Round 16 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
An entertaining Round 16 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition has led to some intriguing changes to the shape of the ladder, with the battle for top of the table between Sydney Olympic and APIA Leichhardt rescheduled due to inclement weather.
Catch up on all of the action in our full review below.
Match of the Round – Gladesville Ravens 1-2 Illawarra Stingrays at Christie Park
The Illawarra Stingrays came away with a last gasp 2-1 victory over the Gladesville Ravens to send them to the top of the NPL Women’s NSW ladder.
It was the visitors that started the better and were rewarded for their good start with a goal mid-way through the first half to Sienna Saveska.
Just before the break, with the Ravens improving, Bella Habuda equalised.
With the game set to finish a draw, Siobhan Edwards popped up to tap the ball home to secure a massive three points for the Stingrays.
Click here to read the full match report!
Bulls FC Academy 3-0 UNSW at Northbridge Oval
Northbridge Oval played host as Bulls FC Academy convincingly defeated UNSW 3-0 on Sunday evening.
The Bulls have found a strong momentum at a critical point in the season and entered this matchup in 4th place. By contrast, UNSW are struggling for form and will have been hoping to upset a classy Bulls side in their visit to Northbridge Oval.
Having seen her chipped finish bounce just beyond the far post a minute earlier, Tamires Souza would quickly get the ball rolling for the Bulls in the 9th minute after being put through one-on-one with the goalkeeper following a superb through ball by Amber Luchtmeijer, her low finish into the bottom corner giving the home side the lead.
Luchtmeijer did wonderfully to manufacture a second for her side, robbing the goalkeeper of possession just outside of the 18-yard box and taking her chance to extend the lead to 2-0 with a composed strike from range.
Bulls creative midfielder Avaani Prakash was at the centre of her side’s third and final goal after spotting the run of Daniella Naeimi and placing the ball in front of the winger, who proceeded to tap the ball in from range to beat the outrushing goalkeeper. 3-0 the final score.
Manly United 1-2 Northern Tigers at Cromer Park
The Northern Tigers triumphed 2-1 over local rivals Manly United in a derby at Cromer Park on Sunday evening.
After a tremendous start to the year, Manly have looked a different side of late with zero wins in their past seven fixtures. Similarly, the Tigers will be looking to improve after successive losses in recent weeks in an effort to get back to the form that had them rising up the table in April and May.
Manly had several chances to take the lead just prior to going up 1-0, with the goal finally arriving via an own goal scored by an unfortunate miskick from Isabella Keech following a cross by Nicole Stuart.
The home side’s lead would not last long however with the Tigers stepping it up a gear as the first half went along. The ever-reliable Jade McAtamney would ultimately notch the goal after holding off the Manly defenders and goalkeeper Nicole Simonsen before knocking in a header at a corner.
It would not be a derby without some drama and the Tigers certainly brought some late in the second half as Isabel Gomez bypassed the Manly defence to take on a superb through ball to ultimately seal the winner.
Blacktown Spartans 2-2 Emerging Jets at Blacktown Football Park
The Blacktown Spartans were held to a 2-2 draw by the visiting Emerging Jets in a closely-fought battle between the two sides in last and second last place respectively.
The Spartans will have known they need to begin picking up the points after enduring a series of tough results of late. However, up against an Emerging Jets side riding the high of back-to-back wins will certainly be seen as a tough challenge for the Spartans to overcome.
Although, unfortunately for the Spartans, the Jets appeared intent on maintaining their recent momentum and earned the lead in the 22nd minute when Emma Dundas delivered a magnificent strike from distance that rose high and curled into the back of the net for 1-0.
The goals would begin flying in from both sides in the second half, with Blacktown equalising when Roukayah Al Fararjeh’s corner inexplicably avoided the Jets defenders and goalkeeper Lily-Rose Dunbarto land in the back of the net. 1-1 in the 60th minute.
A tap-in at the back post in the 69th minute from Alexis Collins would restore the Jets’ lead again, however the Spartans remained resilient and found another equaliser through club top scorer Allyssa Ng Saad in the 75th minute, meaning the game finished 2-2.
Macarthur Rams 2-0 Football NSW Institute at Lynwood Park
The Macarthur Rams backed up their win last weekend and overcome a solid Football NSW Institute side in a challenging contest at Lynwood Park.
As mentioned, the Rams clicked into gear last weekend to finally earn a win after a series of losses and will have been determined to keep picking up wins coming up against an inconsistent FNSW Institute side. Institute have been a competitive side this year and will have relished the opportunity to come up against a Rams side that has struggled for consistency this season.
After patiently building the ball out from the back in an effort to create gaps through the Institute’s midfield, Bronte Trew would successfully give her team the lead after the Institute defence failed to deal with a cross and left the Rams winger open at the back post for an easy finish.
A wonderful pass from captain Bethany Gordon would allow Kelli Brown the opportunity to extend their lead in the 80th minute, which she did with aplomb, giving her side an important goal in the race to finish in the top four and to play finals football.
Sydney University 3-3 NWS Spirit at Valentine Sports Park
An entertaining 3-all thriller played out at Valentine Sports Park, with the scores finishing level between Sydney University and NWS Spirit.
Outside of their loss last round to the Macarthur Rams, Sydney Uni have stood strong for a number of weeks and secured plenty of draws along the way. The home team will be cautious not to give away too many chances with an in-form Spirit side visiting Valentine Sports Park with hopes of continuing their push to finish in the top four.
The goals were flying in early in this matchup, with Ella Abdul Massih beginning proceedings in stylish fashion after controlling the ball on the left wing and charging toward the box before firing in a great finish on her right foot.
Charlotte Hampshire would score arguably the goal of the round in finding an equaliser for her side, with the No. 14 planting a free-kick from distance over the goalkeeper and in for a seemingly miraculous finish.
Amelia Feeney, having seen her teammate’s incredible long-distance finish, would craft a moment of magic of her own after taking a free-kick from a significant range and besting goalkeeper Matilda Gilbert. 2-1 to Sydney Uni in the 35th minute,
Seeing her side in need of an equaliser, Ella Buchanan stepped up to fire a fantastic volley of her own after picking up a Sydney Uni clearance from a corner and placing the ball into the back corner of the net. 2-2 at half-time.
This game continued to provide nothing but exceptional finishes, however this time it was Bianca Galic striding through midfield before setting herself up with a strike from range that bounced and eluded the goalkeeper and tucked itself into the bottom left corner. 3-2 to Sydney Uni in the 58th minute.
A clinical header in the 79th minute from Clare Holder would ensure that Spirit did not leave Valentine Sports Park without a result of some kind, with the match ultimately concluding 3-3.
Sydney Olympic v APIA Leichhardt – WASHED OUT
Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
Words by Matthew Badrov
