Gungahlin United can turn its focus to the FFA Cup after holding out Tuggeranong United to keep in touch with the top four in the Capital Football National Premier League.
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A first-half header from defender Jack Green put Gungahlin in front before goalkeeper Jason Denham made a sensational save in the final minute of injury time to secure all three points at Gungahlin Enclosed on Sunday.
The 1-0 victory leaves Gungahlin in sixth place on the NPL ladder at the competition's halfway mark, but importantly only three points adrift of fourth-placed Canberra Olympic with eight games remaining.
Gungahlin's next challenge in its inaugural season will be its FFA Cup qualifying semi-final against defending league champions Tigers FC, which has been moved by mutual consent to Gungahlin Enclosed on Wednesday night.
The winner will meet Belconnen United in the qualifying final to decide who will represent Capital Football in the 32-team main draw of the national knockout competition involving A-League clubs.
"One of our goals at the start of the season was to try and reach the final and of course win it," Green said.
"We've got a lot to prove against Tigers FC.
"It's our first season and we're trying to work with each other a lot more. From this win we can kick on."
Green gave Gungahlin the lead in the 22nd minute when he found the back of the net off a Shane Murray corner.
"It's something we worked on in training," Green said.
"I'm one of the tallest so there's not much else to hit.
"It was just lucky, right spot at the right time."
Tuggeranong almost had its equaliser at the death when Ethan Munster hammered a free kick from 20m out in injury time, but Denham came to the rescue with a diving save to maintain his clean sheet.
Tuggeranong was extremely unlucky to record its eighth straight loss of the campaign, backing up four days after its 2-1 defeat to Belconnen in the FFA Cup.
Canberra FC fired back to form with a thumping 5-0 victory against Woden-Weston FC.
English striker Thomas James scored a hat-trick and Aidan Brunskill netted the other two as Canberra FC (16 points) moved up to second on the table, three points behind Belconnen (19).
Tigers FC (15) is up to third after coming from behind to defeat the FFA Centre of Excellence 4-2 at Nijong Oval.
Belconnen defeated the Monaro Panthers 2-0 on Saturday.
Capital Football National Premier League: Belconnen United 2 (Matt Valeri 12', Goran Mukevski 34' (pen)) bt Monaro Panthers 0 at McKellar Park on Saturday. Tigers FC 4 (Jose DeFilippe 31', Julian Borgna 35', 90', Goran Josifovski 57') bt FFA COE 2 (Malcolm Ward 22', 26') at Nijong Oval on Sunday. Canberra FC 5 (Aidan Brunskill 5', 45+1', Thomas James 8' (pen), 26', 38' (pen)) bt Woden-Weston FC 0 at Deakin Stadium on Sunday. Gungahlin United 1 (Jack Green 22') bt Tuggeranong United 0 at Gungahlin Enclosed.
