-up work.
Joseph did well in the last five minutes to stretch and deny a top right corner shot from Roberts, then stop a one-on-one chance with her feet moments later. While the endeavour and spirit within the ANU side were there for all to see in this match, the weight of possession told against them as the game wore on.
We’ll have a better idea of how well the Blue Devils have played themselves back into form when they take on Canberra Croatia next round. ANU is away to Tuggeranong United on Friday night, a game in which they will be keen not to walk away empty-handed.
>>> Full match timeline and team line-ups can be found here <<<
Final score:
Belconnen United 4 (Alyse Jensen 30′ 75′, Alyssa Di Campli 44′ 68′)
ANU 1 (Angelina Babic 19′)
Around The Grounds:
Gungahlin United 2-0 Tuggeranong United
Ladder:
Next Round:
