Twenty-one glorious rounds await Capital Football NPLW fans and the eight teams contesting the competition in 2021.

Round 6 saw a matchup between two teams coming off last round wins and seeking to add to their momentum, Canberra Olympic and Canberra United Academy.

Other Round 6 games that were held this weekend included:

Canberra Croatia FC vs Wagga City Wanderers
Gungahlin United vs West Canberra Wanderers
Tuggeranong United vs Belconnen United

Match of the Round: Canberra Olympic vs Canberra United Academy

Academy coach Vicki Linton opted to leave two of her more experienced players in Tara Cannon and Annie Grove on the bench, while Olympic coach Nicole Begg omitted Heather Garriock. As the game started, it appeared as if Olympic were shoring themselves up against a mobile opposition, with a five-player backline in evidence at times. Up top, Academy chose to play Anna Hunt out wide and Sofia Christopherson centrally, when in the past the opposite may have been true. It would turn out to be an effective attacking set-up by Linton.

The game started brightly, and in fact ‘brightly’ is an apt word to describe proceedings throughout the game, despite the chilly conditions. Both teams were clearly up for this one and energy levels were high.

The scoring opened in just the seventh minute as Academy’s Stephanie Nikias, striding from central defence, played a through ball which found Sasha Grove on the break. Olympic keeper Aurelia Haynes did brilliantly to block the one-on-one opportunity but the ball rebounded to Grove, who laid it off for Hunt’s pinpoint finish from just inside the penalty box.

Despite Raechel Hardwicke’s combativeness in the Olympic midfield, the Academy was to enjoy more midfield possession in the opponent’s half. Skilful runs by Grove, Sykes and Olympic’s Tianah Miro were a feature, while Sofia Christopherson proved to be adept at finding dangerous attacking areas for the Academy.

Olympic equalised six minutes before half-time, with Ally Cook’s long range delivery to the back post finding its way past defenders and the keeper to Hardwicke, who made no mistake with her header.

Christopherson stole the lead back for the Academy as the half-time whistle blew, showing courage in getting her head to the ball just before Haynes, nodding the ball down and into the net for a 1-2 half-time lead.

The first half was good to watch but proceedings really went up a notch in the second, with no less than five goals on offer.

It was Ashleigh Sykes time in a crazy four minute period after the break, where she:
– hit the crossbar with a shot from the left of the penalty area
– forced a great one-on-one save from Academy goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln
– controlled an awkward pass and scored to make it 2-2
– forced another Lincoln save from a wide left shot, having beaten two players 

Remarkable as that was, if the reader only watches one passage of play from the highlights, have a look at Miro’s work on 53:00 surrounded by four Academy defenders, followed by Grove’s counterattack and release to Meg Roden which ends up in Christopherson bursting onto the Olympic goal between two defenders. Magic stuff!

Just after the hour, Christopherson scored her second and Academy’s third with a tap in after a fine run down the right wing and delivery into the six yard box by Hunt.

Three more goals in a eight minute period near the end of the game told the story of this second half, with Olympic vice-captain Ally Cook taking the goal-scoring reins for her team. Her first was a reward for attacking the ball at the back post from a Hardwicke corner, forcing it over the goal-line.

In reply, Christopherson completed her hat-trick with a well-directed push of the ball off her legs, unmarked at the back post off a corner. However, Cook was to have the final say with a superbly directed free kick to level at 4-4.

The crowd were treated today in this topsy-turvy eight goal thriller and would have gone home marvelling at the skill and endeavour of both sides, even if their defences were a little leaky. On this showing the Academy are rightfully placed third on the ladder. Begg’s team is still building, perhaps relying a little too much on Sykes in attack, but with Miro showing promise in taking up Begg’s attacking midfield mantle from last year in her own inimitable but less direct style (let’s face it, most ball runners are less direct than Nicole Begg). It was certainly a day to remember at O’Connor for multiple goal scorers Sofia Christopherson and Ally Cook.

Final score:

Canberra Olympic 4 (Hardwicke 39′, Sykes 50′, Cook 78′ 86′)

Canberra United Academy 4 (Hunt 7′, Christopherson 45′ 62′ 84′)

Teams:

Canberra Olympic – Coach: Nicole Begg

Aurelia Haynes, Victoria Jamieson (c), Ally Cook, Brittany Fiorese, Courtney Halse, Sienna Farrar, Lara Burdett, Lucy D’Arcy, Tianah Miro, Raechel Hardwicke, Ashleigh Sykes 

Subs: Anna Bennett (56′ => Burdett), Emma Croker, Audrey McLaren, Jemima Millar-Carton (80′ => Hardwicke), Iesha De Andrade (72′ => Jamieson)

Yellow cards: Cook 72′

Canberra United Academy – Coach: Vicki Linton

Chloe Lincoln, Alyse Jensen, Stephanie Nikias, Tayla Hampsen, Nadia Zakman, Meg Roden, Latisha Babic, Nikita Perry, Sasha Grove (c), Anna Hunt, Sofia Christopherson 

Subs: Tara Cannon (65′ => Perry), Annie Grove (65′ => Zakman), Maya Osmond (78′ => Babic), Jayla Murphy, Eliza-Jane Norris

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Around The Grounds:

Canberra Croatia 6 – 0 Wagga City Wanderers
Gungahlin United 0 – 1 West Canberra Wanderers
Tuggeranong United 0 – 6 Belconnen United

Click here for all the Round 6 highlights!

Round 3 Federation Cup (midweek semi-finals):
West Canberra Wanderers 2 – 1 Gungahlin United
Canberra Croatia 2 – 0 Belconnen United
Final to be played Saturday June 5th between West Canberra and Canberra Croatia

Ladder:

Next week:

Belconnen United vs West Canberra, McKellar Park, Saturday 22 May, 3:00pm
Canberra Croatia vs Gungahlin United, Deakin Stadium, Sunday 23 May, 2:30pm
Wagga City vs Canberra United Academy, Gissing Oval, Sunday 23 May, 2:30pm
Tuggeranong United vs Canberra Olympic, Kambah 201, Sunday 23 May, 3:10pm

 
Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here.