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

Season 2021’s mid-table – positions 3 through 6 on the ladder – is the competition-within-the-competition that keeps on giving, with Round 13 once again conspiring to turn those positions upside down.

With the recent news that Tiana Jaber and former head coach Emma Stanbury had left West Canberra (Technical Director Rey Castro is stepping in as coach), as well as Gungahlin United’s efforts to move up the ladder with the inspirational Michelle Heyman on board, Beyond 90 headed to Melrose Synthetic on a fine Sunday afternoon to watch West Canberra Wanderers take on Gungahlin United.

Other Round 13 games that were held this weekend included:

Belconnen United vs Tuggeranong United
Wagga City vs Canberra Croatia
Canberra United Academy vs Canberra Olympic

Match of the Round: West Canberra Wanderers vs Gungahlin United

Offsetting the losses of Jaber and Stanbury, West Canberra had recently welcomed midfielder Tara Cannon back to the club after a stint with Canberra United Academy. West Canberra’s central defence has varied somewhat this season; on this occasion Ellen Brown and Maya Binns lined up in the centre of their back four. Captain Sarah Whitfield has been playing as a striker of late but a lot of responsibility for the team’s ability to contest games has falled onto the shoulders of midfield engines Briana Maguire and Alex McKenzie, with Cannon and Demi Nikias providing able support.

As the teams lined up for kickoff we saw that Heyman was set for her second Gunners start, with Ella-Rose Brown and Erika Pennyfield initially operating in wide attacking roles. Elke Aitolu played in a holding midfield role, allowing her to distribute the ball and utilise her vision.

Gunners coach Diego Iglesias has been tinkering with his side throughout the campaign. Heyman’s arrival has created a need to juggle the team’s prodigious talent so they can find an optimal arrangement. It’s a sign of the strength in the squad that someone like Jade Brown is coming off the bench, and when Brown enters the field she can truly make an impact, as we were to see in this game. One other question Iglesias may have been wrestling with is where to play the versatile Stefi Lejins, and as ever she was to acquit herself well, this time recreating her role at Canberra United Academy by playing as a fullback.

Early possession went the way of the Gunners but in truth that was the pattern of the game, as were the early Gunners attempts on goal (an early offside goal to Heyman, followed by a Heyman shot zinging past the right post in the 18th minute, and a Pennyfield side-footed volley a minute later which went straight to West Canberra keeper Janet King). It was to be a game of attacking frustration for the visitors, and it seemed that no matter what they tried they could not find a way to really stretch King in goals or find the accuracy they were searching for in their shots.

A corner to West Canberra in the 20th minute led to the opening goal as McKenzie’s back post delivery intersected perfectly with Sofia Chaverra’s unopposed run and connection with the ball.

The goal gave the home side confidence and where previously they had been frantically trying to gain possession, they were now showing signs of being able to work the ball around in their own right. Nevertheless, in a five minute period between the 24th and 29th minute, King and the Wanderers defence were witnesses to:

• a Nat De Marco shot sailing over the bar
• a Pennyfield centred ball to Heyman resulting in a shot skewed past the left post
• a Pennyfield shot wide of the right post
• a Stella De Marco shot over the bar, and
• a mis-hit Heyman volley just to the right of the goal.

Frustration indeed.

McKenzie was again at the centre of a couple of attacking Wanderers moves in reply, the second one a free-kick that only just eluded Whitfield’s head in the Gunners six yard box. Wanderers centre back Ellen Brown then did well to block Heyman’s shot at the other end after Heyman chased a long bomb and found space on the right.

The 39th minute saw an intelligent Aitolu chip for Heyman near the Wanderers byline, with Heyman doing well to find Ella-Rose Brown right in front of goal at close range, but defender Olivia Nolan engaged just enough to preserve West Canberra’s lead.

It was going to take something special for the Wanderers to break free of the relentless Gunners pressure and Chaverra answered the call two minutes from halftime, turning sublimely from over 20 yards out and audaciously chipping Kailey Tonini for a remarkable second goal.

Somehow the home side went into the sheds two goals up.

While the rate of Gunners shots on goal slowed in the second half, they still dominated those stats. King started her half in brilliant fashion, getting a hand to Pennyfield’s close-range volley just after the restart.

Heyman and Aitolu swapped roles for a time and Heyman was able to thread a ball through for Aitolu, with her shot under pressure nicking the post.

The Gunners needed something different and when striker Jade Brown entered the fray in place of right back Courtney McCann, she was just what the doctor ordered. Eluding the offside trap on 75 minutes thanks to Nat De Marco’s through ball, Brown used her left foot to finish with authority in the bottom right netting of King’s goal.

That left just 15 minutes for the Gunners to get hold of another chance, but McKenzie  would have none of that, battling hard with her midfield compatriots to keep their lead and even looking to extend it with eight minutes to go. Bringing down an elevated ball, McKenzie easily turned her defender and fired her shot onto Tonini’s crossbar.

A Heyman drive into the box with just five minutes to go was swarmed by Wanderers defenders, a sight which would have gladdened coach Castro’s heart. His team fought to the end and in the face of immense pressure came away with a 2-1 win which will help fuel his team’s belief in the coming weeks.

 
Game highlights courtesy Bar TV Sports

With eight rounds left and the talent available in the squad, there is still plenty of time for the Gunners to be patient and string together a run of results leading into the finals. However, that may have been difficult for Iglesias to convey in the dressing sheds following this game.

As for the Wanderers, they may not look on paper one of the flashiest sides in the league, but in third position and with resilience and spirit in abundance, who is to say on this showing that they won’t be there come finals?

Canberra United Academy’s win over Canberra Olympic this round (see below) ensures that the mid-table positions remain as volatile and interesting as ever. Both West Canberra and Academy are in the top four but have Olympic and the Gunners breathing down their necks.

Final score:

West Canberra Wanderers 2 (Chaverra Calle 20′ 43′)

Gungahlin United 1 (J. Brown 75′)

Teams:

West Canberra Wanderers – Coach: Rey Castro

Janet King, Olivia Nolan, Ellen Brown, Maya Binns, Melinda O’Callaghan, Alex McKenzie, Demi Nikias, Tara Cannon, Briana Maguire, Ana Sofia Chaverra Calle, Sarah Whitfield (c)

Subs: Samantha Briggs (60′ => Nikias), Liz Edwards (87′ => Chaverra Calle), Emma Guo (69′ => O’Callaghan), Jelena Josipovic, Samantha Savanhu (88′ => Brown)

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Gungahlin United – Coach: Diego Iglesias

Kailey Tonini (c), Stefi Lejins, Madeleine Perceval, Ruby Gambale, Courtney McCann, Erika Pennyfield, Elke Aitolu, Nat De Marco, Stella De Marco, Ella-Rose Brown, Michelle Heyman

Subs: Jade Brown (65′ => McCann), Emily Davidson, Gabrielle O’Brien, Ayla Robertson, Brigitte Sander

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Around The Grounds:

Belconnen United 9 – 1 Tuggeranong United
Wagga City Wanderers 0 – 8 Canberra Croatia 
Canberra United Academy 3 – 2 Canberra Olympic

Ladder:

Next week:

Round 14

West Canberra vs Belconnen United, Melrose Synthetic, Sunday 18 July, 12:45pm

Canberra Olympic vs Tuggeranong United, O’Connor Enclosed, Sunday 18 July, 2:15pm

Gungahlin United vs Canberra Croatia, Gungahlin Enclosed, Sunday 18 July, 3:00pm

Canberra United Academy vs Wagga City, Hawker Enclosed, Sunday 18 July, 3:00pm

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