Tuggeranong United v Canberra FC | Saturday, 3pm @ Kambah 2.1

Tuggeranong United continue the search for the first win this weekend as they host Canberra FC at Kambah on Saturday. United host Canberra FC in round six in a clash that saw the visitors pick up a 5-0 win and Michael Aldred will be hoping his side can keep the game a bit closer this time out. Goalscoring continues to be a real problem for the team with only five goal scored in their 13 games, and against the second best backline in the league that struggle looks set to continue. United continue to lack an experienced hand to guide the team on the pitch and it has shown when they have been involved in closer games. Last week they were overrun by the Academy and it will be tough for them to see off the second team on the ladder this week.

For Canberra FC, they were beaten by Belconnen United last weekend in a match that has now gone viral and will be aiming to rebound here. With Chantel Jones out for the season Mark Risteski must now look elsewhere for a goal scoring midfield presence, but his side has the depth to cover for now. Lily Bardsley is getting closer to a return from injury and Risteski should have a number of others returning soon too after having a depleted squad to pick from last week. Tuggeranong at Kambah can be a tricky task at times but their last meeting showed that Canberra FC could do the job comfortably, and they will look to be emphatic here once more.

 

Canberra United Academy v Canberra Olympic | Saturday, 3pm @ O’Connor Enclosed

Canberra Olympic will be looking to continue their fight for fourth spot when they face the Academy on Saturday at O’Connor. They are three points behind Gungahlin United who have a tough outing against Belconnen United, and with a win here there is every chance that they end up level with Gungahlin come the end of the weekend. Their four-goal blitz caught Monaro off guard last weekend and showed they still boast a formidable attack, with Grace Maher still to come back into the setup. Olympic beat the Academy earlier in the season in a shootout at Hawker, but both sides are arguably stronger at the back than they were back then. A loss here for Olympic would be a setback to their finals hopes in the back stretch of the season, while a win as mentioned earlier would be huge.

For the Academy, they will be without Karly Roestbakken as she is headed off to Indonesia with the Young Matildas, meaning there will be some changes for Ryan Grogan to make. His side were far too strong for Tuggeranong last weekend as they ran out four goal winners and the momentum from that win will be important here. The Academy are now 11 points behind Belconnen United ahead of a meeting with them next weekend and they can ill afford to drop closer to the chasing pack. They are six points ahead of fourth and Olympic could move to the same margin if they claim a victory. With one full cycle of matches left after this weekend this result will serve as a good marker of where the teams are at.

 

Belconnen United v Gungahlin United | Saturday, 5:15pm @ McKellar Park & LIVE on BarTV Sports

Belconnen United and Gungahlin United will meet at McKellar Park on Saturday night with the hosts looking to continue their winning streak and Gungahlin aiming to bounce back from a rough loss.

Diego Iglesias’ side fell by three goals to Woden-Weston last weekend in a performance that he described as flat, and they will need to bounce back promptly on Saturday. After a number of starring performances of late Freyja Jacobson and Charlotte Lynch were kept quiet and strong outings from them will be required here. The last time these two met Belconnen finished 2-0 winners in a tight clash, and encouragement can be taken from the way that Gungahlin stymied the home attack for large swathes of the game. A similarly determined performance will be important here if the visitors are to get back on the winners list and continue to be the hunted rather than the hunter in the race for fourth.

For Belconnen, they remain undefeated so far on the season and have shown no signs of slowing down lately. A composed performance last weekend created a barrier between themselves and Canberra FC and they will look to maintain that here. United were well held by Gungahlin the last time they met and Antoni Jagarinec will be hoping his side can strike early as they did last time but go on with it more convincingly. Michaela Day will be overseas meaning there will be some shuffling of the lineup, but otherwise Jagarinec should have a largely fit squad to pick from. The hosts will be the favourites here but this match will be far from a cakewalk outing.

 

Woden-Weston v Monaro Panthers | Sunday, 2pm @ Woden Park

Woden-Weston will be aiming to build on the momentum of their big win over Gungahlin United last week when they host Monaro on Sunday afternoon. That 3-0 win pushed them right back into the mix for fourth spot on the table, and they have a real chance to further their push for finals here. Cassia McGlashan was instrumental with a brace against United and will be a key figure here too. The last time they met the Wanderers were 3-0 victors at Riverside in a strong performance but Monaro were unlucky at times and may fancy themselves for an upset. The key for Diego Elmoudawar’s side will be keeping momentum rolling through this week and into next against Tuggeranong before a tough finish to the season.

Monaro fell to Canberra Olympic last weekend, but all the damage was done in a short blitz as the Panthers concentration waned amidst a largely strong performance. They have improved as the season has gone forward and outside of the thrashing they endure at the hands of Belconnen earlier on they have remained reasonably competitive. Goalscoring has still been an issue at times though with just 12 goals on the season and Zoe Szeremet responsible for seven of them. She will be a threat to Woden-Weston’s backline and Monaro can look to work her in behind the defence with a long ball based game. A win here for the Panthers would bring them within two points of their opponents, but a loss would almost entirely skittle any outside finals hopes.