A part of the United squad that lost the inaugural final to Brisbane Roar, Kiting will be hoping her side can make amends when the teams square off at McKellar Park on Saturday.

Kiting was only 17 in the competition's foundation season when United made it all the way to the decider before going down 2-0 to the Roar.

After missing the final with a back injury, the former Australian women's under-17 and under-20s representative accepted a scholarship in the US with Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

While Kiting was away, United became one of the most consistent teams in the competition, culminating in the club winning the championship in 2011-12.

"It was kind of sad and a bit anxious seeing their results when I was away and not being able to be part of the team," Kiting said. "I was completely jealous we couldn't win the title when I was there. We made the final, so I knew what it felt like to be there and almost win it. I was so happy and proud of the girls to achieve that, and then when they went to Japan, I was very proud of them."

Kiting, now 23, quickly found her feet in her new surroundings in the US, taking on the captain's armband for her final two years with the Bobcats before returning to Canberra late last year when she graduated.

"It was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not only to learn a lot through football, but I also learnt a lot about life in general," she said.

"My college was one of the smaller ones, but when we played some of the bigger colleges we got some really good crowds.

"Not only do you train, but we play two games in a week in a regular season with the study on top of that, so it's pretty full-on."

Kiting's latest challenge is adapting to an unfamiliar defensive midfield role because United is well stocked with defenders.

"I played that position a couple of times in more lower-level football, never at this level before, so it has been a bit of a challenge," she said.

"The coaches have been really supportive and the girls have been really good in helping me feel more comfortable in the role. It's good that they know I can play a couple of different positions."

United is eager to bounce back from last week's 4-2 loss to Melbourne Victory, while the Roar is coming off its first win of the season, having beaten the Newcastle Jets 3-2.

United will be without midfielder Meg McLaughlin for the next four to six weeks after she underwent knee surgery; Grace Gill is in doubt after rolling her ankle at training; and youngster Grace Maher is with the Australian under-16 team in Malaysia.

W-LEAGUE: Canberra United v Brisbane Roar at McKellar Park on Saturday, 5pm.