report by Nick Guoth

A last second goal from midfielder Amy Chapman has ensured Canberra United join Queensland Roar and Newcastle Jets in the Finals of the inaugural W-League. The 3-2 win over Melbourne Victory also placed the Victorian side in peril, needing a result next Saturday afternoon against Central Coast.

"It is pleasing that we have secured a finals spot,' stated Canberra coach Robert Hooker. "Now we want to try to finish second or third to avoid Queensland in the semis." Canberra hosts Queensland in the final round of the season next Saturday night at McKellar with the visitors certainly keen to reverse their only loss of the season, a Kara Mowbray strike separating the sides at Perry Park.

Yet for Melbourne the scenario is much different. The Mariners are barely mathematical, but will be fighting to cause Melbourne problems and with both Sydney and Perth in the picture, anything could happen.

The game commenced with Melbourne attacking and Rebecca Tegg being the first to provide a challenge for Canberra 'keeper Lydia Williams after only five minutes of the game. The ball initially came from Canadian Brittany Timko on the right who was causing no end of problems for the Canberra defence.

Canberra survived the early torment, and launched an attack of their own two minutes later with Canberra captain, Ellie Brush, seeing her header from a corner cleared off the line by Selin Kurulay.

Melbourne's plan was to play the ball around, as stated by their captain, and ex-Canberran, Tal Karp. "We really want to play football instead of a rather direct style, which I think came out more in this game." But as Shepherd lamented about the first half, "we competed well in the midfield, but played a bit too direct and our range was not there."

Yet, the Victory were struggling with set pieces and the warning given by Brush early in the game was not heeded. Ten minutes from the break, the Canberra captain opened the scoring, and in style.

A short corner eventually saw Chapman send in a cross. Melbourne 'keeper Melissa Barbieri deflected Brush's header onto the bar. The ball fell to Sasha McDonnell, but her attempt could not find a gap in the maze of defenders, and the rebound came back out to Brush who acrobatically sent an overhead kick past everyone and into the net.

Both teams had clear-cut opportunities just before the break. First, some hard work on the edge of the box by Tegg was not rewarded when her fellow strike partner Selin Kurulay sent her shot skimming outside the post.

Then Sasha McDonnell should have doubled the lead right on half time when she brought down a long cross from Chapman, but Barbieri closed down the attacker and smothered the shot for a corner.

The second half was nothing but excitement for the large crowd, which included some 30 Victorians who had driven up to Canberra for the game. Canberra came out the better early, but it was Melbourne who scored first.

After Kurulay had seen her shot rebound off the bar a quarter of an hour into the stanza, and a Sarah Groenewald header was saved off the line by substitute Bronwyn Studman, the warning signs were there.

And, yet the just before the goals started to rain, Canberra should have doubled the lead with the worst miss of the game. Kara Mowbray closed down Barbieri following an errant backpass, the rebound falling to Ashleigh Sykes. Instead of calmly planting the ball into the empty goal, she rushed her shot and sent it wide over the bar.

Then, with ten minutes left the game erupted and initially Canberra looked to have paid the price for the precious miss. Groenewald netted following good lead up work on the right and Melbourne had rightly got back into the game. But their enjoyment was short lived as only a minute later, Kara Mowbray converted a one-on-one against Barbieri.

It was two minutes more before the scores were level once more. Canberra yet again struggled with another attack down the right, the ball this time sliding out to the open pastures on the left. Marlies Oostdam was first to the ball and her chip went over Lydia Williams and into the far corner.

A draw would have suited Melbourne but two minutes into time added on, an innocuous cross come shot from the right deceived Barbieri and her attempt to clear the ball only saw it fall into the net.

Barbieri would have wanted the earth to swallow her up as the Matilda's coach, Tom Sermanni, was on hand to view the proceedings. Although she was to blame for the final goal, her performance was not poor and as Hooker stated afterwards, Williams also did not have her best game in goal for Canberra.

Matt Shepherd was obviously unhappy with the result. "It was a tight game throughout and unfortunate to let it slip at the end."

For Canberra, Hooker believed the game ended up the way it should have. "The team has improved over the past six games and it was pleasing to get this result."

In regard to the final goal by Chapman and the error from Barbieri, Hooker used the analogy that 'it is like a lottery. If you don't buy a ticket, you cannot win it."