Round 5 Review – NPL NSW Women’s
Round 5 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition brought plenty of action and unexpected results for fans to savour.
Let’s check out how the Easter Long Weekend full of matches unfolded.
Match of the Round – Bankstown City Lions 2-3 Macarthur Rams at Jensen Park
The Macarthur Rams made it two wins on the bounce as they defeated the Bankstown City Lions at Jensen Park in a five-goal thriller.
Click here to read the match report!
APIA Leichhardt 3-0 Manly United at Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt proved too strong in a classy 3-0 win over Manly United on Good Friday.
The first significant chance of the game fell to Manly following a clearance by centre-back Ruby Jackson which allowed United’s Emily Minett to pounce on an unsuspecting Shelby Milton in her effort to return the ball up field, with her resulting drive towards goal and low shot sliding just wide of the far post.
APIA were quick to respond and match their opponents however, with the home side’s matchwinner over NWS Spirit last weekend, Sophie Hoban, latched onto a smart through ball from Charlotte Young and drove a ball to the feet of Isabella Coco-Di Sipio whose shot was parried away by Manly keeper Nicole Simonsen.
It was APIA who began to take control of the game from then on, with the likes of Milton, Hoban, Gisella Pipino and Tanya Borazio keeping their side composed through their consistent repossessions of the ball.
The second half began perfectly for APIA as Isabella Habuda received the ball in midfield, fended off a Manly defender and played a sumptuous outside-the-foot pass through to left winger Ashlie Crofts who proceeded to bury it in from a tight angle at the near post.
Manly were then spared from a quickfire APIA double by a reflex save from Simonsen, who was able to prevent Habuda’s close range volley from hitting the back of the net.
In spite of APIA taking a deserved 1-0 lead, Manly refused to back down and pushed relentlessly for an equaliser. Their momentum was cut short however when Borazio picked up a desperate Manly clearance, dragged her defenders to the right wing and rifled in a lethal cross that Habuda gladly tapped home at the far post for 2-0.
APIA’s third arrived through Coco-Di Scipio who made her way into the Manly box via an impressive show of skill and laying it off for Habuda whose finish deflected off a hapless Grace Arnold and into the path of Croft who notched her second of the game.
The 3-0 win saw Spencer Prior’s APIA surge past their rivals on the ladder and into first place.
Northern Tigers 5-2 Emerging Jets at North Turramurra
Even with Sydney’s heavy rains last weekend causing their Round 4 fixture against Sydney Olympic to be rescheduled, the Tigers showed no signs of rustiness in a dominant display against a luckless Emerging Jets side.
Taking inspiration from the resolute tackling and grit of midfielder Beth Bernadi, the Tigers pressed intently against their opponents from the get-go, the home side eventually opening the scoring in the 4th minute courtesy of an own goal by Jets goalkeeper Tegan Harvey. Harvey, facing pressure in the form of Caitlin Doeglas snuffed out a back pass from the Jets defence, struggled to clear the ball and mis-hit it into her own net, her misery compounded by the net poetically tumbling down straight after.
The Tigers extended their lead in the 42nd minute when Tigers captain Hannah McNulty won a free-kick just beyond halfway, the subsequent delivery from Ariella Cabezas headed on by Gemma Woolley for Jasmine Meli to ease home for 2-0 on her starting debut for the club.
Unfortunately for the Jets, the Tigers were unrelenting and hungry for more, the third goal coming as a result of midfielder Lily McMahon winning the ball back just outside the 18-yard box and setting off a blistering Tigers counterattack that ended in McNulty finishing into an open net for 3-0.
The second half had the home fans worried in the early stages as the Jets showed their hand as a side capable of the spectacular through Brinley Gentle rocketing a strike beyond Tigers goalkeeper Jodie Drever and the Tigers defence, who could do little but watch in awe as the ball landed in the top right corner for 3-1.
End-to-end action in the minutes soon followed as a second goal for the Jets was scored by Gentle once more. The youngster dispatched a penalty with aplomb after Tigers defender Teal Kilbride brought down Jets substitute Alexis Collins to stifle a Jets counterattack.
Showing no desire to concede any further goals in front of the North Turramurra faithful, the Tigers added a fourth in the 82nd minute when Woolley stole the ball from Jets defender Emma O’Hagan and set up Doeglas for a simple tap in.
Goal number five for the Tigers was conjured via expert linkup play between McNulty, Doeglas and Olivia Cartwright, who took the pass with confidence and finished past Harvey for her debut goal for the club, capping off a strong finish to the match for the home team.
Sydney Olympic 0-1 Bulls FC Academy at Peter Moore Field
One of this season’s surprise packets, Bulls FC Academy celebrated an important 1-0 away win against a top Sydney Olympic side on Easter Sunday.
The action at Peter Moore Field was rapidly from the outset with the Bulls pushing for an opener instantly through Avaani Prakash, who picked up the ball from midfield and spotted fellow young star Peta Trimis for an ensuing cross into the box and strong header from Ashley Irwin that was stunningly saved by Courtney Newbon.
A subsequent corner for the Bulls was cleared by the Olympic defence but eventually the Bulls made their way back up the field and took the ascendancy when Tamires Souza found Phoebe Handcock on the right edge for a pinpoint cross and resulting poacher’s finish from Anneke Corry. 1-0 to the away side.
Olympic were forced to claw themselves out of falling behind early, but found a plucky and competitive Bulls side in their way who were insistent on ensuring a positive result after earning 5 out of a possible 12 points in their four games so far to start the season.
The home side thought they’d found their equaliser at the end of the first half when substitute Kiara De Domizio pounced on an inadvertently ill-fated touch by Bulls defender Jessica Seaman and placed it past goalkeeper Trudy Simmons. To the frustration of the Olympic star however, the goal was immediately called for offside.
It was De Domizio who would again have a glorious chance to put her side back into the match in the 53rd minute, the forward unfortunate to see her resulting low finish prevented by the foot of Simmons.
Simmons would again prove to be a formidable obstacle for the Olympic number 9 collecting De Domizio’s long-range attempt in the final minute of extra time and assuring her side three points.
Gladesville Ravens 2-0 Illawarra Stingrays at Christie Park
Gladesville Ravens extended their unbeaten run in the NPL NSW Women’s competition with a 2-0 victory over the Illawarra Stingrays.
The Ravens, newly promoted at the end of 2022, showed their intent early as creative winger Keiko Tanaka setup Georgia Vlangos from deep for a half-chance in the 3rd minute that Stingrays keeper Sophie Emery pushed away for her defender to clear.
From then on, the two sides remained competitive as they both attempted to dictate the match through holding possession, with the Stingrays crafting their first substantial opportunity in the 17th minute only to see Halle Callow’s rocket from just outside the Ravens’ 18-yard box by in-form Gladesville keeper Romina Parraguirre.
Contrary to their approach in the first half, the Stingrays opted to surrender possession in the second half in an effort to catch the Ravens defence lacking via their pacey outlets in the form of Kaelah Austin and Adelaide Thompson.
It would be Ravens midfielder Chloe O’Brien who would unlock Tanaka on the right-wing courtesy of a lofted one-touch pass, the Ravens winger taking the ball down expertly and combining with Vlangos for a clinical finish beyond Emery. 1-0 to the home team.
Sure enough, the Ravens had another goal in them as barely a minute later Jess Wootton won possession in midfield and drove straight at the Stingrays defence, earning her side a successive corner. An unmarked Vlangos would then secure her brace by rising to meet Tanaka’s outward cross and heading over the Stingrays defence and into the back of the net, the two clearly establishing a formidable partnership in attack to start the season.
Despite a late flurry, the Ravens would go on to confirm the win, one which will no doubt leave coach Andrew Galbraith delighted with his side’s fortitude against a tough opponent.
Sydney University 2-4 NWS Spirit at Sydney Uni Football Ground
Round 5 of the NPL NSW Women’s competition came to an exciting end at Sydney Uni Football Ground, where NWS Spirit came away with a 4-2 win over Sydney University.
Seeking to move on from their 1-0 loss at home against APIA Leichardt in Round 4, the Spirit lived up to their name in the early stages and heaped the pressure on Sydney Uni, leading to midfielder Sarah Morgan playing an excellent over-the-top through ball into the path of Morgan Roberts who put the ball on a platter for Bianca Radman to tap home.
Keeping with Round 5’s theme of providing back-to-back doubles, Sarah Morgan was again involved for Spirit as she laid the ball off for Monique Holder to place a lethal long-range screamer into the top-right hand corner a mere 2 minutes after the opener. 2-0 to the Spirit.
Goal number three for the visitors was not far away though, as Sydney Uni defender Margaux Chauvet was forced into preventing a certain third goal for Spirit when she outstretched a leg to topple Emily Jensen, the resulting penalty potently dispatched by Morgan for a 3-0 lead.
The good times would keep on rolling for the Spirit in the second half as defender Rachel Perrins caught the Sydney Uni defence sleeping and launched a long ball from well in her own half to the delight of an onrushing Morgan Roberts who made certain, 4-0 and the visitors were well and truly having a party.
The dominant display by NWS Spirit was partially undone by a Sydney Uni side determined to reduce the scoreline in the second half, with Kaiya Buchanan unlucky to give away a penalty for a handball inside the box as Stephanie Augoustis dispatched from the spot.
Sydney Uni’s final consolation for their efforts in the second stanza was the result of Poppy Tay’s instinct to snatch the ball from the Spirit defence and finish calmly past Mio Nemoto.
Despite conceding two goals, the final result of 4-2 will undoubtedly relieve a Spirit side that have failed to beat Sydney Uni in 7 previous outings dating back to 2018.
By Matthew Badrov
