PS4 NPL Capital Football Round 11 Review

Woden-Weston upset Gungahlin, Belconnen United jumped back into the four and Monaro remained winless in a big round of PlayStation 4 NPL Capital Football action.

FFA Centre of Excellence 3 (Kai Trewin 28', Mirza Muratovic 74', Jacob Italiano 78') def. Tuggeranong United 0

A controlling display from the FFA Centre of Excellence saw them jump into equal first place on the Playstation 4 National Premier Leagues table with a 3-0 win over Tuggeranong United.

The CEO looked to take the initiative early against Tuggeranong, who appeared happy to sit deeper and counter, but the hosts took the lead after 25 minutes. Kai Trewin broke into the box and struck his shot low and hard into the far corner of the net to get his side off the mark.

They continued to hold sway as the first half wore on, with Tuggies only able to create a half-chance or two, including Daniel Roberts whistling a volley just wide.

After the interval Tuggeranong looked to switch onto the front foot, and thought they were back in the match after an hour as they shouted for a penalty, but to no avail as the referee waved play on. 

That let-off for the Centre of Excellence proved vital, as they took the upper hand and looked to kill off the match. Mirza Muratovic doubled the advantage with just over 15 minutes to go as he curled a lovely shot away after been sent through on goal. And Jacob Italiano continued his good recent form four minutes later, finishing off a great counter-attacking move after the hosts broke from a Tuggeranong corner.

The result leaves the COE level on points up the top with Canberra Olympic, but having played a match extra, while Tuggeranong sit in seventh place on 10 points, with top four starting to get away from them.

 

Belconnen United 6 (Michael Taurasi 13’, 32’, Daniel Fabrizio 30’, Dustin Wells 23’, Jason Ugrinic 79’, Izach Clements 85’) def.  Riverina Rhinos 0

Belconnen United jumped back into the top four on Saturday with a thumping win over the Riverina Rhinos at McKellar Park.

Michael Taurasi gave the hosts the lead after just 13 minutes as he fired home from a corner, and ten minutes later Dustin Wells had doubled the score line, finding space in the box off a low cross to beat the keeper.

The onslaught from United continued as they peppered the Rhinos goal, and Daniel Fabrizio scored on the half hour mark, closely followed by Taurasi two minutes later as United put their foot down.

The difference remained four goals at the break despite United’s best efforts, and the Rhinos looked to get off the back foot as the second half began, but struggled to make inroads against the swarming Belconnen side.

Rhinos held out for a while though, keeping Belconnen at bay in a more disciplined display than that of the first half. But they could only keep them out for so long, with Jason Ugrinic getting on the sheet with 11 minutes left, and Izach Clements joining him as he put the icing on the cake with five minutes left. The result leaves Belconnen above Gungahlin on goal difference on the ladder while the Rhinos still flounder in ninth spot, now four behind Woden-Weston in eighth.

 

Canberra FC 0 drew. Canberra Olympic 0

Deakin Stadium played host to the first goalless draw of the 2017 season on Sunday as Canberra FC and Canberra Olympic failed to break each other down. 

Full report here.

 

Gungahlin United 0 def. by Woden-Weston 3 (Olaide Yinka-Kehinde 9’, Daniel Crkovski 6’, 58’)

A third win in four matches for Woden-Weston FC on Sunday stymied Gungahlin United’s recent momentum as the Wanderers turned on the jets at the AIS. 

Tony Olivera’s side flew out of the blocks in the first game back since the cup break, going two goals up before the first ten minutes was over. 

The in-form Daniel Crkovski struck first after only six minutes, as he netted his eighth goal of the season with a neat finish, before Olaide Yinka-Kehinde scored on his return from injury just three minutes later to leave United reeling from their opponent’s start. 

Having come in off a three-match undefeated run United were not going to lie down, but struggled to get themselves into the game against their opponents who had all of the momentum.

The score remained 2-0 at the break as Gungahlin looked to chase the game, but were dealt a blow just 13 minutes after the interval as Crkovski scored his second to put the match all but out of reach. Olivera’s side were able to sit back and defend their lead from there on out, keeping the United attack at bay as they recorded just their second clean sheet of the season.

The Wanderers now sit on ten points, only three points behind Tuggeranong United in seventh and travel to Griffith to face the Rhinos next weekend. For Gungahlin, they must now regroup and get ready to rebound next Sunday against Tuggeranong United, with that clash to be streamed by BarTV Sports on Youtube and Facebook.

 

Tigers FC 3 (Mark Shields 21’, Jared Tonini 53’, Michael Kita 90+1’) def. Monaro Panthers 1 (Jon Toole 36’)

Monaro Panthers remain winless on the 2017 PS4 NPL season after going down 3-1 to Tigers FC in Cooma on Sunday. 

Former Panther Mark Shields struck the first blow for Tigers in a fast start, putting the home side ahead after just 21 minutes with a well-taken strike to beat Nathan Alferink in goals.

However Monaro refused to lay down, and Jon Toole scored the side’s fifth goal of the season as he levelled proceedings for the visitors less than 10 minutes before the break.

Level at half-time, both sides came out to look for a result, and it was the hosts who struck as Jared Tonini got on the board eight minutes into the second half to give Tigers the lead. They continued to push as Monaro looked to hit on the counter, and the Panthers held out well under the weight of possession. But as time wore on the visitors struggled to create chances of their own and the points began to look safer for Tigers.

Michael Kita sealed the deal for Tigers in stoppage time as he finished a well worked move against a tired Monaro defence, bumping Tigers up to just one point outside the top four. For Monaro, they remain without a point this season, and look hard pressed to pull themselves off the bottom of the ladder this year.