Round 10 Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Women’s
The second half of the women’s PlayStation®4 NPL NSW competition kicks off this weekend.
Only five points separate first place to seventh in an unbelievably tight competition this season.
Sydney University and the Illawarra Stingrays lead the pack, only one point in front of Manly United and Macarthur rams. The Spartans in fifth are two points Uni, while the Koalas and Institute are locked on 13 points, five behind the leaders.
The Mariners, Northern Tigers and Emerging Jets will all need to pick up their game in the second half of the season.
Sydney University v Illawarra Stingrays
It’s a top of the table clash at Sydney University Football Ground as Sydney University hosts the Illawarra Stingrays.
Uni have only lost once this season, with the second best defence in the competition.
Three matches since that defeat has seen Heather Garriock’s side hit the top of the league and they’ll look to stay there.
Brett Wallin promised us his team would come good in the second half of the season and they’ve set themselves a good platform to start from.
Three straight wins along with 14 goals in those matches will have sent a warning sign to all challengers in the competition.
The first match between the two went the way of Uni, 7-2, but a much closer match is expected on Sunday afternoon.
NWS Koalas v North Shore Mariners
At ELS Hall Park, the North West Sydney Koalas host the North Shore Mariners.
It hasn’t been the best of times for Stephen Peters’ team of late, failing winning in their last three fixtures.
They failed to trouble the Spartans last week and will need to step up their attack if they’re to get anything from Sunday’s fixture.
The Mariners have won twice this season, one of those matches was against the Koalas all the way back in round one.
A win is imperative for the Mariners if they’re to keep their hopes of finals football alive.
As mentioned earlier, the Mariners won 1-0 in round one.
Football NSW Institute v Emerging Jets
Valentine Sports Park will see the Football NSW Institute take on the Emerging Jets.
Craig Foster’s side has been playing some appealing football this season and has thrown themselves back in the hunt for finals football.
Two straight wins and a notable victory against first placed Macarthur has really seen the team’s form lift.
The Jets are improving though, finding their first win of the season two weeks ago and pushing Uni to the limits last week.
A good result here could see the jets get off bottom place on the ladder.
The Institute won convincingly in round one, 6-1.
Blacktown Spartans v Northern Tigers
The Blacktown Spartans and Northern Tigers will do battle at Blacktown Football Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Spartans will be happy with their first half of the season, only two points away from first place on the table.
They won’t be happy with not taking all three points last week against the Koalas and will look to make amends on Sunday.
Following a fantastic start to the season, the Tigers have fallen off the pace and suffered five straight defeats.
Finals are looking less likely for the competition new girls with the all important club championship a major factor for the club.
It was one way traffic the first time these two met, the Spartans winning 5-1.
Manly United v Macarthur Rams
An intriguing match takes place at Cromer Park on Sunday afternoon as Manly United host the Macarthur Rams.
United are currently in third place on the competition ladder, only a point off first place.
Remy Siemsen, the team’s top scorer has a point to prove after having a somewhat off day when the two met back in round one.
Six matches without defeat will have the northern beaches side coming into this one full of confidence.
The Rams held first place for much of the first half of the season but lost it after going down last weekend.
But a team with names such as Teresa Polias, Leena Khamis and Amy Harrison should be able to bounce back.
It was the Rams that won the first match between the two, coming away with a tight 1-0 victory.
-By Nikola Pozder
