Round 13 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 13 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition provided all the thrills and spills as the action hit overdrive over the weekend.
Have a read of our full breakdown of the weekend’s events.
Match of the Round – Macarthur Rams 1-2 APIA Leichhardt at Lynwood Park
APIA Leichhardt recorded a come from behind victory against the Macarthur Rams at Lynwood Park on Sunday afternoon in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW match of the round.
An intense game of football between two fantastic teams saw Macarthur take the lead through Tenealle Hay after 35 minutes.
Less than 60 seconds after the restart, Ash Crofts scored a fantastic header, before midfielder Estelle Fragalle scored early in the second half to secure a massive win for APIA.
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Northern Tigers 3-3 Sydney University at North Turramurra Recreation Area
An enthralling 3-3 draw played out between the Northern Tigers and Sydney University on Saturday evening.
The Tigers have been on a hot run of form and will have entered this fixture hoping to keep their momentum going against a Sydney Uni side that have shown glimpses of quality. Sydney Uni did well to hold previous league leaders Manly United to a draw last round, but still remain winless since mid-April.
The Tigers would take an early lead in the 16th minute after Nicola Dominikovich won the ball close to the 18-yard box and drove forward to bury an assured finish past Baylee Broomhead in the Sydney Uni goal.
Sydney Uni would quickly respond however, first through Talia Kapetanellis’ strong finish underneath Aimee Hall in the 29th minute and then through Emily Brewster, who delivered an absolutely delightful curling finish over the outstretched arms of Hall from the left edge of the box that gave Sydney Uni a 2-1 lead at halftime.
With her side needing an equaliser, Dominikovich stepped up in the 62nd minute to pounce on some loose defending from the Sydney Uni backline and volley the ball over the top of Broomhead and in for 2-2.
Brewster would notch her brace in the 70th minute after placing the ball into the bottom left corner from distance to put her side into the lead. However, in spite of their excellent performance, Sydney Uni would be forced to settle for a draw as the Tigers fought back to equalise through the ever-reliable penalty taking instincts of Lily McMahon.
Manly United 0-1 Bulls FC Academy at Cromer Park
Manly United went down 1-0 to the visiting Bulls FC Academy at Cromer Park on Sunday evening, with the result proving to be significant in reshaping the ladder and knocking Manly off top spot heading into Round 14.
After drawing with Sydney University in Round 12, Manly will have set their sights on rediscovering the form that had them taking a firm lead at the top of the ladder just a few weeks ago. In their way is the Bulls, who in spite of their inconsistent form remain a competitive side in the NPL Women’s competition.
The first half action was largely kept contained in the midfield, with both teams attempting to gain a foothold on the match through keeping possession and dictating play. Attempts on goal were few and far between as both sides crafted chances from distance and set pieces.
A goal to break the deadlock would arrive late in the second half off the back of a corner which Tamires Souza headed toward goal and into the path of Jessica Seaman, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net from close range to give her side an important goal and a significant result in the context of both teams’ seasons.
Blacktown Spartans 0-2 UNSW at Blacktown Football Park
A huge away win for UNSW saw the side from Sydney’s eastern suburbs take the three points from Blacktown Football Park after defeating the Blacktown Spartans 2-0.
Though they entered Round 13 second last on the ladder, the Spartans have demonstrated plenty quality in attack throughout this campaign and will have been determined to earn the three points against UNSW. The away side recorded four draws in a row leading into this matchup, and would have been desperate to carve out a win.
And the opening goal from UNSW was certainly one to savour. Beginning with clever play from Allira Toby to spot the run of Abbey Lemon, who forced a poor pass out the back from a Spartans defender with her pressure on the ball, leading the ball directly into the path of Talia Backhouse for a spectacular long-range finish from just outside the box that sailed into the top left corner. 1-0 to UNSW in the 30th minute.
Lemon would then earn a goal for herself in the second half after a fantastic pass by Backhouse to set up the dynamic winger left her in space to drive at the Spartans defence and cut in on her left foot for a lethal finish that bounced in off the far post. 2-0 the final result.
Gladesville Ravens 6-0 Emerging Jets at Christie Park
The Gladesville Ravens recorded a huge 6-0 win over the Emerging Jets at Christie Park on Saturday.
The Ravens continue to be one of the stronger sides in the NPL Women’s this season, and have kept up with the top four in their push to play finals football this year. However, the Ravens will have been cautious coming up against the winless Jets after the side from the Hunter region went close to drawing with APIA Leichhardt last weekend.
The Jets held strong in the first half, and would keep the Ravens to a single goal ahead of halftime – Isabella Habuda the goal scorer in the 31st minute following up Lily-Rose Dunbar’s solid save from her initial shot with a finish through the crowd of Jets defenders.
Gladesville would begin to exert their dominance on the match in the second half, with Lexie Moreno sparking her side through a well-taken 49th minute penalty.
A goal for Patricia Charalambous would soon follow in the 56th minute after a squared ball across goal left the Jets defence scrambling to clear, leaving the No. 33 with enough time to place a superb finish into the back of the net.
A phenomenal minute for Habuda saw the classy forward complete her hattrick with successive goals, the first a poacher’s finish following a corner and the second a confident run and strike to capitalise on a Jets defensive error, both goals arriving in the 68th minute.
The Ravens saved the best for last though, as Ellie Howard found the bottom right corner in some style with a half-volley that flew over the sea of Jets defenders and into the back of the net. 6-0 the final score.
Illawarra Stingrays 0-1 Sydney Olympic at Macedonia Park
A strong away win by Sydney Olympic saw them successfully defeat the Illawarra Stingrays 1-0 at Macedonia Park, ensuring they leapfrogged the Stingrays into 6th place on the ladder as a result.
Fans will have expected a competitive match between the Stingrays and Olympic, with both sides no doubt setting their sights on finishing in a finals spot come the end of the season. The Stingrays entered the match in choppy form, whereas Olympic were unbeaten in two prior to the visit to Macedonia Park.
The Stingrays had the majority of chances in the opening half, with Olympic forced to maintain their resilience as the home side looked to put in a strong performance in front of their fans.
Olympic would find a spark in the second half however, and as a result would fashion several chances of their own following the halftime break.
With neither side able to find the back of the net, Priya Sciuriaga stepped up in the 83rd minute to heroically fire a brilliant strike from distance that eluded Illawarra’s goalkeeper Brianna Edwards and flew into the back of the net.
Olympic now set in 6th place on the NPL Women’s ladder, equal with the Stingrays on points and goal difference but ahead due to goals scored.
NWS Spirit 2-1 Football NSW Institute at Christie Park
NWS Spirit defeated Football NSW Institute in a challenging encounter at Christie Park in the final match of the round on Sunday evening.
A loss for Spirit last time out against the Illawarra Stingrays no doubt would have left them focused on earning the three points against FNSW Institute at Christie Park. Though, FNSW Institute will have arrived in North-West Sydney riding a high after victory over the Blacktown Spartans in Round 12.
Spirit would secure the opening goal of the game after a cross from the right wing was unwittingly turned home by FNSW Institute defender Zanthe Juric. 1-0 to Spirit in the 31st minute.
The second half would see FNSW Institute find an equaliser just a few minutes into the second stanza, as Anita Zordan raced from midfield to pick the pocket of a Spirit midfielder and head toward goal before firing a superb lofted finish over Katie Offer and in to restore parity for her side.
Spirit remained determine in their search for a second goal to reclaim their lead, and would successfully do so in the 57th minute when Talia Younis confidently dispatched a mishit chip by Nikkita Fazzari. Spirit would then see out the match as 2-1 winners.
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By Matthew Badrov.
