Round 2 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW

The first round of action in the NPL Women’s NSW competition raised some eyebrows, so what can we expect in round two?
Let’s get to this weekend’s matches.
Bulls FC Academy v Football NSW Institute
The action kicks off Sunday afternoon at Valentine Sports Park as the Bulls FC Academy host the Football NSW Institute.
It was the perfect start to the campaign for Jaime Gomez’s team, with young gun Amber Luchtmeijer hitting it off on debut, scoring a brace in their 3-1 victory against her former club.
Gomez will expect much the same from his team and build from last week’s victory.
Lisa Warrener would have pleased with her sides performance last week against UNSW, less so with her side’s finishing in front of goal.
Adelaide Wyrzynski looked sharp last weekend and will look to continue on from last week’s goal and performance.
Manly United v Illawarra Stingrays
At Cromer Park at 5pm on Sunday afternoon, Manly United host the Illawarra Stingrays.
They may have come into this campaign without a lot of noise, went about their business quietly but boy did they make a bang in round one with victory over the reigning Premiers APIA Leichhardt.
It was tough to pick out one that made a difference in that one but more so the team performance, something Tom Hopley will hope the squad can emulate week in, week out.
Are Manly the real deal? Well, they’ll need to back up last week’s performance this week.
The Stingrays worked hard and pushed the Champions all the way, falling short in the end last week.
Last season’s super star Sakura Nojima didn’t score but was heavily involved over the weekend and more of that will be required.
Blacktown Spartans v NWS Spirit
The Blacktown Spartans take on NWS Spirit on Sunday afternoon at Blacktown Football Park.
It wasn’t the start to the campaign the Spartans were after and they may be in for another tough campaign this time around.
Teenager Charlotte Maniti lead this young squad last year with some eye-catching performances and will need to do so again.
Tony Candy would have been disappointed letting three points slip last weekend after leading the Northern Tigers by 2-0 at half time.
Encouraging for Spirit was that Morgan Roberts has carried her 2023 form into the new season after already finding herself on the score sheet.
Sydney Olympic v Northern Tigers
The Northern Tigers travel to Peter Moore Field to take on Sydney Olympic on Sunday afternoon.
Coing from two goals down in the season opener on Saturday, the Northern Tigers showed the fighting spirit they are known for, rescuing a point.
Substitute and debutant Ameera Makunja showed she will be deadly in front of goal while Nicola Dominikovich was a threat all game, getting herself on the scoresheet as well.
Olympic weren’t really tested in their first game and came away comfortable 3-0 victors over the Emerging Jets.
This week they will come up against a tougher opponent and if they can muster a positive result, will also raise a few eyebrows across the competition.
UNSW v Emerging Jets
The Village Green will get it’s first taste of top tier women’s action on Sunday afternoon as the UNSW hosts the Emerging Jets.
The newly promoted UNSW came away from their first game of the season with a point and on the balance of things, will be happy with that.
Allira Toby opened her season account on Sunday and the newcomers will be relying on her to find the back of the net throughout the campaign.
It was another tough outing from the Jets where they struggled to click into gear last weekend.
The likes of Claire Adams and Molly Salvador will be key for them to be competitive in matches.
Gladesville Ravens v APIA Leichhardt
At Christie Park in the final match of the round, the Gladesville Ravens take on APIA Leichhardt.
It will be the home team that comes into this one full of confidence following their convincing result in round one.
Former APIA player Isabella Habuda was in fine form and she will be one to watch, along with the impressive Patty Charalambous and Lexie Moreno.
It was a major shock at the end of the 90 at Leichhardt Oval when the reigning premiers suffered defeat.
They need much more from Charlotte Lancaster, Brinley Gentle and Ash Crofts who were well shut down by Manly.
APIA struggled to break down the deep block and will need to find a way to rectify that should the Ravens set up the same way.
Macarthur Rams v Sydney University – Match of the Round
In the match of the round on Sunday afternoon, the Champions Macarthur Rams host Sydney University.
It was always going to be a tough game down the south coast for Macarthur but they came away from that with a valuable victory.
This week they take on a wounded Uni team who will be keen to bounce back.
They will need to be aware of the danger that Uni can pose in attack and be prepared for the likes of Ava Pritchard and Anna Hunt.
At the other end, it was a disappointing first outing for the Students, Chelsea Hromek having to pick the ball out of her net five times.
Coming into games against opponents like the Rams, Uni need to trust themselves and try to play as freely as possible with little to lose.
It will no doubt be a tough game but a true test of character, in particular after last week’s defeat.
Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
By – Nikola Pozder