Round 9 Review – NPL NSW Women’s
Round 9 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s provided sensational goals, close fixtures, and dramatic late-winners.
The competition remains tight after nine rounds, with several teams battling away to close the gap between them and first-placed APIA Leichardt, who currently hold a seven-point lead ahead of second-place Bulls FC Academy.
Match of the Round – Manly United 0-0 Bulls FC Academy at Cromer Park – Full Match Report
Trudy Simmons was the hero on a cold Sunday evening at Cromer Park as Manly United and Bulls FC Academy shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw.
A last-minute penalty was saved by Simmons to extend the newly promoted team’s unbeaten run to five games.
Despite the scoreline remaining untouched for 90 minutes, it was far from an uneventful match.
Emerging Jets 3-5 NWS Spirit at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
NWS Spirit came back to topple a determined Emerging Jets side 5-3 in an entertaining Sunday evening matchup at Lake Macquarie.
A frenzied start to the match saw both sides pressing intently and ensuring minimal time on the ball for players, setting up a prophetic tone for the ninety minutes to come.
As the game began to shift in Spirit’s favour, the away side came away with the ball following a Jets corner and launched a quickfire counterattack through Erin Pridmore spotting Morgan Roberts on the left wing and setting the no. 13 on a path to the opener, Roberts bypassing Jets defender Alice Webster and goalkeeper Xanthe Parsons on the way to slot home an easy finish into an open net.
Spirit’s second of the night arrived off the back of skilful play by Rachel Perrins, who juggled the ball in a tight space and laid it off to Roberts with pace to burn on the right wing, the resulting cross eventually rocketed into the top right corner by Sarah Morgan after great endeavour shown by Monique Holder to win the ball from a Jets defender. 2-0 to Spirit.
The Jets crafted a wonderful attacking move in the 31st minute that led to heroic top scorer Brinley Gentle receiving the ball just outside the box and placing her shot beyond Spirit goalkeeper Mio Nemoto and into the far corner. 2-1.
Undoubtedly spurred on by their positive effort in the first stanza and a halftime team talk from coach Sam Griffin, the Jets proceeded to put together yet another excellently fashioned goal when Josie Allan drove through midfield and spotted Gentle, who shifted past a Spirit defender and finished with aplomb for 2-2.
Goal no. 3 for the Jets arrived when Emma Dundas found herself positioned perfectly in space on the edge of the box, picked up a loose clearance from Spirit, and buried the ball in to the bottom right corner. 3-2 to the Jets.
Spirit displayed plenty of fight to win back momentum in the match and eventually brought the game to 3-all when Ella Abdul Massih was picked out with a lofted through ball on the left wing and put the ball on a platter for Roberts to tap home for her brace.
The Jets were unable to clear Massih’s cross in the 74th minute, nor the header from substitute Rola Badawiya that found its way to Buchanan to smash it home. 4-3 to Spirit.
Goal no. 8 of the match was well-earnt by Spirit as Erin Leah Tavares won the ball on the right wing and showed no signs of fatigue in the 94th minute by spotting the run of Emily Jensen and crossing for the substitute to solidify the result for the away team. 5-3 the scoreline at the conclusion of the match.
Spirit coach Tiana Gauci undoubtedly would have been left delighted by the result, having seen her side struggle to close out games this season. And despite showing plenty of determination and resilience in the face of Spirit’s barrage of pressure, the Jets were unable to secure a much-needed three points.
Macarthur Rams 2-3 APIA Leichardt at Lynwood Park
Macarthur Rams and APIA Leichardt delivered plenty of action for fans at Lynwood Park, with the match between 1st and 4th finishing 3-2 in favour of league leaders APIA.
It was APIA who began the match in the ascendancy as they conjured plenty of chances through their endeavour to regain possession and look forward in pursuit of goals, although the Rams were unafraid to push APIA, particularly through utilising Leena Khamis on the left wing.
The opening goal of the day went to APIA however, and was sparked by a marauding run upfield by right-back Tanya Borazio that led to Ashlie Crofts picking the ball up with her back to goal and setting Holly McNamara on her way down the right wing. McNamara’s pinpoint cross then found Rhianna Pollicina for a sleek finish. 1-0 to APIA in the 21st minute.
Unfortunately for the Rams, the first half would continue to be controlled by APIA, the ensuing 2nd and 3rd goals for the away side coming via a bullet header by an unmarked Crofts and an intelligent run and finish by McNamara in the 27th and 34th minutes respectively.
Macarthur refused to give up though, and earned a free-kick just on the edge of the 18-yard box that was dispatched elegantly by India Breier in the 53rd minute, the home side finding a potential route towards taking points off the league-leaders in the process.
The second goal of the evening for the Rams was on par with the quality of their first. Upon receiving a lofted pass over-the-top from Madison McComasky in defence, Amalia Plummer took on the APIA defence and was able to scrape the ball towards an onrushing Melissa Caceres, the substitute somehow willing her way through the APIA defence and finishing past a crowded goal mouth.
Even with all of their immense effort, Macarthur were unable to get an equaliser past a resilient APIA side committed to remaining at the top.
Illawarra Stingrays 2-0 Blacktown Spartans at Macedonia Park
The Illawarra Stingrays were able to secure a 2-0 win and stave off the Blacktown Spartans in the process on a windy Sunday evening in Wollongong.
Steven Gordon would have been delighted to see his side take the lead in the 5th minute, the Stingrays opening the scoring through a tidy interchange of play between Halle Callow and Michelle Carney which saw the latter sneak the ball past Spartans goalkeeper Anna Norton.
The Spartans had a fantastic chance to equalise in the 65th minute when Abbey Lemon danced her way through the Stingrays defence and made her way towards goal for a miraculous effort that proved too tame to trouble goalkeeper Aimee Hall.
A returning Chloe Middleton was essential to the home side earning their second goal when she took advantage of a short goal kick to setup Carney, who subsequently cut in on her right and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner for her brace.
Lifted by a heroic performance from midfield maestro Michelle Carney, plus new signing Sakura Nojima, who previously plied her trade in the Japanese WE League, Illawarra were able to secure back-to-back wins and push up to 10th on the ladder.
Gladesville Ravens 2-1 Sydney Olympic at Valentine Sports Park
Even with their home game moved from Christie Park to Valentine Sports Park, the Gladesville Ravens proved to be equally as industrious in their 2-1 win over Sydney Olympic.
Although it would be Olympic who would begin the match the better of the two sides, the Ravens were kept solid by the goalkeeping of Romina Parraguirre.
The second half would see the Ravens showing plenty of ambition going forward, the home side coming close in the 52nd minute when Georgia Vlangos received the ball just inside her own half and spotted Jess Wootton on the wing. The experienced forward was able to hold off Olympic’s defenders and cross to Keisha Allen whose deflected shot slid through to Keiko Tanaka for a sure-fire opportunity at goal that was saved outstandingly by an outstretched Courtney Newbon.
The resulting corner led to the game’s opener when Tanaka sent a wonderful corner kick into the box that was leapt onto by Alexandra Tims. 1-0 to the Ravens.
Beginning with an incisive Sarah Yatim pass, Olympic were able to generate an equaliser through a swift move when substitute Allira Toby picked up Yatim’s pass, found Kiara De Domizio bombing in behind an unaware Ravens defence and set the young forward on her way to a well-taken leveller. 1-1 in the 63rd minute.
A 94th minute winner. Either the worst or best feeling in the world dependant on which side you are on. In this case, the Ravens were left ecstatic when Tanaka’s swerving corner kick bypassed a sea of bodies and sat in heading range of Wootton who took the chance with confidence and finished for an incredible late winner. 2-1 to the Ravens.
Northern Tigers 0-0 Football NSW Institute at North Turramurra Recreation Area
The Northern Tigers and Football NSW Institute were kept scoreless after ninety minutes in a tense 0-0 draw at North Turramurra Recreation Area on Sunday night.
Despite ranking 4th in goals scored this season, the Northern Tigers had trouble finishing off their opportunities up against a FNSW Institute side desperate for some luck to go their way after an up-and-down start to the season.
Tigers captain Hannah McNulty was missing for the home side due to a head injury sustained in the Tigers’ Round 8 loss to Bulls FC Academy, which may have been a factor in the home side’s struggles to cap off all of their hard work with goals.
Sienna Saveska looked dangerous for FNSW Institute and was heavily-involved in their most significant forays toward Sarah Willacy’s goal. By comparison, Tigers midfielder Claudia Cholakian was instrumental in keeping her side ticking and put in plenty of hard work to ensure that the Tigers were able to secure a point.
A lack of goals in this match certainly was not indicative of the quality the two sides possess, nor does it take away from the resilience both teams embraced to be able to push on in cold conditions.
The result ensures that FNSW Institute sit in 12th place at the end of Round 9 and that the Tigers sit in 3rd place.
Bankstown City Lions 1-1 Sydney University at Jensen Park
Jensen Park played host to an entertaining 1-1 draw between the Bankstown City Lions and Sydney University on Sunday evening, the result ensuring that the two sides remain just a point apart on the ladder after Round 9.
The Lions and Sydney Uni certainly brought the energy in the first half as both teams refused to take their foot off of the pedal in search of just rewards for their efforts.
End-to-end action epitomised much of how this match unfolded, with one sequence of play seeing Sydney Uni left-back Stephanie Ambrose unable to take advantage of an open net and Bankstown transitioning towards goal a mere thirty seconds later and being blocked by a Sydney Uni defender.
Immediately after that, Bankstown attempted to pick up the scraps from the blocked shot and forced Sydney Uni to concede a penalty that was dispatched with ease by youngster Rasamee Phonsongkham. 1-0 to Bankstown in the 65th minute.
Sydney Uni were not willing to go home empty-handed though, as in the 89th minute substitute Tara Baudana stepped up on the edge of the 18-yard box to send a sensational, splintering volley over goalkeeper Brianna Edwards and into the back of the net.
It proved to the final goal of the game, as Sydney Uni did well to compete against a Lions side doubly refreshed after missing their matchup last round against Sydney Olympic due to wet weather. However, it means that the Lions were consigned to their seventh draw in the NPL NSW Women’s competition.
-By Matthew Badrov
