Just five rounds remain in the Capital Football NPLW season before finals commence. We arrived at O’Connor Oval for an important match-up between the fourth and fifth-placed Gungahlin United and Canberra Olympic, with both teams on 27 points.
Other games from this round include:
Majura FC vs West Canberra Wanderers (full stream)
Tuggeranong United vs Belconnen United (full stream)
Canberra Croatia had the bye
For an alternate review of the round, check out the Capital Football article from Sam Watson.
Match of the Round: Canberra Olympic vs Gungahlin United
The washouts last round meant that neither side had played since July 20th. These two sides expect to compete in finals, and this game was a potentially important line-in-the-sand moment for the victor. We counted six absences from the Canberra Olympic squad for this game, so the fact that the bench looked as good as it did is a testament to their recruiting and drawing power. And why wouldn’t it be, for a team as successful as they have been the last three seasons?
The visitors fielded a strong lineup, but their equal leading scorer, Bonnie Young, was listed on the bench after a physically demanding Emerging Matildas campaign with the NSW Country team. Midfield star Stella De Marco celebrated her 150th NPL game in this fixture.
The game was also noteworthy for the presence of two Canberra United goalkeepers in Georgia Ritchie (for the Gunners) and Janet King (Olympic).
The teams that have done well against the Gunners this season have run onto the pitch with a plan to either crowd or press the midfield. Nat and Stella De Marco and their fine close-ball skills and vision are the engine-room of the side, so if they can be kept quiet, then service to the forward line may also be restricted. This indeed was how the game played out; a bright start for the Gunners seemed to slowly ebb away due to the midfield pressure from the likes of Jane Vanzino, Alyse Jensen, Madison Cachia, and Olympic’s player of the match, Liana Alves.
Olympic right back Tayla Hampson can also be proud of her efforts in the match, and it was her ball in from the right in the 21st minute that proved difficult for Ritchie and led to Tatum Mazis’ 9th goal of the season.
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Confidence grew in the Olympic side after the goal, and they started to wrangle control of proceedings. It wasn’t all one-way traffic, though, with Darby Whiteley’s speed causing issues for the Olympic defence, and Ginger Oliver’s set-piece delivery an ever-present threat.
A distribution error just before halftime made the Gunners’ job a little harder, with Alves intercepting with a header and teeing up Nicole Kaleb (nee Jalocha) for a slotted finish from 18 yards.
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Whiteley’s effort onto King’s crossbar just before entering the sheds wasn’t enough to mollify coach Marcial Munoz; some stern words made for a determined-looking Gunners outfit taking the field in the second half.
Gunners striker Megan Castle made way for Young ten minutes into the half, with fresh legs adding urgency to their cause. Nikita Perry came on for Jalocha in a wide attacking role for Olympic.
Hampson managed to deflate United’s hopes just before the hour with her willingness to get forward. Lead-up work by Alves and Vanzino saw Hampson with the ball on the right side of the Gunners’ box, and she scored her team’s third with a sublime little chip over Ritchie.
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Both teams emptied their benches as the home side finished the game strongly, yet were unable to add to their tally. This was perhaps Olympic’s steadiest performance of the season to date, especially given the unavailable personnel; a great way to build impetus for the run into finals. They now sit alone in fourth position.
The Gunners are now one game off fourth place, and this result will only make them hungrier in the coming weeks. They will need Young, Oliver, and Castle firing, and that means finding a way to guarantee service to them in the face of a midfield press.
>>> Full match timeline and team line-ups can be found here <<<
Final score:
Canberra Olympic 3 (Tatum Mazis 21′, Nicole Jalocha 44′, Tayla Hampson 59′)
Gungahlin United 0
Around The Grounds:
Majura FC 0-2 West Canberra Wanderers
Tuggeranong United 0-7 Belconnen United
Round 7 catch-up game played Tuesday, August 5th:
Majura FC 0-0 Tuggeranong United
