Talk about the Festival of Football, it was a festival of goals in the #NPLWNSW competition with an incredible 26 goals scored across five matches.
Round Four kicked off in style at Belmore Sports Ground with a mouth-watering clash and the action just kept getting better.
Sydney Olympic 3-3 APIA Leichhardt
A bumper crowd for a bumper event at Belmore Sports Ground as Sydney Olympic and APIA kicked off the Festival of Football double header.
The teams could not be separated after 90 minutes with a late equaliser for the visitors ensuring both teams would share the spoils.
Olympic came out firing and raced off to a two-goal lead early courtesy of Charlie Rule before Sophie Hoban pegged them back.
APIA then equalised on the other side of half time before substitute Georgia Koutzoumis thought she had one it for the home team with only minutes remaining.
But Shea Connors spoiled the party, scoring in the 90th minute to secure her team a draw.
As mentioned earlier, Olympic started the better of the two with APIA struggling to contain Cortnee Vine down the right wing.
It took only nine minutes for the home team to hit the front as Vine got beyond two defenders before cutting the ball back for Rule who expertly dispatched it into the back of the net from the penalty spot.
The home team’s confidence grew with the goal and minutes later it was two. Winonah Heatley rattling the crossbar from just in front before the APIA defence struggled to deal with the rebounded ball, allowing who else but Rule to pop up and smash it home.
The visitors needed a reaction and it came just before the half hour mark. Sophie Hoban bursting into the box, beating one defender before curling the ball into the far post with a nice finish.
It was all APIA from here as they started creating chances. The best of those falling to Rhianna Pollicina who was unmarked following a quick free kick and forcing Jada Whyman into a fantastic fingertip save.
If someone thought that Whyman save was special, well the one on the stroke of half time was even better. The ball dropped in the six-yard box for She Connors who snapped her shot toward goal, already thinking she had scored, only for the Olympic keeper to somehow get down to her right and save.
APIA continued that pressure into the second half as Connors and Leah Davidson tested Whyman.
It was the prelude into what was to come in the 55th minute. A ball over the Olympic defence was misjudged by Whyman as Hoban lobbed the on-rushing keeper with the ball bouncing over the line to make it two and secure a brace for the APIA striker.
Sophie Magus was then called into action at the other end, pulling off her own special save to deny Vine as Olympic started to come back at APIA.
Four minutes from time Olympic thought they had taken the three points. A strong challenge in midfield had the ball at substitute Georgia Koutzoumis’ feet who first beat one defender before placing the ball into the bottom corner of Magus’ goal.
The lead would be short lived as American import Connors got in on the act. Connors did it all on her own, picking the ball up wide left before using her pace to get into the box and calmly lift it over Whyman and into the side netting, securing APIA a point.
These two competition favourites put up an absolute classic and a display that will only add even more excitement to this competition.
Emerging Jets 1-7 Bankstown City
Bankstown City took out all of their last week’s frustrations on a sorry Emerging Jets at Lake Macquarie, coming away with a massive 7-1 victory.
It took the visitors only five minutes to hit the front as Daisy Arrowsmith scored her first goal in the red and black of Bankstown.
Continuing on from last week, Baxter Thew had another, this time with her head finding the back of the net.
Arrowsmith soon had three and four, securing a first half hat-trick with two neat finishes as the visitors went into the break 4-0 to the good.
The home side started the second half brightly, pegging one back minutes after the restart. Molly Salvador picking up a rebound and slotting the ball home.
Paige Hayward shortly after extended the advantage back to four with a fine goal, curling the ball from the right into the top corner with her left foot.
It was 6-1 when some individual brilliance from Olivia Price had her find the back of the net with a powerful finish.
Arrowsmith rounded off the scoring with her fourth of the afternoon, slotting the ball home to make it 7-1.
Northern Tigers 3-3 Manly United
A six-goal thriller and an incredible final 15 minutes meant that the Northern Tigers and Manly United would share the points at North Turramurra.
The two exchanged early shots at each others goal before the visitors took the lead.
Kahli Johnson reacting quickest in the box to a bouncing ball, striking it home with authority to give Manly a 17th minute lead.
It wouldn’t take long for a response as the Tigers equalised on 30 minutes. Aideen Keane went down in the box with the referee pointing to the spot. Hannah McNulty stepped up and slotted the spot kick into the back of the net despite Nicole Simonsen going the right way.
The real action would start with just under 15 minutes left on the clock.
A training ground set piece had Keane in the box, firing toward goal and giving Simonsen no chance with a fine effort, putting the Tigers in front.
Less than five minutes later and we were level once more. Maddison Zahra picking up the ball in the box, turning her defender inside out before placing it in the bottom corner.
Almost from the kick off, the Tigers were in front again. Manly struggled to clear their lines before the ball fell to Shadeene Evans. Evans let rip with a thunderous shot, the ball hitting the underside of the bar and slamming into the back of the net.
Manly’s night looked to be done and dusted on 86 minutes when Tegan Biasi saw red for an overzealous challenge.
But like in years past, you can’t expect Manly to lie down that easy. In the 91st minute Zahra took a free kick from the right and caught Morgan Acquino out as the ball found it’s place in the top left corner.
The Tigers had one last chance to steal the win but Manly hung on to take a point back to Cromer Park.
A big congrats to Hannah McNulty who celebrated her 100th match for the club as well.
Macarthur Rams 2-1 Football NSW Institute
At Lynwood Park the Macarthur Rams made it three wins from three starts after a tight 2-1 victory over the Football NSW Institute.
Two goals either side of the break did the trick for the Rams as they moved back to the top of the table.
It would be Japanese import Miku Sonaga who opened the scoring after a great run and delightful one-two, squeezing the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 Rams half time lead.
Just after the break it was two and in some style. Direct from the corner, Patty Charalambous swung her cross beyond the Institute keeper and into the goal.
The Institute made a contest of it late as Daniela Galic rounded the goalkeeper before slotting the ball over the line and into an empty net.
But Macarthur would hold on and secure another three points for Stephen Peters’ team.
NWS Spirit 1-2 Sydney University
The final match of round four took our attention to Christie Park as NWS Spirit went searching for their first points of the campaign against Sydney University.
It would be the Students though that would come away with the points as Adam Keramea’s team still waits to get points on the board.
Uni opened the scoring on 23 minutes through Sarah Morgan. A cross from the right was completely misjudged by Katie Offer in the Spirit goal, falling to the feet of Morgan who had the easiest job of tapping it over the line.
Holding possession well throughout the first half and creating chances, the home side was rewarded on 34 minutes. A marauding run down the left flank by Sophie Harding had her square up a ball for Tahlia Macri who finished at the far post to equalise for the Koalas.
With the match heading for a draw, Uni’s pressure told with 10 minutes to go. A poor giveaway of possession by Spirit was pounced upon by the visitors as Holly Caspers broke through in the box before finding the back of the net to win it for Uni.
Illawarra Stingrays v Blacktown Spartans W/O
-By NPL NSW Women’s Chief Writer and Commentator Nikola Pozder