The Monaro Panthers Women's Premier League side have kept their strong maiden title changes well and truly alive with a 5-3 win over Tuggeranong United at Queanbeyan's Riverside Oval.
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It proved a frustrating game to watch as both sides frequently turned over possession and made errors in attack.
Defence was strong on the flip side and goals were hard to come by, but Panthers striker and Canberra United W-League player Meg McLaughlin was the difference with her huge bag of skills.
Tuggeranong put the pressure on early and were actually first to score, holding a 1-0 lead for the best part of half an hour.
But what proved to be the downfall of Tuggeranong then happened, with some less-inspired defence allowing Panther Georgia Forgarty and McLaughlin to score within the same two minutes.
This was just one of three goals for McLaughlin who continues her supreme reign over the competition's goal scoring.
Fogarty bagged a double herself.
The win keeps Queanbeyan's premier female sports team in the hunt for a second straight grand final spot after two shock 5-0 losses in rounds nine and 10.
Coach Tilly Carbone will still be without six of his best players for at least another two weeks, but has taken comfort in the depth he has to choose from while still having experienced players in McLaughlin, Fogarty, keeper Lizzy Read, Gill Raymond and Stephanie Coates.
Kass Guglielmin, Georgia Bailey, Olivia Fogarty, Lauren Harper and Julia Bedin have all played well for Carbone coming up from the under 19s side.
Carbone was extremely happy with the effort these young players put in, especially given Tuggeranong are a known attacking side.
"We'll have at least another three weeks without some of our senior girls, but it's great that these young ones are standing up," he said.
"Julia Bedin, as you saw, was terrific today, and I'd give her a best on ground performance with the way she set up some of those second half goals."