Round 3 of the shortened 2020 Capital Football NPLW1 competition saw one-sided games, apart from the Beyond 90 match of the round.

Match of the Round: Woden-Weston FC v Canberra United Academy

A perfect day for football saw Woden-Weston FC face Canberra United Academy on the Melrose Synthetic pitch. The home side had come off two tough opening round games. They pushed Canberra Croatia all the way in a narrow one goal loss in Round 1, and this was followed by a four goal loss to Canberra Olympic in Round 2 where sisters Nicole Begg and Ash Sykes scored three goals between them for Olympic.

The Academy team lost 1-0 to Gungahlin United in Round 2 after a first round win, looking dangerous in the second half and more comfortable with their adjustments to midfield and attacking line personnel this season. They were doubtless hoping to carry that second half form into this Round 3 matchup.

As in the featured Round 2 game last week, each half told a different tale. Academy were in the ascendancy in the first half and scored two goals, while Woden-Weston rose to the challenge in the second half with two late goals of their own. Both teams were to share the points in the end.

The game began with Academy looking the sharper of the two teams, their midfielders covering well for each other when Sasha Grove or Hayley Taylor-Young ventured forward. Centre forward Anna Hunt burst through the Woden-Weston defensive line in the 6th minute and had her shot tipped over the bar. Just four minutes later right side attacker Alex Gidis strongly met two successive defensive challenges inside the Woden-Weston box before sliding the ball with her left foot into the net for a one goal lead.

Woden-Weston defender Sarah Whitfield was displaying a nice level of control with the ball and fired her team’s first significant shot into the side netting in the 17th minute. Just eight minutes later keeper Cristina Esposito dove at the feet of Hunt to prevent a goal-scoring chance.

Attacking central midfielder Briana Maguire was coming into the game by this point, covering lots of ground and working with central attacker Emily Jensen to pressure Academy defenders and midfielders. Jensen volleyed a shot from distance in the 31st minute but Academy keeper Izzy Davy pushed it past the post for a corner.

CUA’s Sofia Christoferson and Sasha Grove teamed up for their second goal in the 35th minute, with Grove seizing Christoferson’s diagonal ball and pushing forward to rifle her shot into the top left of the net, giving Esposito no chance. In the next minute Grove had another opportunity, outpacing her defenders for a one-on-one with the keeper thanks to a perfectly weighted Gidis through ball, but this time she pushed the ball just wide of goal. 

Woden-Weston’s Alex Mackenzie entered the game at the 38 minute mark, and was to prove influential as the game wore on, both with her high workrate and her set pieces. 

Academy striker Hunt had the last significant chance of the half, blasting a low shot to the left of goal from inside the Woden-Weston penalty box.

Hunt had to be helped off the field due to a concussion early in the second half. This brought Meg Roden – who was impressive in the back end of the 2019 season – into the game as Taylor-Young switched to the Academy’s forward line.

The home side’s intensity and pressing game slowly began to bear fruit in the second half as Alex MacKenzie first had an outfield shot narrowly miss on 56 minutes, and then began fine-tuning ever-more accurate set piece shots.

At the other end of the field Taylor-Young forced a good save from Esposito on 64 minutes and then set up Gidis four minutes later, but she was denied again by Esposito’s outstretched hand. Taylor-Young’s understanding in attack with Sasha Grove was also evident, more often on the counter attack as the game entered its final stanza.

It was Woden-Weston central defender Whitfield who brought her team back into the game with style in the 87th minute, receiving the ball from the right 20 yards from goal, controlling the ball and deceiving a defender before driving a low shot to the right of keeper Davy to make the game 1-2.

With one minute to go of normal time and the action end-to-end at this point, Taylor-Young was foiled in a one-on-one by Esposito in goals, backed up by Iesha De Andrade’s tidying work.

The moment of the game occurred in the 91st minute when McKenzie lined up another set piece from 22 yards out after a handball. Both Jensen and Vandenbroucke came over to McKenzie, plotting with her and encouraging her. McKenzie did not disappoint, steering the ball just beyond Davy’s reach for a last minute equaliser, to the delight of the home crowd.

Academy coach Scott O’Donell said after the game that he was pleased with some aspects of the game, especially in the first half. However, there was a lot to improve upon, with the team failing to put the game away and being guilty at times of conceding cheap possession. He also had some good words for their opponents and the way they didn’t give up in the face of a two goal deficit. With the league as a whole lifting its competitiveness, he noted that the NPLW1 competition is presenting a good environment and challenge for his young Academy charges.

Woden-Weston coach Mark Boyd was happy with the second half, saying his team did everything he asked of them at half time, but admits that his team needs to get off to better starts to their games. In the second half the team worked hard to apply pressure to their opponents, and with the lift of intensity was able to gain the momentum that led to the two goals. He also made mention of his keeper Esposito’s fine game, and her courage in saving at the feet of Taylor-Young and Hunt on multiple occasions.  

Woden-Weston have shown in the first three rounds that when they have their best eleven on the park, they can match it with the Canberra Croatias and Canberra United Academys of the competition. They do not lack for endeavour, will, or skill, but are perhaps missing a bit of depth in the squad and an attacker with a nose for goal to complement captain Anna Vandenbroucke’s attacking instincts out wide, as illustrated by today’s goals coming from a defender and a midfielder.

With the depth and talent in their squad, Academy will be in the race for a top four spot and participation in finals, with ladder positions at a premium in 2020 due to the re-emergence of Canberra Olympic.

Final score:

Woden-Weston FC 2 (Whitfield 87′, McKenzie 90+1′)

Canberra United Academy 2 (Gidis 10′, S. Grove 36′) 

Teams:

Woden-Weston FC – Coach: Mark Boyd

Cristina Esposito, Iesha De Andrade, Sarah Whitfield, Samantha Briggs, Hannah Coppell, Demi Nikias, Briana Maguire, Lucy D’Arcy, Anna Vandenbroucke (c), Emily Jensen, Jemima Millar-Carton
Subs: Ellen Brown (75′ => Nikias), Lilian Geale, Alice Johansson Cranfield (85′ => Coppell), Alex McKenzie (40′ => Millar-Carton), Julia Stanton (69′ => D’Arcy)

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Canberra United Academy – Coach: Scott O’Donell

Isobel Davey, Annie Grove, Katherine Tyo, Alyse Jensen, Tayla Hampson, Hayley Taylor-Young (c), Sasha Grove, Tara Cannon, Sofia Christopherson, Anna Hunt, Alexandra Gidis
Subs:  Jaya Bowman (64′ => Jensen), Daisy Canavan (87′ => Cannon), Aurelia Haynes, Nikita Perry, Meg Roden (52′ => Hunt)

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Around The Grounds:

Wagga City 1 – 5 Canberra Olympic

Gungahlin United 5 – 0 Monaro Panthers

Tuggeranong United 0 – 8 Belconnen United FC

Canberra Croatia FC – bye

Round 4 fixtures can be viewed here.

Ladder:

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