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

Round 8 marks the start of the second full round of three for the season. While Beyond 90 is a fan of all games in this competition, it is worth pointing out this week that there were two highly noteworthy games. Viewing all (but especially these two) is recommended on Bar TV Sports (links below): Canberra Croatia FC vs Canberra United Academy, and the Beyond 90 match of the round which embodies the mid-table intrigue in the league right now, Canberra Olympic vs West Canberra Wanderers.

Other Round 8 games that were held this weekend included:

Wagga City Wanderers vs Belconnen United
Canberra United Academy vs Canberra Croatia
Tuggeranong United vs Gungahlin United

Match of the Round: Canberra Olympic vs West Canberra Wanderers

Ladder positions four through six have been volatile for a few weeks now in the NPLW1 competition, with three teams in a revolving door of ladder positions. For now, Canberra United Academy seems to have exited the revolving door and sit one clear win ahead of fourth place. This has left Canberra Olympic, Gungahlin United, and West Canberra in an absorbing tussle for that fourth-place spot.

It was this thinking that brought Beyond 90 to O’Connor Enclosed in anticipation of a close game between Olympic and the Wanderers, one of the form sides over the last month.

Heather Garriock was to start for Olympic in the central holding midfield role for the unavailable Lara Burdett (Burdett had contributed to an informative lead-up article with Capital Football during the week).

West Canberra looked close to full strength, with Alex McKenzie in midfield adding to the capability around the park. It must also have been a thrill for player-coach Emma Stanbury to face her long time mentor Garriock in the same position on the opposite side of the park. Captain Sarah Whitfield lined up with Tiana Jaber in central defence as the game kicked off.  

The West Canberra players wore green ribbons in their hair in support of U17’s vice-captain Annabel Petersen who was commencing leukemia treatment. Beyond 90 wishes Annabel all the best and hopes she is back on the park soon.

The match’s intensity was high from the get-go but there was a satisfying amount of control to proceedings with the two number sixes influential in steering their sides around. It was particularly enjoyable for spectators to see Garriock’s brand of error-free football in the flesh, as she used all the time she had in knocking the ball around, shielding, and directing through passes to often deadly effect for Ash Sykes and Anna Vandenbroucke… quite reminiscent of Caitlin Munoz in her final years with Belconnen United. Stanbury showed her expertise with dropping balls just over and behind the Olympic defence, and was a constant menace with dead-ball deliveries.  

Promising young West Canberra attacker Kilkie Leten picked up an injury after 20 minutes when colliding with Olympic keeper Aurelia Haynes, and had to be substituted, with Liz Edwards getting an early call-up. 

Nearing the half-hour mark Haynes made two further important saves for her team – first diving at the feet of a flying Edwards, and then tipping Stanbury’s long bomb free-kick onto the bar.

The first half may have finished with two missed shots on goal by Olympic’s attacking midfielder Raechel Hardwicke, but the stats showed it was the visitors who had nine shots on goal compared to five as the teams went into the sheds at nil-all.

A long run from deep within her own half by Sykes – past four Wanderers defenders – led to an Olympic corner in the 54th minute. It wasn’t long thereafter when Sykes volleyed home the only goal of the game at close range courtesy of a Hardwicke rocket in from the right.

A significant turn in the game came on the hour when Jaber expressed disagreement with a decision regarding a foul on Vanderbroucke and was red-carded for dissent. Stanbury protested and was also given ten minutes in the sin bin, leaving the visitors with just nine players for a time. This unsurprisingly served to blunt the visitors attacking opportunities for the rest of the game. Although they were able to threaten Haynes on goal via a Whitfield run and shot from the right flank, several Stanbury dead-ball situations, and a well-directed McKenzie header off a late corner, they were never able to claw back an equaliser.

That the game didn’t end up as a multiple-goal loss to the Wanderers is largely thanks to their goalkeeper Janet King, who repeatedly denied Sykes from scoring late in the game, whether from one-on-ones, or shots on goal palmed away or onto the woodwork.

Canberra Olympic will be pleased with the result and especially with the coveted clean sheet. Their formation means that when needed they can defend as a five-player defensive line – last season the team could leak goals as much as score them – and Halse, Cook, and Fiorese looked the goods in the central block insofar as defensive decision making.

West Canberra has undeniable quality in their squad. With patience and perseverance they will continue to trouble oppositions and push for finals.

But this Round 8 fixture was a game where the goalkeepers shone, with Haynes and King in starring roles for their respective teams.

The weekend results, including the Canberra United Academy boilover 3-1 win over the champions (ending a 19 game undefeated streak) – mean that Belconnen United jump back into top spot, and Canberra Olympic now occupy fourth place. 

Six of the eight teams take a break next weekend with the Federation Cup Final being contested between Canberra Croatia and West Canberra Wanderers (who will presumably be without Jaber due to today’s red card).

Final score:

Canberra Olympic 1 (Sykes 56′)

West Canberra Wanderers 0

Teams:

Canberra Olympic – Coach: Nicole Begg

Aurelia Haynes, Victoria Jamieson (c), Ally Cook, Courtney Halse, Brittany Fiorese, Sienna Farrar, Heather Garriock, Raechel Hardwicke, Tianah Miro, Ashleigh Sykes, Anna Vandenbroucke

Subs: Emma Croker, Lucy D’Arcy (70′ => Garriock), Jemima Millar-Carton (82′ => Vandenbroucke), Tarah Manthongsy, Audrey McLaren

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

West Canberra Wanderers – Coach: Emma Stanbury

Janet King, Hannah Coppell, Tiana Jaber, Sarah Whitfield (c), Emma Guo, Emma Stanbury, Kilkie Leten, Demi Nikias, Briana Maguire, Alex McKenzie, Ana Chaverra Calle

Subs: Ellen Brown (63′ => Nikias), Ashleigh Clarke (70′ => Guo), Isobel D’Amico (82′ => Chaverra Calle), Liz Edwards (25′ => Leten), Isabella Stone

Sin bin: Stanbury (61′)
Red card: Jaber  (61′)

Around The Grounds:

Wagga City Wanderers 0 – 4 Belconnen United
Canberra United Academy 3 – 1 Canberra Croatia
Tuggeranong United 1 – 4 Gungahlin United

Ladder:

Next week:

No Capital Football NPLW1 games. 

Federation Cup Final
Canberra Croatia vs West Canberra, Deakin Stadium, Saturday 5 June, 2:00pm

 
Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here.