Gungahlin United coach Marcial Munoz has urged his team to find its goal-scoring finesse to cement its place in the top four after failing to land a blow against the Riverina Rhinos on Saturday.
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Gungahlin was left to rue missed opportunities as the Rhinos boosted their hopes of an inaugural Canberra premier league play-off appearance in a 1-0 win.
The upset result broke open the battle for top four spots, with just four points separating fourth and eighth on the ladder with seven weeks left in the regular season.
Munoz has backed his side to be a title contender this year despite the tight race to the finals, but hopes they can break the scoring shackles to make a statement.
Gungahlin has the third lowest scoring tally of the year so far, with 13 goals from nine games.
"We've had finishing, or lack thereof, issues this year and that's why we haven't been able to close games out quickly," Munoz said.
"The loss was heartbreaking, but we need to look at ourselves. I'm super proud of my guys and I take responsibility for the loss as the coach.
"But we're still in a reasonable spot. There's no reason why this will dampen our season, it's just a small bump on the road.
"I think the momentum is there, it's just our finishing in front of goal. It comes back to haunt you sometimes."
Gungahlin was locked in a tight battle with the visiting Rhinos side, with neither team able to break the deadlock in the first half.
The defining moment came when the Rhinos took full advantage of an opportunity in front of goal, with Artur Rattel slotting home the winner not long after half-time.
The Rhinos held on to the advantage for the rest of the match and securing their third win of the year.
"You've got to go out there to be competitive and that's what we were ... we got some luck finding the back of the net and sometimes luck falls your way," said Rhinos coach Gabriel Abdula.
"We went 1-0 up, but the impressive thing was the guys stepped up to make sure Gungahlin didn't come back into the game or find the back of the net.
"Gungahlin moved the ball very well, so for our boys to soak up the pressure and just keep them out is a credit to the team. The win just shows the boys what they're capable of."
In the only other game on Saturday, Belconnen United found a late equaliser to secure a point from its clash against Woden-Weston at McKellar Park.
Woden-Weston took the lead early via Olaide Yinka-Kehinda before Belconnen levelled with eight minutes left after a goal-line scramble.
Both goal-keepers were outstanding in the closing stages, with Finn Jurak and Willem Lejeune making brilliant saves to stay in the contest.
AT A GLANCE
Canberra premier league: RIVERINA RHINOS 1 (Artur Rattel) bt GUNGAHLIN UNITED 0; WODEN-WESTON FC (Olaide Yinka-Kehinde) drew with BELCONNEN UNITED 1.
Sunday: Monaro Panthers v Canberra Olympic at Duncan Sporting Field, 3pm; Cooma Tigers v Tuggeranong United at Nijong Oval, 3pm.
