Canberra United Academy's Alyse Jensen with Wagga City's Elvein Ibrahim. Photo: @KaiMoebus

Round 14 of the Capital Football NPLW1 competition marks the end of the second full round, with one round left to play. Teams that have been fine-tuning will be looking to translate that into consistency for a finals push. 

After a scratchy month, Canberra United Academy took the points against Canberra Olympic last weekend. Beyond 90 travelled to the synthetic surface of Hawker Enclosed to see if they could keep their momentum going against Wagga City Wanderers. The visiting side has had to deal with injuries to key players this season alongside the demands of travel to Canberra every second week, but has also seen players selected for Young Matildas trials and training camps.

Two of the finest young goal-keepers in the competition – Academy’s Chloe Lincoln and Wagga City’s Samantha Emms – were also drawcards in this contest. 

Other Round 14 games that were held this weekend included:

West Canberra vs Belconnen United
Canberra Olympic vs Tuggeranong United

Note that Gungahlin United vs Canberra Croatia was postponed due to a soggy Gungahlin Enclosed pitch.


Match of the Round: Canberra United Academy vs Wagga City Wanderers

The NPL Capital Football social media account set the scene for this encounter with their interview with Canberra United player (and new Canberra United Academy captain) Sasha Grove before the game.

The Academy team was without striker Anna Hunt for the game, with long striding Bessie Riethmuller leading the line after amassing 24 goals in 13 games in Reserve grade in 2021. 

The Wagga City Wanderers’ young team’s season is testing their depth, yet the talent in the squad has not gone unnoticed. Of the three players catching the Young Matildas coaching team’s attention, two were on display in this game in the form of goalkeeper Emms (who has been killing it), and midfielder/attacker Piper Lockley-Hinschen.

The third, Ava Tuksar, last saw action in the first 20 minutes of Round 11, while Lockley-Hinschen has also been beset with layoffs due to injury this season. She took a knock to her ankle before half-time in this game and didn’t reappear in the second half. With striker Megan Castle spending time with the physio attending to a graze in the second half, Wagga City played 10 to 15 minutes of this game one player down.

Wagga City Wanderers keeper Sam Emms flying high. Photo: @KaiMoebus

The mobility and energy of the Academy side were on show in this game. With the pace available in their attack it was just as well that Wagga City is no longer quite as wedded to playing a high and flat defensive line at all times as they were in 2020. Even so, on the occasions that the Wagga City line was caught flat, the Academy team were always a chance of capitalising on well-weighted through balls despite the artificial surface tending to make the ball run away from their intended targets.     

Striker Riethmuller proved to be a natural focal point for the Academy attack early in the game. After just ten minutes, she made the most of Nikita Perry’s cut-back from the Wagga by-line, turning and shooting with the ball deflecting off a defender and wrong-footing Emms.


Just two minutes later Perry made a strong run into the Wagga City box and upon receipt of the ball, turned her defenders inside out before finishing with aplomb for Academy’s second goal.

Academy right flanker Nikita Perry closing in on goal… and celebrating. Photos: @KaiMoebus

A busy period followed, with Wagga defender Sophie Cary clearing off her own line, and her striker Megan Castle winning the ball in the Academy box moments later but shooting to the left of Chloe Lincoln’s goal. Bronte Buik and Lockley-Hinschen then combined well, but the shot was a comfortable one for Lincoln. At the other end, a Grove header from Meg Roden’s corner went just over the bar.

One of the most spectacular moments of the game came in the 23rd minute when Riethmuller’s overheard kick was somehow saved by Emms with minimum available reaction time. 

CUA striker Bessie Riethmuller’s overhead kick. Photo: @KaiMoebus

The danger posed by Riethmuller didn’t abate, and in the 28th minute she managed to dribble her way past two Wagga defenders close to their six-yard box and finish at close range for a third goal.

Link-up play between Christina Grauer-Kompos and Castle in the Wagga City attacking line was welcome but all too rare late in the half. Emms in the meantime was called into action again at the 39th minute, repelling Sofia Christopherson’s charging one-on-one chance as well as the second bite of the cherry that followed.

Sofia Christopherson bagged a double for the Canberra United Academy. Photo: @KaiMoebus

Wagga City captain Suze Waia managed to clear Christopherson’s header off the line with a header of her own to close out the first half, after some bright lead-up work by Academy wingback Nadia Zakman.

One minute into the second stanza, Canberra United Academy scored their fourth, and Christopherson’s first. Receiving the ball on the left just into the Wagga City half, Christopherson’s turn of pace was on full display as she raced unopposed down the left flank and into the six-yard box to finish past Emms for a 4-0 lead.

Christopherson’s second goal – and Academy’s fifth – was a far less exhausting one for her, tapping in from inside the six-yard box just before the hour after some excellent service once again from Perry.

It didn’t take long for the sixth and final goal of the game to eventuate. Just four minutes later Grove – who had been content to win the ball and set up plays in a free-roaming midfield role – scored with her left foot from outside the area. Having pulled off an amazing diving save from a header just moments before, Emms could only watch as Grove’s shot nestled into top bins territory. 

Substitutions began to take the field as the heat went out of the game a little, although Roden rattled Emm’s crossbar in the 65th minute and Riethmuller did the same just nine minutes later.   

Academy captain Sasha Grove is challenged by Wagga City’s Ashley Holder. Photo: @KaiMoebus

This was Academy’s biggest win of the season in terms of goals scored, eclipsing their 6-2 win against the same opposition in their away game in Round 7. It was also their second win in a row, and they will need to bring all that momentum into their Round 15 away game against Canberra Croatia this weekend.

Congratulations go to Riley McQueen for making her first-grade debut for the Academy, while Alicia Bamforth made her second top-flight appearance. 

Wagga City fullback Bree Lyons takes a free kick. Photo: @KaiMoebus

Wagga City also meet top-two opposition in Round 15 – Belconnen United at McKellar Park – having played against the ladder leaders followed by the team in third in the last two weeks. A tough run no doubt, but the spirit in the team remains strong, and there is nothing like testing yourselves against the top teams to sharpen you up for the run home towards Round 21.  

Special words of mention go to Wagga City’s Elvein Ibrahim – her second game in top grade with a good performance at right half – and right back Bree Lyons for a job well done in just her fifth NPLW1 game. In 2020 Lyons was playing in the Under 15’s, and this season she has split her playing time between the Under 17’s, Reserves, and NPLW1. 


Final score:

Canberra United Academy 6 (Riethmuller 10′ 28′, Perry 12′, Christopherson 46′ 58′, Grove 61′)

Wagga City Wanderers 0

 

Teams:

Canberra United Academy – Coach: Vicki Linton

Chloe Lincoln, Nadia Zakman, Stephanie Nikias, Tayla Hampson, Eliza-Jane Norris, Alyse Jensen, Nikita Perry, Meg Roden, Sasha Grove (c), Sofia Christopherson, Bessie Riethmuller

Subs: Alicia Bamforth (86′ => Hampson), Isabella Hindmarsh (86′ => Zakman), Riley McQueen (86′ => Norris), Jayla Murphy

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Wagga City Wanderers – Coach: Sam Gray

Samantha Emms, Bree Lyons, Sophie Cary, Suze Waia (c), Hannah Stevens, Ashley Holder, Elvein Ibrahim, Bronte Buik, Piper Lockley-Hinschen, Christina Grauer-Kompos, Megan Castle

Subs: Amanda Armstrong, Tootsie Lamb (47′ => Lockley-Hinschen), Abbey Nolan-Hodges (75′ => Holder), Rennae Sillett (62′ => Lyons), Jennie Woodbury (79′ => Ibrahim)

Yellow/Red cards: Nil


Around The Grounds:

West Canberra Wanderers 0 – 3 Belconnen United
Canberra Olympic 4 – 0 Tuggeranong United
Gungahlin United vs Canberra Croatia – postponed


Ladder:

Pos Team P W D L For Against GD Pts
1 Canberra Croatia FC 13 11 1 1 60 12 48 34
2 Belconnen United FC 14 11 1 2 56 14 42 34
3 Canberra United Academy 14 7 3 4 35 28 7 24
4 Canberra Olympic FC 14 7 1 6 37 30 7 22
5 West Canberra Wanderers FC 14 7 1 6 21 21 0 22
6 Gungahlin United FC 13 6 0 7 30 21 9 18
7 Wagga City Wanderers FC 14 2 0 12 12 63 -51 6
8 Tuggeranong United FC 14 0 1 13 6 68 -62 1

 

Next week:

Round 15

  • Belconnen United vs Wagga City, McKellar Park, Saturday 24 July, 3:00pm
  • West Canberra vs Canberra Olympic, Melrose Synthetic, Sunday 25 July, 12:45pm
  • Canberra Croatia vs Canberra United Academy, Deakin Stadium, Sunday 25 July, 2:30pm
  • Gungahlin United vs Tuggeranong United, Gungahlin Enclosed, Sunday 25 July, 3:00pm

 

Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here

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