A top-of-the-table clash at McKellar Park between Belconnen United and Canberra Croatia beckoned in Round 18 of the Capital Football NPLW season.
Other games from this round include:
Gungahlin United vs Majura FC (full stream)
Tuggeranong United vs Canberra Olympic (full stream)
West Canberra Wanderers had the bye
For an alternate review of the round, check out the Capital Football article from Sam Watson.
Match of the Round: Belconnen United vs Canberra Croatia
Canberra Croatia, under the coaching team of Musie Elongo assisted by Nik Brozinic, is the only side to push the undefeated Blue Devils to the NPL wire (i.e. a one-goal margin) in 2025. An imposing 17 points separate the two on the ladder.
Two Blue Devils casualties from last round’s win over Tuggeranong United were Talia Backhouse (red card) and keeper Matilde Laurel Tighe (finger), with ex-ANU’er Claire Joseph stepping up as custodian. Bronte Pyke was also unavailable, and Hattie Cram is on her way back from injury but not quite ready to resume the top flight.
Marija Rathouski partnered Ailish McDonagh in the centre of defence, with Maddy Steinacker stepping forward into the midfield. Alina Roberts led the attacking line in the central striker position, part of a lightning-fast front three, with Pascale La Hei and Keira Bobbin on either side.
Canberra Croatia was without their captain, Brittany Palombi (recovering from minor surgery), with Latisha Babic and Arusha Chew also not in the team, and Michaela Thornton on the bench due to work commitments before the match.
In some ways, the 1-0 win by Belconnen United over CCFC in the Federation Cup final was a mirror for the Round 18 game we witnessed at McKellar Park on Sunday.
The home side had the better of the first half, and once again it occurs to the author that regardless of personnel or formation changes, standards and energy remain high – no doubt a testament to the culture, thought, and behind-the-scenes work by coaching staff and players alike.
Both keepers were called into action in the first 20 minutes, diving to great effect at the feet of onrushing attackers (La Hei and Ellie Raymond). It was of great interest seeing the visitors’ 5-2-1-2 formation at work, one which encouraged the widest two – EJ Norris and Tiana Boots – to push forward in possession, making it a 3-4-1-2. The real value of Norris’ and Boots’ endeavour would become apparent in the second half, when their advancement dragged the Belconnen wingers with them, leaving the home side with fewer counterattacking options.
There were some excellent team passing moves by both sides in the game, but Belconnen’s in the 20th minute led to the only goal of the contest. The move started with Lauren Preston’s ball to Roberts on the right flank, with Roberts doing well to find Bobbin in the 6-yard box. Bobbin’s shot bounced down off the crossbar with force, and La Hei was there to head in from close range.
Four minutes later, Norris’ ball from the right flank found April Hill close to the goal, but Rathouski’s close pressure prevented an equaliser.
Isy Hindmarsh’s corner found the head of Roberts six yards from goal on the half hour, but the header was deflected wide. McDonagh’s excellent free kick in the 37th minute almost found the onrushing Bobbin close to Summers’ goal.
The halftime stats showed there were three shots on goal to one in favour of the home side, and two corners to none.
The second half was a tighter affair, with Canberra Croatia gaining an uptick in energy and threat levels after a three-way attacking substitution (Reilly Yuen, Nadia Zakman, and Angelina Babic) with just over 20 minutes remaining. Before then, though, they survived near misses from Roberts and Bobbin.
The final 20 minutes made for absorbing football, but Canberra Croatia was unable to find the net, despite all their pressure. With just nine goals conceded this season, the Blue Devils’ defensive line is not easily spooked, and it seems that with these three points, they now cannot be caught in the premiership race – congratulations!
Elongo commented in passing after the game that he had not yet had the luxury of fielding his first 11 at kickoff. Perhaps what his side needed was the threat of their missing captain to even this game up, or more. We look forward to that day, and one suspects that Blue Devils coach Scott Conlon, his charges, and spectators would also very much welcome the challenge in the games to come between these sides this season.
>>> Full match timeline and team line-ups can be found here <<<
Final score:
Belconnen United 1 (Pascal La Hei 20′)
Canberra Croatia 0
Around The Grounds:
Gungahlin United 6-0 Majura FC
Tuggeranong United 1-10 Canberra Olympic
Ladder:
