The National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition put on a spectacular display of football across Round 4, with goals aplenty being scored throughout the weekend’s matches.
Read on for our full breakdown of the weekend that was.
Match of The Round – NWS Spirit 2-2 Manly United at Christie Park – Full Match Report
NWS Spirit FC were moments away from recording their first win of the season had it not been for a last gasp Manly United equaliser on Saturday afternoon at Christie Park in the NPL Women’s NSW competition.
It was the visitors who took the lead as Daisy Arrowsmith volleyed home from point blank range.
Within minutes though, Spirit completely overturned the result via a brace from Morgan Roberts.
Just as Tony Candy and Spirit were about to begin celebrating, Emily Minett had other ideas, finding the far bottom corner to rescue a point for Manly in the 94th minute.
Football NSW Institute 3-1 Northern Tigers at Valentine Sports Park
Spectators at Valentine Sports Park were treated to a stellar matchup on Sunday afternoon, with Football NSW Institute triumphing 3-1 over the visiting Northern Tigers.
FNSW Institute and the Tigers entered the match on equal footing, with both sides earning just a point in the competition so far, as well as sharing a -3 goal difference.
The Tigers have been involved in plenty of high-scoring affairs thus far and will have been focused on shoring up their defence heading into this fixture.
FNSW Institute would quickly put the Tigers’ hopes of a sturdier defensive effort to bed however after possession was well won off of the Tigers in a dangerous area, leading to Tiana Fuller capitalising to secure her side an early lead in the 5th minute.
A 53rd minute equaliser would arrive for the Tigers after a free-kick was looped into the box, causing chaos for the Institute defence as Tigers players threw themselves at the ball, before it was eventually buried by substitute Ella Gattorna for 1-1.
It would not take long for Institute to respond as Adelaide Wyrzynski picked the ball up close to the edge of the 18-yard box and bypassed several Tigers players with quick footwork to release Lauren Nada bombing down the left wing, who made no mistake in sliding the ball home for a 2-1 lead in the 57th minute.
Institute’s third goal of the day was a sensational watch, as the side built up from a throw-in taken in their own half and worked the ball to Amelia Cassar, who cheekily backheeled the ball into the path of an onrushing Mikayla Duong for a terrific chipped finish that successfully eluded goalkeeper Aimee Hall and ensured a 3-1 win for the home side.
Emerging Jets 3-3 Sydney University at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
There were goals galore in a dramatic contest between the Emerging Jets and Sydney University, with the sides sharing the points in a 3-3 draw at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
Sydney Uni will have gone into the match buoyed by a strong performance away to NWS Spirit last weekend, and will have been determined to secure the three points against an Emerging Jets side desperate to turn their form around.
And it was Sydney Uni who kicked off proceedings in the 18th minute when a superb team move was capped off by Anna Hunt, who simply had to put the finishing touch into an open net for 1-0.
Ava Pritchard did well to add a second goal for Sydney Uni after she took advantage of Caoimhe Bray’s sweeper-keeper efforts to fire a pinpoint long ranged effort into the net in the 56th minute.
Jets speedster Alexis Collins would bring her side back into the game in the 61st minute following on from a terrific through ball by Josie Allan, with Collins just able to slide the ball past Chelsea Hromek in the Sydney Uni goal, despite the keeper’s best efforts to keep it out.
Collins then scored a magnificent equaliser for her side in the 81st minute after finding herself in space with a ball over the top to run onto and marching forward to slam a thumping finish into the back of the net.
As extra time rolled around both sides were desperate to find a winner, and it was the away side who believed they had the three points secured when Jennifer Kokoris struck a miraculous finish from the right wing that nestled into the far-left corner of goal. 3-2 to Sydney Uni in the 93rd minute.
There was to be one more surprise for the home fans at Lake Macquarie when the Jets earned a penalty after Hromek took out Laura Knipe in the box, leaving Allan with the opportunity to give her side their first point of the season, with the midfield maestro dispatching it with confidence to cap off a heroic performance. 3-3 the final score.
Macarthur Rams 1-0 Gladesville Ravens at Lynwood Park
A tough contest between two of the NPL Women’s standout sides this season ended with Macarthur Rams defeating the Gladesville Ravens 1-0 at Lynwood Park on Sunday evening.
The Rams entered the match in red hot form and sitting comfortably at the top of the NPL NSW Women’s ladder.
In comparison, the Ravens would have been raring to go after their match against the Illawarra Stingrays was washed out last weekend, and will have fancied their chances against the side sitting 1st on the ladder.
The first half saw both sides carve out chances, with one significant moment seeing Isabella Habuda going close in the 17th minute after running onto a quality through ball from Lara Brewis that ended with Habuda being denied at close range by Rams goalkeeper Teresa Morrissey.
Macarthur would earn their solitary goal of the game in chaotic fashion, with an own goal being scored by Annabelle Daczko after she attempted to head the ball away following Romina Parraguirre’s sensational stop against Bronte Trew, with the ball eventually steered in off the post.
The result ensures that the Rams remain unbeaten atop the NPL Women’s NSW ladder at the conclusion of Round 4, whereas the Ravens sit a few spots down in 5th place.
Illawarra Stingrays 5-1 Blacktown Spartans at Macedonia Park
Macedonia Park was the setting as the Illawarra Stingrays recorded a stunning 5-1 victory over the Blacktown Spartans on Sunday.
The Stingrays were itching to get back on the park after their match against the Gladesville Ravens was postponed due to heavy rain last weekend.
In comparison with their 2023 campaign, the Blacktown Spartans are already looking stronger this season after a draw against NWS Spirit and a win over the Emerging Jets, and were certainly not going to take a backwards step against the Stingrays having scored the most goals in the competition leading into Round 4.
The away side would start strong and notch the opener in the 11th minute through young star Allyssa Ng Saad, who made herself a nuisance for the Stingrays defence and snuck the ball beneath the onrushing Sophie Emery. 1-0 to the Spartans.
Although she earned a penalty for her side in the 32nd minute, the clash which led to the spot kick resulted in Stingrays stalwart Tara Cannon needing urgent medical attention as she was forced from the field of play. Her efforts were not in vain however as Alicia Meuronen dispatched the resulting penalty after play was resumed.
Sakura Nojima would brilliantly add a second for the home side after deftly chipping the ball one-on-one with the Spartans defender to then tap the ball past Anna Norton in the Blacktown goal.
The Stingrays would successfully capitalise on the Spartans giving up possession in their own box and extend their lead to 3-1 in the 63rd minute through Layla Etherington, who was smartly-placed to tuck away the finish.
A late brace to Siobhan Edwards – the first a deft penalty taken with aplomb and the second an exquisite finish that nestled itself into the bottom right corner – was enough for the Stingrays to run out 5-1 winners.
UNSW 3-6 Sydney Olympic at The Village Green
A 9-goal thriller played out at The Village Green on Sunday evening, with Sydney Olympic defeating UNSW 6-3.
Having shown their quality throughout the new season already, UNSW were no doubt excited to host Olympic at the Village Green after an unbeaten start. By contrast, Olympic were looking for a quick reaction after their loss against APIA Leichhardt last weekend.
Goals in quick succession epitomized the early stages of the match, with Olympic opening the scoring through Maxine Peak’s self-assured finish across goal in the 14th minute.
UNSW would equalise almost immediately after in the 16th minute via Sarah Moore, who had to react quickly to the ball finding its way to her on the edge of the box, which the No. 88 did successfully and with some style as she buried the ball into the bottom left corner from range.
Demi Koulizakis deserves plenty of credit for her goal in the 17th minute, with the wily forward spectacularly fashioning herself a half chance in amongst a sea of UNSW defenders and taking it to give her side a 2-1 lead.
Mali Stanton then gave her side further reprieve in the 41st minute having made a smart run in behind the UNSW defence to meet an excellent ball from Brianna Oliverio and tap the ball in for 3-1.
An intelligent piece of improvisational play gave UNSW an avenue back into the match as Amanda Levaskevich latched onto a loose shot to hook the ball over Olympic keeper Sayaka Koyama and in for 3-2.
Despite UNSW’s best efforts, Olympic would retain the ascendancy for the remainder of the second half, with Koulizakis again showing her class as she calmly picked up the ball from outside the 18-yard box, and weaved in and out to set herself up in a comfortable shooting position where she smashed the ball into the bottom right corner. 4-2 to Olympic in the 64th minute.
Danielle Rutstein scored Olympic’s fifth of the night in the 83rd minute, the substitute able to place a header into the back of the net after UNSW were unable to deal with a cross from the away side.
A header in the 90th minute to Ebony Mccue-Shore ensured that it was back-to-back goals from corners for Olympic, who would eventually see out the match as the victors despite a late consolation in the form of Levaskevich’s well-guided header. 6-3 the final score in the end.
Bulls FC Academy 3-3 APIA Leichhardt at Valentine Sports Park
Bulls FC Academy and APIA Leichhardt went head-to-head at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday evening, with a 3-3 draw the outcome between the two sides.
Anticipation for the matchup between the Bulls and APIA in Round 4 was palpable, with the Bulls having been the side to have knocked APIA out of the 2023 Finals series.
The Bulls have provided plenty of entertainment so far across their three matches, whereas APIA earned their first win of the season over Sydney Olympic in Round 3 after back-to-back losses to begin the campaign.
APIA showed no signs of the rustiness that had plagued their earlier matches this season as they efficiently counterattacked and scored via some quality holdup play by Ashlie Crofts, who laid the ball onto the path of Te Reremoana Walker making a driving run from midfield for a well-taken finish into the bottom corner of the far post. 1-0 to APIA in the 6th minute.
The away side looked ruthless in the first half and subsequently added another goal through Charlotte Lancaster, who sent a blistering finish into the Bulls goal.
The Bulls proved to be unfazed despite going 2-0 down, as Amber Luchtmeijer caused strife for Sophie Magus in the APIA goal with a looping cross that was bravely met by former APIA star Isabella Coco-Di Sipio and headed in for 2-1.
A wonderfully weighted cross to the back post would then open the door for a Bulls equaliser, with Elizabeth Grey scoring a strong header to put her side firmly back into the contest.
APIA were then left stunned late in the first half when Luchtmeijer was brought down for a penalty, with the resulting spot kick powerfully taken by Coco-Di Sipio to give her side an astonishing 3-2 lead after being 2-0 down.
In a turn of events that only a game like football could provide, APIA would win their own chance at a penalty goal that Brinley Gentle stepped up to take. Although her initial spot kick was saved by Trudy Simmons, Gentle was able to bury the second attempt for 3-3 in the 90th minute.
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By Matthew Badrov
