Round 10 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Ten Rounds into the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW and the competition remains closely-fought still.
And with Female Football Week kicking-off May 3rd and running until May 12th, be sure to head out to a match to support the women’s game and the many clubs celebrating the occasion.
Now onto the breakdown of this weekend’s matches!
Match Of The Round – UNSW 0 v Sydney University 0 at The Village Green
At The Village Green on Sunday afternoon, the Students’ derby saw a stalemate as UNSW and Sydney University had to settle for a scoreless draw in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW Match of the Round.
Click here for the full Match Report!
NWS Spirit 2-2 APIA Leichhardt at Christie Park
A 2-2 thriller played out on Saturday evening, with NWS Spirit and APIA Leichhardt sharing the spoils after an entertaining 90 minutes at Christie Park.
Back-to-back losses in recent weeks will have left Spirit hurting, however the side will undoubtedly remain defiant in their push to kickstart their season, with the matchup against APIA arriving at a critical time. APIA, by comparison, have gotten their season back on track after a tough start and will have been gunning for the three points against a wounded Spirit side.
After a tense first half with limited chances, Erin Tavares would be the one to unlock the APIA defence with an excellent turn and sublime pass into the path of Clare Holder, who made no mistake in putting the ball away for 1-0 in the 40th minute.
APIA would begin to take control of the game in the second half, with an equaliser being found in the 66th minute after Ashlie Crofts retrieved the ball following a cleared corner and caused trouble with her subsequent cross into the box, leading to a headed own goal from Erin Pridmore.
Crofts then provided the spark for her side to take the lead in the 68th minute, unleashing an instinctive first-time strike from range that bobbled and eluded Spirit goalkeeper Katie Offer before bouncing into the back of the net.
Spirit were not done for the day however, and would conjure up an equaliser of their own in the 85th minute through Nikkita Fazzari, who confidently took down a free-kick and triumphantly smashed the ball in for 2-2, ensuring the points were shared at the end of the ninety minutes.
Bulls FC Academy 3-2 Emerging Jets at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy were able to hold onto the win in a 3-2 victory over the visiting Emerging Jets at Northbridge Oval on Sunday.
Though the Bulls have shown themselves to be a strong attacking team in patches this season, their defence has struggled at times for consistency and will have been mindful coming up against a Jets side capable of putting teams on the back foot and springing an upset.
Amber Luchtmeijer opened the scoring for the Bulls in the 36th minute with a well-taken finish after being put through in behind the Jets defence by a sublime over-the-top pass from midfield maestro Tamires Souza.
It would not take long for Luchtmeijer to double her side’s lead following a strong run and squared ball from Isabella Coco-Di Sipio to setup the Bulls’ top scorer for an easy tap-in in the 40th minute.
The Jets would pull one back just before half-time, with Josie Allan showing the full extent of her qualities by winning the ball back in midfield and making an excellent run forward to then surge past the Bulls defence and calmly setup Laura Knipe for an equally composed finish.
Fresh from the half-time break, the Bulls instantly went on the offensive, with Daniella Naeimi slaloming her way through the Jets defence to setup Luchtmeijer for an initial shot that was palmed away by Lily-Rose Dunbar, with Luchtmeijer first to the follow-up and able to guide it past the Jets keeper for 3-1.
The Jets, who have stayed true to honing an attacking style of play since the beginning of the season, would craft a wonderful second goal in the 84th minute. Zoe Karipidis initiated the play following some excellent skill to fire a pass from the defence to substitute Alexis Collins, who deserves plenty of credit for dropping into midfield to spark the attack and then racing into the box to finish it off with a delicate finish. 3-2 the final score.
Manly United 0-0 Gladesville Ravens at Cromer Park
League leaders Manly United were held to a stalemate by the Gladesville Ravens on Sunday evening, with 0-0 the final result at Cromer Park.
Having entered this fixture in seemingly unstoppable form, Manly will have been more than aware of the Ravens’ qualities in a match that would have been seen as a must-win to keep the Northern Suburbs side on top of the ladder.
The first half was a tight contest between the two sides, with Manly hounding the Ravens defence through the likes of Nicole Stuart, though the away side were resilient and stood strong against Manly’s pacey attack
Wet weather certainly had a part to play in the match however, with neither side capitalising on their chances and understandably cautious in the face of tough conditions.
The Ravens would earn a significant chance to take the lead in the 64th minute with a free-kick just on the edge of the 18-yard box, however Lexie Moreno was unable to find the target.
Ravens goalkeeper Romina Parraguirre would make a heroic save for her side in the 71st minute, dropping down just in time to get a hand to a low Tegan Biasi finish and prevent it the ball from sliding through underneath.
Manly remain safe at the top of the ladder at least for another weekend, with the gap between 2nd placed Sydney Olympic and 3rd placed Macarthur Rams still four points after the two sides saw their match washed out.
Blacktown Spartans 1-3 Northern Tigers at Blacktown Football Park
The Blacktown Spartans were defeated 3-1 by the visiting Northern Tigers at Blacktown Football Park on Sunday.
The Spartans remain unpredictable in the NPL Women’s this season, with an incredible win over the Macarthur Rams in Round 8 followed by a loss to Sydney Olympic last weekend that effectively sums up their lack of consistency. A visit from the in-form Tigers will no doubt provide the entertainment for fans, but both clubs will have viewed this matchup as a necessary three points.
Saffron Grass did well to open the scoring for her side in the 15th minute after captain Lily McMahon’s initial header crashed into the post and bounced back toward Grass, who confidently dispatched the ball into the back of the net through a sea of bodies.
Having scored early, the Tigers would be forced to wait until the 87th minute to extend their lead after a free-kick (and resulting red card for Brittany Duggan) on the edge of the area was coolly finished by Jade McAtamney for 2-0.
The Spartans would notch a goal of their own in extra time after a penalty was given away by the Tigers. Up stepped Spartans star Allyssa Ng Saad, who showed total assurance in eluding goalkeeper Aimee Hall and tucking the ball home in the 92nd minute.
The away side were determined to take the three points back to North Turramurra, and had Bo Burton to thank for sliding the ball in at close range after several attempts were urgently prevented by the Spartans defence. 3-1 the final score.
Football NSW Institute v Illawarra Stingrays – POSTPONED
Sydney Olympic v Macarthur Rams – WASHED OUT
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By Matthew Badrov
