It will come down to the final day of the regular season in the #NPLWNSW competition after an entertaining round 21 came to a close on Sunday night.
Bankstown City 3-2 Manly United
Bankstown City came from behind twice to take all the points at Jensen Park as they defeated Manly United 3-2 in a five-goal thriller.
Finals implications were massive as the Lions go into round 22 still alive and kicking while Manly’s hopes were extinguished.
The home team started the game well, pressing Manly high and not allowing them to play from the back. The first chance fell to Bankstown’s top scorer Daisy Arrosmith but she couldn’t find the target from a good position.
In form Japanese import Yuka Honda had Manly’s first chance, but her header lacked power from the six-yard box making it easy for Brianna Edwards.
Siobhan Edwards was next to go close for Bankstown but her effort was well saved by Nicole Simonsen in the Manly goal.
They then thought they had the lead when Baxter Thew popped up at the back post following an Alexia Karys-Stahl free kick, only for the assistant referees flag to chalk the goal off.
With Bankstown in control, it was a surprise when the visitors hit the front.
Honda was fouled some 30 metres out allowing Alexia Forner to line the ball up. The Manly midfielder stepped up and expertly dispatch the ball into Edwards’ top corner giving her no chance with a very well taken free kick (celebration has work to do).
A disappointed Bankstown had to recover from the set back and continued creating but were unable to find an equaliser. The best chance of the first half falling to Demi Koulizakis who smacked her half volley against the cross bar.
Things took a turn for Manly when Honda needed to leave the field of play and be substituted with what looked like concussion.
Daisy Arrowsmith had one final chance in the first half, doing well down the right and forcing Simonsen into a save with her feet.
If the first half was exciting then the second was extremely intense.
It started the same way as the first had flowed with the home side creating chances but unable to score. Edwards with a neat turn on the edge of the area and a powerful shot to finish off, just going wide of the target.
The entrance of Olivia Price would then change the game.
With literally her first touch of the game in the 67th minute, Price popped up on the edge of the area, taking full advantage of a poor clearance by Manly, smacking a perfect volley into the bottom corner with her first touch of the game.
Just as you felt Bankstown would turn it around, Manly struck back less than two minutes later. This time Emily Minnet taking advantage of a Bankstown error, getting the ball on her right and letting fly with an effort into the far corner of the goal.
The Lions disappointment wouldn’t last ling as the five minute madness continued. With Corrine Winkler unavailable for Manly the lack of organisation was evident as a free kick from Tiana Jaber bounced through to Siobhan Edwards who took her chance at the second time of asking, 2-2.
With the three points imperative for both teams, they both went for the victory.
Bankstown would get their opportunity to hit the front from the spot as Phoebe Gilbane gave away an unfortunate penalty.
Arrowsmith stepped up to the spot and finished emphatically to put the Lions ahead 3-2 for the first time in the match.
Manly then threw everything forward in search of an equaliser but Bankstown held firm and secure a massive three points.
Football NSW Institute 0-1 Sydney Olympic
Sydney Olympic knew how important a victory was going to be against the Football NSW Institute and they did just enough to secure the points.
The red-hot Sarah Yatim goal enough to separate the two teams at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday afternoon.
Gisella Pipino did all the hard work before squaring up Yatim who had the easy job of tapping the ball into the back of the net.
Yatim’s eighth goal of the season, fourth in four games, means that Olympic hold their finals destiny in their own hands with two games to play.
Emerging Jets 0-6 APIA Leichhardt
It was six of the best for APIA Leichhardt as they scored an important 6-0 win to go one step closer to securing finals football.
APIA needed to get off to a fast start and they done so through Deborah Anne De La Harpe after seven minutes with a well taken goal.
They added a second five minutes later catching the Jets out with a quick taken short corner, Rhianna Pollicina applying the finish from outside the area, low into the near post.
Pollicina added another for APIA after Princess Ibini put in some neat work down the left and forced the Jets keeper into a save, only for APIA’s number 10 to run onto the ball and tap it home.
They had to wait until the 79th minute for their fourth but it was well worth the wait as Nikki Flannery scored an absolute belter from someway out, finding the top corner with a fabulous strike.
She Connors added another goal to her season tally, lobbing the goal keeper to make it 5-0 for the visitors.
Flannery made it 6-0 late on to round off the scoring with a tap in to record her brace and send APIA into the final week of the season with everything to play for.
Illawarra Stingrays 0-2 Northern Tigers
The Northern Tigers took a giant leap toward securing finals football with a grinding 2-0 victory down the south coast.
After a tough first half where the Stingrays perhaps had the better of the chances, neither side could find a breakthrough, going into half time locked at 0-0.
It wasn’t until the 70th minute that the Tigers found their all-important goal. Ash Brodigan got onto the end of a fantastic through ball and made no mistake with her finish into the bottom right corner.
10 minutes later and the points were safe and heading back to Turramurra.
First Brodigan had her effort cleared off the line before another defensive error gave Tess Rickard the chance making no mistake with the finish to make it 2-0.
Blacktown Spartans 0-2 NWS Spirit
With nothing but pride to play for and a better position on the competition ladder, it was NWS Spirit that came out on top at Blacktown Football Park against the Spartans.
It was a dominant performance from the visitors but took them till late in the second 45 to open the scoring.
The opener was a special one, nice combination play in the middle of the park before Isabella Volkanovski placed her effort from some way out into the top corner of the Spartans goal.
Sophie Harding then doubled the lead and secured the win in the 90th minute after capitalising on an Anna Norton error, placing the ball into an empty net.
Sydney University 0-1 Macarthur Rams
Two losses on the bounce for the Premiers as Macarthur Rams left Sydney University Football Ground with all three points.
Stephen Peters’ side found an early goal through former Sydney Uni player Mel Caceres which would in the end be enough for all three points.
It took only seven minutes after a fantastic lay off by veteran Leena Khamis had Caceres volleying the ball with the side of her foot and into the back of the net, a well worked Rams goal.
Macarthur had the majority of the chances in the first half and thought they’d had a second with the last play of the first half, only for Khamis’ header to be chalked off for offside.
The Rams then had to withstand a heavy barrage of Uni attacks which they did, staying disciplined and compact, holding on for the victory.
-By NPL NSW Women’s Chief Writer and Commentator Nikola Pozder