A near-perfect first half allowed Canberra Olympic to punch their ticket for the Grand Final, after seeing off Canberra Croatia at Kambah winning 4-1. Four days after failing to find the back of the net against Belconnen United, Nicole Begg’s players wasted no time to ensure they would meet the Blue Devils again next week.
Olympic made the most of a sunny and breezy afternoon, finding the back of the net twice in three minutes withing the first quarter of an hour. An out-swerving free kick from Ali Cook found the towering header of Vanessa Ryan at the eleventh minute to open the score.
180 seconds later, Ryan was at the cross, finding Michaela Thornton, who intelligently slipped the ball to Nicole Jalocha. The experienced midfielder accepted the gift, glancing a powerful shot in the back of the net.
Canberra Croatia had barely been in their opponents’ half by then and would end up failing to get a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes. Matter was made worst seconds before gaining the locker room, when Kat Peric directly swerved in a corner kick and the goal given despite Croatia goalkeeper Megan Snell complaining about an illicit charge.
Zoran Glavinic’s troops needed something special to come back into the game. Less than two minutes into the second act, a glimmer of hope came from a shot from distance by Sienna Birnie, surprisingly misjudged by Janet King. This hope was short lived though.
Twenty-five seconds after the ensuing kick-off, Olivia Gurney from the left addressed a beautifully weighed cross between the Croatia keeper and her defence, and Maddison Cachia scored the fourth and final goal that sent her team to the Grand Final.
More frustration rose from Canberra Croatia, claiming a foul was missed in the build-up. Down three goals, the visitors did not give up, kept pushing, but when it wasn’t King denying Rhiannon Fensom’s header, or winning or duel against Tatum Mazis, it was her crossbar that denied the forward.
Olympic, happy to showcase their expert defending in the second half, will now face Belconnen for a second consecutive Grand Final, to try and add another trophy to their cabinet, on Saturday at Deakin Stadium.
Canberra Olympic held their nerve in the WNPL Reserves to join their senior side in the Grand Final after coming from 0-2 down to defeat Gungahlin United 5-4 on penalties,
The Gunners led at the interval thanks to a goal from Ariadne Stergiou, the former Tuggeranong United forward pouncing on a scramble inside the Canberra Olympic penalty area to slot the ball into the net at her former ground and send the travelling black and white clad supporters ecstatic.
Until that point Olympic were, arguably, the better side and were unfortunate to see a goal chalked off for offside only five minutes or so before the lower-ranked Gungahlin side stunned their opponents with the opening goal. When Amy Moore made it two the Gunners looked set fair.
However, Olympic responded like a champion side and two goals in six minutes from Sienna Ness and Alexia Cerne drew Olympic level and set-up the shoot-out from which they emerged victorious.
RESULTS
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sunday 17 September
Canberra Olympic 4 (Ryan 11’, Jalocha 14’, Peric 44’, Cachia 48’) Canberra Croatia 1 (Birnie 47’)
RESERVE GRADE
Sunday 17 September
Canberra Olympic 2 (Ness 76’, Cerne 82’) Gungahlin United 2 (Stergiou 35’, Moore 54’) – Canberra Olympic won 5-4 on penalties
TOP SCORERS
23 Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
14 Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United)
13 Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Croatia), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Belconnen United)
12 Talia BACKHOUSE (Belconnen United)
9 Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Nicole JALOCHA (Canberra Olympic), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
8 Michelle HEYMAN (Gungahlin United), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Madelyn WHITTALL (Canberra Olympic)
7 Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), Olivia GURNEY (Canberra Olympic), Charli MITCHELL (Canberra Croatia)
6 Tamara COCHRANE (Canberra United Academy),
5 Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Maddison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Olympic), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Canberra United Academy), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Olympic), Own GOALS
4 Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Croatia), Jade BROWN (Gungahlin United), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Lauren HALL (West Canberra Wanderers), Alyse JENSEN (West Canberra Wanderers), Rainey NILES (Tuggeranong United), Roxie SWART (ANU WFC), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Samantha WOOD (Tuggeranong United), Sarah WHITFIELD (West Canberra Wanderers), Kayla WRIGHT (Gungahlin United)
3 Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Ella-Rose BROWN (Gungahlin United), Sofia CHRISTOPHERSON (Canberra United Academy), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Rhiannon FENSOM (Canberra Croatia), Erika PENNYFIELD (Gungahlin United), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Zoe TERRY (Tuggeranong United), Kate WALKER (West Canberra Wanderers), Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)
2 Jaya BOWMAN (Canberra United Academy), Cara CERUTI (West Canberra Wanderers), Sofia CHAVERRA (ANU WFC), Alexandra COOK (Canberra Olympic), Rachael CORBETT (Gungahlin United), Edith FORDYCE-CROKER (ANU WFC), Isabella HOPKINS (ANU WFC), Sheridan MCELLIGOTT (ANU WFC), Riley MCQUEENIE (Canberra United Academy), Peri NASH (Canberra United Academy), Alexandra NEALAND (Canberra United Academy), Sofia PALYWODA (Belconnen United), Madeleine PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Nikita PERRY (West Canberra Wanderers/Canberra Croatia), Marija RATHOUSKI (Belconnen United), Vanessa RYAN (Canberra Olympic), Madeleine STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Kayla WRIGHT (Gungahlin United)
1 Tehya ASPLAND (Canberra Olympic), Latisha BABIC (Canberra United Academy), Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Amy BONGIORNO (Canberra Croatia), Ellen BROWN (West Canberra Wanderers), Alexia CERNE (Canberra Olympic), Jade EMMS (Belconnen United), Emma DOUGLAS-OLIVEIRA (ANU WFC), Charli GREGSON (Tuggeranong United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Abby HURMAN (Tuggeranong United), Ashlyn LEWIS (Tuggeranong United), Sarah MATTHEWS (Tuggeranong United), Ailish MCDONAGH (ANU WFC), Maya OSMOND (Canberra United Academy), Ella PALFRAMAN (Belconnen United), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Alexandra SERRAS (ANU WFC), Michelle WIENECKE (Gungahlin United), Elisha WILD (Canberra United Academy), Juliet WILLIAMS (ANU WFC), Zoe WILLIAMS (Tuggeranong United), Jasmine ZABEL (Canberra Olympic)