It was almost a miracle start for the home team, scoring early, but it was called a controversial offside.

Canberra took advantage of the missed opportunity and scored from an error in the Panther's defence at about the 20-minute mark.

The equaliser came late in the half thanks to a cross from Liz McPherson to the boot of Zoe Szeremet.

Confidence was flowing for the home side, but Canberra slipped in another goal in less than a minute before halftime.

It was an arm wrestle for the majority of the match, but Monaro could not manage to reach the back of the net and Canberra managed to sneak another goal past the Panther's defence finished with a two-goal win.

But coach Carbone said the girls were unlucky with the result and were definitely not outplayed.

"We matched them in every department, but we made some errors and gave away possession," he said.

"Hayley McLachlan, Liz (McPherson) and Ellie (Pobar) all played well- Ellie had three very good shots on goal, but they were all saved.

"Monica Burton in left back had a very strong game and Ruby Gambale came back from a handstring injury and played strong for the whole 90 minutes.

"We dominated play against (Canberra), a fancied team- at times we made them look ordinary.

"It was a very good performance, and we at least deserved a draw."

The Panthers take on Belconnen this Sunday at McKellar Park, one of the more dominant sides who will be a challenge, Carbone said.

"We'll be competing against more experienced players and a domininant midfield (against Belconnen)," he said.

"We'll be hoping to keep the score down- they're at a different level to us, so we'll contest the best we can.

"But it was a very good performance (against Canberra), the best we've played all year and if we can keep playing like that we could be very competitive with the rest of the teams."