2008–09 Canberra United W-League season

The 2008–09 season is Canberra United's first season of football (soccer) in Australia, and competed in the 2008–09 W-League season.

Canberra United FC

2008–09 season
Chairman	Kate Lundy
Manager	Robbie Hooker
W-League	3rd
Finals	Runner-up
Top goalscorer	Caitlin Munoz (4 Goals)

Season

The first announcement of the club came in July 2008, coinciding with the establishment of the new W-League. The formation of the new club presented a unique situation in the league, that it was not associated with an established A-League side. In August, Canberra appointed Matildas assistant coach Robbie Hooker as coach for the inaugural season, and ACT Senator Kate Lundy as club chair.[1][2] United also announced its first key signing in local Canberran and Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams. Hooker made a number of key signings in the first registration window, also securing Caitlin Munoz, Amy Chapman, Grace Gill-McGrath, Hayley Crawford, Rhian Davies, Thea Slatyer for the inaugural season. The squad was further expanded in the lead up to the first round, signing on a number of players from the ACT and Southern NSW, and also signing Sasha McDonnell and Kara Mowbray from Queensland. The final squad presented significant strength on paper, boasting eight full internationals and a further four Young Matildas.

United started the season steadily, alternating losses and wins in the opening rounds - including a win over eventual Premiers Queensland Roar. Scoring came with some difficulty for the side, with four goals in their opening first five matches. Influencing this record was an injury to striker Caitlin Munoz in Round 1, keeping her sidelined for a number of weeks. Munoz's return to the side in Round 6 immediately lifted the scoring rate, contributing four goals in the last five rounds. Despite early losses, Canberra were unbeaten in the last seven rounds of the competition, achieving a third placed finish with a record of four wins, four draws and two losses. Canberra's strength throughout the season has been in defence, drawn from a number of experienced players. In front of a dependable Williams in goal, a defensive backline led by Thea Slatyer and captain Ellie Brush frustrated opposition and ensured the second-best defensive record in the competition, bettered only by Premiers Queensland.

United won their away semi-final against Newcastle Jets,[3] and progressed to the inaugural final, where they were defeated by Queensland Roar.

Fixtures

Round	Date	Opponent	H/A	Score	CU Scorers	Stadium	Crowd
1	26 October 2008	Newcastle Jets W-League	A	L 1-2	McDonnell  2'	Wanderers Oval	1069[4]
2	1 November 2008	Queensland Roar W-League	A	W 1-0	Mowbray  16' McDonnell  56'	Perry Park	610[5]
3	9 November 2008	Central Coast Mariners W-League	H	L 1-2	Brush  51' (pen),  61' Mowbray  64' Maciejewski  90'	Belconnen Soccer Centre	1637[6]
4	15 November 2008	Melbourne Victory W-League	A	W 1-0	McDonnell  24' Maciejewski  74'	Bob Jane Stadium	700[7]
5	22 November 2008	Adelaide United W-League	H	D 0-0	Slatyer  9' Studman  22' McDonnell  62' Maciejewski  86'	Belconnen Soccer Centre	804[8]
6	29 November 2008	Perth Glory W-League	A	D 2-2	N.Sykes  28' Kara Mowbray  41' Munoz  81',  83' A.Sykes  89'	Members Equity Stadium	479[9]
7	6 December 2008	Sydney FC W-League	H	D 1-1	Munoz  37' Maciejewski  59' Slatyer  78'	Belconnen Soccer Centre	840[10]
8	13 December 2008	Central Coast Mariners W-League	A	W 3-0	Brush  21' Maciejewski  60' Crawford  72' Munoz  80'	Parramatta Stadium	300
9	20 December 2008	Melbourne Victory W-League	H	W 3-2	Brush  35' Davies  37' Mowbray  83' Chapman  75',  90+3'	Belconnen Soccer Centre	1152[11]
10	27 December 2008	Queensland Roar W-League	H	D 1-1	Crawford  19' Munoz  66'	Belconnen Soccer Centre	712[12]
SF	10 January 2009	Newcastle Jets W-League	A	W 1-0	Mowbray  26'	EnergyAustralia Stadium	2289
F	17 January 2009	Queensland Roar W-League	A	L 0-2	-	Ballymore Stadium	4554

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Queensland Roar (C)	10	8	1	1	27	7	+20	25	Qualification to Finals series
2	Newcastle Jets	10	5	2	3	17	12	+5	17
3	Canberra United	10	4	4	2	14	10	+4	16
4	Sydney FC	10	4	2	4	15	12	+3	14
5	Melbourne Victory	10	4	0	6	13	13	0	12
6	Central Coast Mariners	10	4	0	6	15	20	−5	12
7	Perth Glory	10	3	2	5	14	24	−10	11
8	Adelaide United	10	2	1	7	11	28	−17	7

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.

Players

Name and position	No	Joined in	Former team	Birth date	Citizenship
Goalkeepers
Lydia Williams	1	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1988-05-13) 13 May 1988
Maja Blasch	20	2008	Canberra City SC	(1990-06-19) 19 June 1990
Defenders
Ellie Brush (c)	7	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1988-08-19) 19 August 1988
Rhian Davies	2	2008	NSW Institute of Sport	(1981-01-05) 5 January 1981
Grace Gill-McGrath	9	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1989-06-27) 27 June 1989
Rebecca Kiting	8	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1991-05-08) 8 May 1991
Thea Slatyer (vc)	13	2008	NSW Institute of Sport	(1983-02-02) 2 February 1983
Bronwyn Studman	4	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1992-03-24) 24 March 1992
Snez Veljanovska	16	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(age 20)
Christine Walters	17	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1991-06-17) 17 June 1991
Midfielders
Lucy Allan	18	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1991-06-30) 30 June 1991
Jennifer Bisset	19	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1992-01-28) 28 January 1992
Cian Maciejewski	11	2008	Belwest Foxes	(1987-06-14) 14 June 1987
Kara Mowbray	12	2008	Queensland Lions	(1985-05-07) 7 May 1985
Nicole Sykes	15	2008	Western NSW Panthers FC	(1991-12-15) 15 December 1991
Forwards
Amy Chapman	3	2008	ACT Academy of Sport	(1987-12-02) 2 December 1987
Hayley Crawford	10	2008	NSW Institute of Sport	(1984-03-27) 27 March 1984
Sasha McDonnell	5	2008	Queensland Lions	(1987-01-12) 12 January 1987
Caitlin Munoz	6	2008	Pali Blues	(1983-10-04) 4 October 1983
Ashleigh Sykes	14	2008	Western NSW Panthers FC	(1991-12-15) 15 December 1991

Short-term signings

Player	Team	Start Date	End Date	Reason
Ellie Raymond	ACTAS	29 October 2008	6 November 2008	Cover for Ashleigh Sykes while on international duty[13]
Sophie Kochinos	ACTAS	29 October 2008	6 November 2008	Cover for Christine Walters while on international duty[13]
Michaela Day	Belwest Foxes	29 October 2008	6 November 2008	Cover for Bronwyn Studman while on international duty[13]

References

1. "Canberra United appoint Chair and Head Coach". Capital Football. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
2. Sherwood, M (28 July 2008). "Canberras best players on national stage". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
3. Smith, P (10 January 2009). "Canberra into Westfield W-League final". A-League.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
4. "Match Report: Canberra Shot Down By Jets". Canberra United FC. 26 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
5. "Match Report: Canberra claims gutsy win". W-League. 1 November 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
6. "Match Report: Canberra Suffers Case of Deja-Vu". Canberra United FC. 9 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
7. "Match Report: Canberra United Victorious in Melbourne". Canberra United FC. 16 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
8. "Match Report: Canberra United Claims First Point at Home". Canberra United FC. 22 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
9. "Glory girls denied by late burst". Perth Glory FC. 29 November 2008. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
10. Smith, P (6 December 2008). "Canberra and Sydney share the spoils". A-League. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
11. MERRYN SHERWOOD (21 December 2008). "Chapman kicks a late winner". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
12. "Match Report:Canberra Extend Unbeaten Streak to Seven". Canberra United FC. 27 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
13. Gottaas, C (29 October 2008). "Canberra United gets a top up". Canberra United FC. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2008.