Gungahlin United 3 (Darby Whiteley 16’, 38’, Ashleigh Palombi 78’) def. Tuggeranong United 1 (Emily Jensen 47’) 

Gungahlin United jumped right into contention for second place in the league with a 3-1 win over Tuggeranong United at Kaleen on Sunday afternoon. 

The hosts started the game well but could not break down the visiting defence, as both sides struggled to get into an early rhythm. But Gungahlin had the first big chance of the game after 13 minutes, as a corner dropped into the box and was not claimed and Alex Martens sprayed it over the bar with a quickly taken effort. 

Gungahlin had a penalty shout waved away moments later too, but it didn’t take long for them to take the lead. Darby Whiteley was set away down the left wing in the 16^th minute, and steadied herself before firing into the far corner to go up 1-0. 

Tuggeranong continued to misplace passes and hand possession back to their opponents, and it would cost them again seven minutes before the break. Maddy Perceval headed a chance from a corner onto the bar and after one follow up effort was saved, but Whiteley was on hand to tap home the next effort and give her side a two-goal buffer going into the break. 

Tuggeranong threw themselves right back into the mix only two minutes after the break, as Emily Jensen rifled home a shot from inside the box after the ball rebounded to her from an earlier shot. The half-time introduction of Meg McLaughlin helped with their bright start, as they began to see more of the ball and apply pressure to the Gungahlin defence, something they had struggled to do earlier on in the match. 

Both sides tussled as they looked to gain the upper hand, and slowly Gungahlin began to wrestle back the ascendancy. Ash Palombi smoked a shot over from a tight angle with half an hour to go, before a couple of other chances went begging soon after But with 12 minutes to go Palombi sealed the encounter with a well-taken finish from close range after the ball was loose in the box. 

There was still time for a chance at both ends however neither side could add to the score line as 90 minutes ticked over. Gungahlin are now just one point behind Canberra FC ahead of their rescheduled match against the Academy on Thursday, while Tuggeranong are condemned to a sixth place finish on the season.