The O’Connor Knights roared to the top of the National Premier League table on goal difference with a nine-goal battering of West Canberra Wanderers at O’Connor Enclosed in Round 12.
Eight goals to the good by the 37th minute, after scoring five times in the opening quarter of an hour, the Knights were in irresistible mood, sweeping aside some feeble defending by the Wanderers in a swathe of goals, the visitors seemingly having no idea how to stem the tide opened by former defender Connor Bill who struck after five minutes.
Two goals in the following two minutes from Phakedi Manda and Aisosa Ihegie had the home team in complete control after just seven minutes, before a double from Regan Walsh, one from a free-kick, and a corner swept home at the far post by Lachlan Fields had half-a-dozen on the scoreboard by the 21st minute.
Ihegie added a second, and Niko Kresic drilled in the eighth after a neat knockdown from Manda, as records looked set to tumble, Belconnen’s NPL high 10-1 win over Monaro Panthers in 2013 under real threat.
Credit though to the Wanderers who shut up shop after the interval and stopped the flow as only substitute Lachlan Campbell was able to add his name to the scoresheet to round off a comprehensive Knights victory.
A four-goal blitz in seventeen second-half minutes ensured that Tigers FC claimed an important 4-1 win over a gutsy Tuggeranong United in the match under the lights at the Australian Institute of Sport on a cold Friday evening in Canberra.
The league leaders as they were heading into the weekend matches, were forced to dig deep for the result however, and needed to come from a goal down after a lacklustre opening forty-minutes in which Patrick Hislop swept United ahead from a wonderful finish after debutant Lewis McKinney teed him up from a free-kick.
McKinney and Sam Walker went close to adding a second for Tuggeranong who were indebted to goalkeeper Adam Stevens after the break, the visitor’s custodian making a brace of saves with his legs to keep his team ahead.
Unfortunately for the young ‘keeper, his one lapse in concentration saw Nik Taneski pounce to tap home his eighth goal of the season and restore parity with eighteen minutes remaining. Shortly afterwards Marko Milutinovic rose unchecked in the area to firmly head home and turn the match on its head.
Sam Whithear ghosted in unmarked to glance home the third with four minutes to play, sealing the win, whilst substitute Amilio Kista iced the cake in the final minute, racing away to thrash home after being released by an astute pass from Taneski.
Monaro Panthers came from two-goals adrift to secure a vital 4-2 victory over Canberra Olympic at the Riverside Stadium to keep their top four hopes alive and inflict a potential grievous blow on their opponents who are pushing for the League Championship crown.
Jenno Ceruti came off the substitutes bench to net twice in the last three minutes as Panthers, sporting their brand new NAIDOC week inspired jerseys, ended with a bang, overturning what had earlier looked like being too step a mountain for them to traverse.
There had seemed to be little chance of that happening as Olympic led, Alen James’ corner cannoning off the post and ricocheting into the net off the scrambling Jordan Thurtell, the Panthers ‘keeper unable to keep it out before Luca Macor waltzed through on a seventy-yard run to finish empathically for 2-0.
Robert Tkatchenko’s low drive reduced the arrears, and Roko Strika’s blazing effort brought the teams level allowing Ceruti his moment. His first was a clinical left-foot finish to a good Panthers move, the sealer coming when a clearance bounced off Archie McGregor into his path, the clipped finish past Sebastian Usai securing a crucial success.
Gungahlin United came from behind three times to earn a draw at Deakin Stadium against Canberra Croatia as a sensational clash ended all-square with the teams sharing six-goals in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Stephen Domenici got the scoring underway with a 39th minute penalty, calmly rolling his finish past Jamie-Lee Guo in the Gunners goal, but that lead lasted only two minutes, Misko Naumoski standing up a cross to the far post for Jack Green to nod emphatically into the far corner.
After the break Croatia retook the lead, Ryan Keir on his 30th birthday arriving to meet a corner and convert for 2-1 only for Gungahlin, for whom central defender George Timotheou made his debut, to equalise again as Maxx Green converted from the spot after Jason Ugrinic was adjudged to have handled.
Incredibly, with both Guo and Jason Matesa making great saves, there were still more goals as substitute Daniel Sparrow latched onto a stray header from Gungahlin’s Sam Vizy to ram a finish low into the corner. Gungahlin took home a point though as Maxx Green reacted quickest to pounce in the area, his 13th of the season, earning the draw.
RESULTS ROUND 12
Friday 30 June
Tigers FC 4 (Taneski 72’, Milutinovic 76’, Whithear 86’, Kista 89’) Tuggeranong United 1 (P. Hislop 22’)
Saturday 1 July
O’Connor Knights 9 (Bill 5’, Manda 6’, Ihegie 7’, 33’, Walsh 9’, 13’, Fields 21’, Kresic 37’, Campbell 65’) West Canberra Wanderers 0
Sunday 2 July
Monaro Panthers 4 (Tkatchenko 66’, Strika 72’, Ceruti 87’, 90’) Canberra Olympic 2 (Thurtell 40’ (og), L. Macor 54’)
Canberra Croatia 3 (Domenici 39’ (p), Keir 51’, Sparrow 80’) Gungahlin United 3 (J. Green 41’, M. Green 67’ (p), 85’)