Twenty-one glorious rounds await Capital Football NPLW fans and the eight teams contesting the competition in 2021.
Round 12 saw a top of the table clash, and the mid-table merry-go-round again in full swing. It will be fascinating to see which teams claim third and fourth positions in nine rounds time; it sure isn’t easy to predict who those teams may be.
Beyond 90 ventured to a fresh O’Connor Oval on Sunday to see Canberra Olympic up against the Wagga City Wanderers.
Other Round 12 games that were held this weekend included:
Canberra Croatia vs Belconnen United
Gungahlin United vs Canberra United Academy
Tuggeranong United vs West Canberra Wanderers
Match of the Round: Canberra Olympic vs Wagga City Wanderers
The June 30 player transfer window has come and gone, with team changes sprinkled around the Capital Football NPLW1 landscape. Jordan Ujdur – until recently with Canberra Croatia – turned out in Canberra Olympic blue, and Beyond 90 was pleased to see one of the B90 2020 Team of The Year Centre Backs – Ella Hemmings – make her first appearance in NPLW1 season 2021 in this Round 12 game.
Also making a welcome return last round was one of Wagga City’s brightest talents Piper Lockley, who was injured way back in Round 6 against Canberra Croatia. Regular captain Suze Waia, however, was not available for their Round 12 game, with Bronte Buik wearing the captain’s armband.
It was a rocky start for the visitors as accomplished Olympic striker Ashleigh Sykes – one of three Julie Dolan medallists in the competition – stamped her authority by scoring in just the fourth minute. She made the most of Ally Cook’s well-weighted through ball from midfield and slid a left-foot finish into the bottom right of the Wagga net.
Cook began the season in defence but the strong form of Courtney Halse partnering with the excellent Brittany Fiorese in central defence has meant Cook has been able to demonstrate how well-rounded her game is in midfield. There was no better example of this than her role in this first Olympic goal.
GOAL to Canberra Olympic FC in the NPL Women – 1st Grade – Capital Football! They lead Wagga City Wanderers FC 1 – 0 after 3′.
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/oxqfb3PF8J #football #growthegame #autoclip #NPL #NPLCF pic.twitter.com/M9cVHf1I2e
— BarTV Goals (@BarTVGoals) July 4, 2021
Wagga City central midfielder Kirilee Cameron almost intercepted Victoria Jamieson’s back-pass for keeper Aurelia Haynes in the 10th minute, and the danger didn’t abate as Lockley’s corner rattled the Olympic crossbar. Cameron hobbled off the ground moments later, as Lockley shifted from right wing to a number 10 role in behind striker Megan Castle.
What a game Castle had; her pressure on the Olympic defence was tireless and she was often carrying the can as a sole attacking outlet in the face of the pressure that Olympic constantly exerted on their opponents.
The 24th minute saw a delightful series of passes and movement between Olympic’s Ujdur and Sykes upfield with multiple defenders around them. It was then Sykes and Raechel Hardwicke’s turn to show how far their understanding has come, first as Sykes burst onto a Hardwicke through ball but firing her shot directly to the talented Samantha Emms in the Wagga City goal, and then – after Hardwicke had just struck the crossbar – with Sykes returning the favour in feeding the ball through for Hardwicke’s run by her.
The pressure from the team in blue came to a head on the half-hour as Sykes made a run into the Wagga City penalty box from the left and centred beautifully for Anna Vandenbroucke for a tap-in and a 2-0 lead.
GOAL to Canberra Olympic FC in the NPL Women – 1st Grade – Capital Football! They lead Wagga City Wanderers FC 2 – 0 after 28′.
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/oxqfb3PF8J #football #growthegame #autoclip #NPL #NPLCF pic.twitter.com/x8gkQJQ0Ck
— BarTV Goals (@BarTVGoals) July 4, 2021
The last 15 minutes of the half was more evenly contested as Wagga worked hard in midfield to contain multiple Olympic attacking avenues (Cook’s strike from distance and Hardwicke’s ball across the Wagga box) and to create chances of their own. Buik’s strike on the Olympic goal six minutes short of halftime came courtesy of some fine lead-up work by the team. Wagga City’s left midfielder Hannah Stevens brought the half to a close with her attempt on Haynes’ goal.
Olympic was to start the second half as they did the first, with an early goal. Emms did well to deny Ujdur with her feet just three minutes in, but couldn’t do anything about Hardwicke’s downward header from Cook’s free-kick just a minute later.
GOAL to Canberra Olympic FC in the NPL Women – 1st Grade – Capital Football! They lead Wagga City Wanderers FC 3 – 0 after 48′.
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/oxqfb3PF8J #football #growthegame #autoclip #NPL #NPLCF pic.twitter.com/Ab6JI0wvTv
— BarTV Goals (@BarTVGoals) July 4, 2021
In reply, Haynes pulled off one of the saves of the game at the other end with Buik the recipient of some skilful work by Lockley and Stevens. Buik curled her shot towards the right post but Haynes’ spectacular leap allowed her to tip the ball just past the post.
Three successive waves of Olympic attack then flooded Wagga City’s way from the 52nd minute. Beating her defender down the right, Ujdur’s delivery to Sykes was pushed just past the left post. Two minutes later there was almost a repeat of the Sykes-Vandenbroucke tap-in goal, with the ball just beyond Vandenbroucke’s reach.
It all came together in the third wave for Olympic: Hardwicke combined beautifully with Sykes via a cheeky Vandenbroucke backheel for a gem of a fourth goal as Sykes tapped the ball in from close range.
GOAL to Canberra Olympic FC in the NPL Women – 1st Grade – Capital Football! They lead Wagga City Wanderers FC 4 – 0 after 54′.
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/oxqfb3PF8J #football #growthegame #autoclip #NPL #NPLCF pic.twitter.com/To0WNRj1zz
— BarTV Goals (@BarTVGoals) July 4, 2021
A penalty was fortunate to be awarded to Olympic for Casey Smith’s contact on Sykes in the Wagga box with twenty minutes to go, and Cook made no mistake in blasting the ball from the spot into the top right corner for a fifth.
GOAL to Canberra Olympic FC in the NPL Women – 1st Grade – Capital Football! They lead Wagga City Wanderers FC 5 – 0 after 69′.
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/oxqfb3PF8J #football #growthegame #autoclip #NPL #NPLCF pic.twitter.com/qeGVrmdPDq
— BarTV Goals (@BarTVGoals) July 4, 2021
The hard-working Wagga City central midfielder Ashley Holder tried her luck on Haynes’ goal with under 15 minutes left, but it was defender Sophie Carey who found Cook’s free-kick difficult to handle. Facing her own goal, Carey bundled it over the line for the sixth and final goal for the game with three minutes remaining.
To their credit, the Wanderers never stopped trying, and the last attempt on goal for the game fell to Buik on the edge of the Olympic six-yard box from a free-kick, just out of reach.
It was a comprehensive win for Olympic at home and the six goals in the ‘For’ column bring them into third place on the ladder. Wagga City is a team with an undeniable talent and a willing work ethic, but today were missing some consistency around the park in the face of the Olympic onslaught.
Final score:
Canberra Olympic 6 (Sykes 4′ 55′, Vandenbroucke 28′, Hardwicke 49′, Cook 70′, Cary (own goal) 87′)
Wagga City Wanderers 0
Teams:
Canberra Olympic – Coach: Nicole Begg
Aurelia Haynes, Sienna Farrar, Brittany Fiorese, Courtney Halse, Victoria Jamieson (c), Jordan Ujdur, Lara Burdett, Ally Cook, Raechel Hardwicke, Anna Vandenbroucke, Ashleigh Sykes
Subs: Anna Bennett (56′ => Hardwicke), Emma Croker (70′ => Ujdur), Ella Hemmings (70′ => Sykes), Tarah Manthongsy (85′ => Burdett), Ellie Summers (81′ => Haynes)
Yellow/Red cards: Nil
Wagga City Wanderers – Coach: Sam Gray
Samantha Emms, Rennae Sillett, Christina Grauer-Kompos, Sophie Cary, Casey Smith, Ashley Holder, Kirrilee Cameron, Bronte Buik, Hannah Stevens, Piper Lockley, Megan Castle
Subs: Zoe Jenkins (62′ => Scott), Abbey Nolan-Hodges (70′ => Sillett), Piper Scott (13′ => Cameron), Amanda Armstrong, Kim Morgan (79′ => Smith)
Yellow cards: Holder 64′
Around The Grounds:
Canberra Croatia 3 – 1 Belconnen United
Gungahlin United 3 – 2 Canberra United Academy
Tuggeranong United 1 – 2 West Canberra Wanderers
Ladder:
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Pts |
1 | Canberra Croatia FC | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 12 | 40 | 31 |
2 | Belconnen United FC | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 13 | 31 | 28 |
3 | Canberra Olympic FC | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 31 | 27 | 4 | 19 |
4 | West Canberra Wanderers FC | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 19 |
5 | Gungahlin United FC | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 29 | 19 | 10 | 18 |
6 | Canberra United Academy | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 18 |
7 | Wagga City Wanderers FC | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 49 | -37 | 6 |
8 | Tuggeranong United FC | 12 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 55 | -50 | 1 |
Next week:
Round 13
Belconnen United vs Tuggeranong United, McKellar Park, Saturday 10 July, 3:00pm
West Canberra vs Gungahlin United, Melrose Synthetic, Sunday 11 July, 12:45pm
Wagga City vs Canberra Croatia, Gissing Oval, Sunday 11 July, 2:30pm
Canberra United Academy vs Canberra Olympic, Hawker Enclosed, Sunday 11 July, 3pm
Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here