It was two big wins for Capalaba this weekend as the FQPL side defeat Ipswich Knights 4 - 1 while the NPLW side has a massive win, defeating South West Queensland Thunder 11 - 2.
The FQPL side were looking for their first win of the season after losing their first two games which left them at the bottom of the table coming into this round. So it was a must-win for the side in a league which was shortened due to clubs dropping out. It was also the 50th game for Connor Booth and Ryo Ono who were also eager to put their names on the scoreboard.
It was a quiet first half with many chances for Capalaba and some counter-attacks for Ipswich but it was Ono who snatched the first goal in the 42nd minute to give the Bulldogs the lead at the break.
Second half saw more goals for Capalaba as Stuart Edgar got the second for Capalaba in the 57th thanks to a fantastic cross from Ono that Edgar smoothly headed away. Two minutes later Booth proved his 50 games worth when he managed an amazing strike from outside of the box to go straight into the goal. Three minutes later Ono got his second for the night with a shot nearly parallel with the goal-line, somehow managing to get it past the line.
Ipswich were strong in the last 20 minutes trying all they could to bring the game back including a disallowed goal in the 77th minute from Yuta Kasahara after being caught offside. However, he got redemption when he scored a consolation goal for Ipswich in the last minutes of the game.
Capalaba FQPL head coach David Booth said he expected a similar performance for the whole season from the squad.
"The team we've got, they should be playing like that week in, week out," he said.
"I still think we were as good as Logan Lightning and Sunshine Coast Wanderers any day of the week.
"It wasn't about the opponent tonight, it was about us and what we have been working on."
It's a short turnaround for the men as they play their washout game against Southside Eagles on Wednesday night at Perry Park and then are off to Carmichael Park on Saturday to play the Wolves, who also had a big win this weekend defeating Holland Park Hawks 4 - 0 on Saturday night.
NPLW team undefeated
The NPLW squad were looking to make it six games undefeated after another convincing win against Souths United on Tuesday night, which was another game victim to the rain last weekend.
It was a long trek home for the Toowoomba-based side as Capalaba opened the floodgates to a goal-fest, smashing South West Queensland Thunder 11 - 2.
It took only two minutes for Capalaba to open the scoring with Sachiko Tatsuoka getting one in the back of the net before the crowd could find a seat. From there Capalaba had multiple goalscorers with Angela Maher and Tatsuoka getting two each, Katy Couperus and Stephanie Latham grabbing a goal each but Vicky Lines showed what she can do, taking five goals in the match with four in the second half.
Thunder were able to get two thanks to Melanie Lloyd and Louise Rolfe getting a goal each at around the half hour mark of the game.
The goals from Lines and Couperus puts them on top of the golden boot race with Lines now on 12 goals and Couperus tied for second with seven goals alongside Meaghan Mcelligott and Rylee Baisden from Moreton Bay United and Amy Chapman from Souths United.
Capalaba NPLW head coach Daniel Baker said he was happy with the result but there was still much to be worked on. He highly praised Lines on her performance this season.
"We need to make sure we keep our standards high because there was a couple things we let slip," Baker said.
"There were a few rotations in the squad. There were a few players with niggles but the ones who came in did well and the end result was good.
"Vicky is just an out and out goalscorer. She knows where the net is and she can score all sorts of goals and she is always in the right area."
Capalaba have a big game ahead next weekend though as they come up against NPLW powerhouse The Gap on Saturday but the Bulldogs will have an advantage as The Gap has a midweek game on Wednesday night against Western Pride.
Capalaba now sits on top of the table with 16 points, with Moreton Bay close behind on 15. However, clubs like The Gap are a couple of games behind and will want to snag points where they can to keep themselves in finals contention.