Riverina Rhinos 0 drew. Belconnen United 0

The Rhinos and Belconnen played out a tense goalless draw on Saturday in Griffith as both sides looked to recover from big losses in the previous round.

The Rhinos were thumped 7-0 by Tigers while Belconnen had slumped to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Canberra FC, and the visitors looked to get on the front foot early at Solar Mad Stadium.

Both sides created chances early but were unable to convert, and Artur Rattel and Nathan Battochio were both denied by Finn Jurak as the half approached.

United appeared happier to sit back and soak up pressure in the second half as the Rhinos pressed forward, and George Pavese had an effort cleared off the line for Rhinos as the home side pressed.

The match fizzled out as the game wound down, but George Pavese and United’s Zac Maybury were both dismissed after the final whistle following a crunching tackle from Joe Preece in the closing seconds.

Both sides will welcome the break over the long weekend before important clashes; Belconnen United hosting Tigers FC and the Rhinos travelling to meet Woden-Weston in Canberra.

 

Monaro Panthers 3 (Sam Smith 21’, Adam Neou 41’, Ole Stegavik 51’) def. by Tuggeranong United 4 (Shane Murray 68’, Aisosa Ihegie 89’, Andrew Slavich 83’)

A second half comeback from three goals down has helped Tuggeranong United to steal a 4-3 win over the Monaro Panthers at Googong on Sunday.

Full report here.

 

Canberra FC 4 (Kofi Danning 4’, Matthew Waters 52’, Mat Grbesa 63’, Ian Graham 79’) def. Woden-Weston 1 (Frederick Olaide Yinka-Kehinde 44’)

Canberra FC extended their hot start to the season to six consecutive victories as a clinical second half gave them a 4-1 win over Woden-Weston at Deakin Stadium.

The hosts began quick and looked to be on their game when Kofi Danning scored just four minutes in, but the game evened out and Woden-Weston worked their way back into the game.

They pushed as the half approached and when Frederick Olaide Yinka-Kehinde scored in the dying minutes of the half to equalise it was game on as the teams hit the sheds level.

But Canberra FC came out of the blocks strong in the second half, and Matthew Waters’ headed effort at the back post just seven minutes in split the sides and proved to be the momentum shift that Paul Macor’s side needed.

Mat Grbesa fired home from inside the area 11 minutes later to extend the lead to two goals, and the hosts continued on to seal the game with Ian Graham’s strike 11 minutes from time.

Canberra FC now sit clear at the top of the table with 18 points heading into the weekend off, while Woden-Weston remain bottom with just two points ahead of a meeting with the Rhinos in two weeks.

 

Tigers FC 1 (Mark Shields 62’) def. by Canberra Olympic 3 (Daniel Colbertaldo 9’, Robbie Cattanach 18’, Michael John 63’)

Canberra Olympic kept up their winning streak in the league on Sunday as they defeated Tigers FC 3-1 in Cooma for a fifth straight win.

Tigers came in off the back of a thumping 7-0 win in Griffith last weekend while Olympic were looking to bounce back from FFA Cup defeat, and began in the perfect fashion with a great strike from outside the box from Daniel Colbertaldo.

Colbertaldo and fellow midfielder Robbie Cattanach both came into the game with injury concerns, but when Cattanach struck nine minutes later those concerns seemed unfounded.

The visitors remained in control for much of the opening 45, and continued into the break with a two-goal advantage.

Tigers came out stronger from the break and were on the front foot early, which paid dividends when Mark Shields struck 17 minutes in to cut the lead and give Tigers a real chance of getting back into the match.

But just a minute later Michael John struck to push the lead back out as he has done so well this season, and that two-goal bugger saw the visitors home.

Tigers now take on Belconnen United at McKellar Park in two weeks, while Olympic will welcome the bye following the long weekend as they look to nurse a number of injuries.