An outstanding round of National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s action brought the 2023 Female Football Week to a sensational close.
Read on for a full wrap-up of the weekend that was.
Match of the Round – APIA Leichardt 3-0 Northern Tigers at Lambert Park
Click here to view the match report.
Bulls FC Academy 4-0 Blacktown Spartans at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy rectified for last week’s 4-1 loss Macarthur Rams by putting four goals of their own past Blacktown Spartans at Northbridge Oval.
It would be Blacktown who would have the first major chances of the match when Carleigh Frilles used quick feet to put Christa Oliva through on goal, only to see the no. 7’s shot blocked by a Bulls defender. Instantly, Abbey Lemon lunged for a shot on her own, only to have it impeded again by the home side’s urgent defending. A third attempt saw a chipped shot from outside the box easily collected by Bulls keeper Trudy Simmons.
Ruthlessly, the Bulls instantly pushed their way of the field with Tamires Souza able to shift the ball into the path of the speedy Avaani Prakash under pressure in midfield, which the young midfield dynamo carried with glee in her charge at goal and ensuing bullseye screamer from distance. 1-0 to the Bulls.
The Bulls again strode forward with intent in the 26th minute after Claudia Valletta returned the ball up field into the grateful feet of Souza, who proceeded to hold off her defender and link up with Prakash for the final ball towards Charlotte Lancaster who belted it home for 2-0.
An impressive first half performance by the Bulls was nearly capped off with a 3rd goal when Prakash and Lancaster combined down the left side for the winger to send an early cross into the box that was finished off by Peta Trimis. However, the Bulls star was called for offside.
The Bulls came out firing in the second period, with Valletta scoring a well-deserved header from a corner in the 50th minute and Trimis finding a late-arriving Souza for a smooth finish into the bottom right corner in the 69th minute, the match finishing Bulls FC Academy four, Blacktown Spartans nil.
Sydney Olympic 0-0 Sydney University at Peter Moore Field
Sydney Olympic and Sydney University played out a tough 0-0 draw on Sunday, with neither side able to break the deadlock across the ninety minutes.
The opening fifteen minutes set up an exciting tone for the match ahead with chances coming thick and fast for both teams and continuing that way (in patches) for the remainder of the game.
Olympic’s Ashley Irwin came close to scoring in the 3rd minute after being slipped through by Angelique Hristodoulou and prevented by onrushing Uni goalkeeper Sophia Varley.
Olympic were playing like a side determined to earn a result and bring some discomfort to outright league leaders APIA Leichardt, whilst Sydney Uni were resolute against the high press of the home team.
By contrast, Sydney Uni, who have unexpectedly struggled for form in 2023, would largely be kept to fashioning chances of their own from distance.
Allira Toby had a golden opportunity to give her Olympic the lead in the 79th minute denied when a shanked Sydney Uni clearance fell to her for the resulting half-volley, the shot ultimately well-saved by Varley.
Whilst the 0-0 result would have frustrated both sides, the scoreline was a testament to the hard-fought, fiery matchup between them.
Manly United 2-2 Bankstown City Lions at Cromer Park
Cromer Park was host to a closely fought matchup between Manly United and Bankstwn City Lions on Sunday evening which ultimately saw the two sides sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw.
The opening stanza was characterised by a gritty midfield battle that neither side looked too keen to relent in. Yet, Manly would go on to notch the first goal of the day off the back of an excellent run by young gun Sienna Dale on the right wing. Dale’s low cross into the box would then unwittingly deflect off of Bankstown defender and beyond the goal line. 1-0 to Manly in the 39th minute of the match.
Bankstown City Lions equalised in the 48th minute with a nifty corner routine that Manly’s defenders were left utterly perplexed by. Tiana Jaber the goal scorer with an open header from a pinpoint Rasamee Phonsongkham cross. 1-1.
Phonsongkham would go on to maintain her game-breaking form when she earned and finished a penalty to take her side into a 2-1 lead.
A Manly team desperate for a win were then able to claw themselves back into the match and leave their home fans with at least a point when Caitlin Jarvie pulled the spectacular out of nowhere and stumped Lions goalkeeper Stephanie Grimbilos with a looping long-range finish in extra time. 2-2 at the whistle.
Macarthur Rams 4-0 Illawarra Stingrays at Lynwood Park
A renewed Macarthur Rams secured a hefty 4-0 win over the Illawarra Stingrays on Sunday evening.
With Macarthur Rams focused collectively on fighting for top spot and building on last year’s triumph, and the Stingrays shoring up their defence of late, this match was looking to be an even game of football.
Macarthur would throw all preconceptions out the window though when they cruised to a 4-0 victory over a Stingrays side struggling to maintain the momentum of recent results that have gone their way.
Miku Sunaga opened the scoring for the rams before Kelli Brown added her first of two in the 25th minute.
Tenealle Hay then got on the scoresheet in the 64th minute before Brown completed her brace with a well taken goal in the 68th minute.
NWS Spirit 5-0 Football NSW Institute at Christie Park
Although one would have expected the scoreline to be closer coming into Sunday evening’s intriguing matchup between two sides experiencing positive form of late, NWS Spirit chose otherwise and put Football NSW Institute to the sword in a 5-0 decimation.
Despite the final result, the contest would begin positively for FNSW Institute – or more specifically for goalkeeper Jasmine Black – when she pulled off an out-of-this-world save to deny Spirit captain Natalie Tobin from the penalty spot.
Black’s heroics could only delay Spirit for so long, and the home side were rewarded for their efforts when Mary Stanic-Floody was spotted by Ella Abdul Massih in midfield and given the time and space to unleash a lethal curling effort over the outstretched Black and into the bottom corner of the net. 1-0 to Spirit.
Stanic-Floody would then be picked out for a blistering half-volley to extend her side’s lead to 2-0 in the 54th minute, Rachel Perrins the provider with a top-notch cross.
From here, Spirit would run rampant over FNSW Institute and extend their lead to 3-0 in the 56th minute when Tobin’s clever low free kick bested the Institute defence and found itself easily tapped in at the back post by Erin Pridmore.
Institute began to find it increasingly difficult to put together plays as the match went on, a factor which Spirit preyed on successfully and turned into a dangerous free kick scenario in the 63rd minute. Tobin’s delivery from the dead ball again proved to be tough to deal with for Institute, which lead to defender Alice Thompson finding herself in the unlucky position of unintentionally deflecting the ball into her own net for 4-0.
Sarah Morgan was at the heart of Spirit’s final goal of the day when she picked the ball up deep in her own half and sighted the marauding run of Morgan Roberts. She successfully earned her assist when the no. 13 took the ball in her stride and finished past Black for 5-0.
Gladesville Ravens 5-0 Emerging Jets at Christie Park
The Gladesville Ravens ran out dominant 5-0 winners over the Emerging Jets on Sunday, leaving the away side winless in 2023.
Goal no. 1 of the day took some time to arrive as the home side sought to break down a plucky Jets side. However, Lexie Moreno could not be stopped as she was well-positioned on a corner to place the ball into the back of the net. 1-0 to the Ravens.
Moreno was again involved for the Ravens’ second when she laid on a deft pass for Isabella Foletta to strike at Jets goalkeeper Xanthe Parsons, who was unable secure the shot and subsequently allowed Renee Pountney to pounce and score for Gladesville.
Parsons, under pressure from a high cross in the 53rd minute, could not collect the ball, allowing an opening for Keisha Allen to score after the Jets defence was unable to clear the ball in the resulting chaos.
The Ravens, this season’s surprise package in the NPL NSW Women’s, would make it four nil when a penalty, earned by Siobhan Edwards after being held back in the box, was dispatched by the no. 36.
Georgia Vlangos, one of this season’s standouts for the Ravens, earned her side’s final goal of the day when she outjumped the Jets defence in the six-yard box and headed home off a corner.
The Ravens, after going down to high-flying APIA last weekend, would have been delighted with the rout over the Jets. And, the Jets, for all of the attacking virtues in their style of play, remain without a win this season after being outmatched by a quality Gladesville unit.
By Matthew Badrov