Round 19 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW
We are into the final third of the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s season with nothing close to being decided yet.
The Premiership race will come down to the current top five it seems, while there are another four teams hoping to sneak into finals football.
Northern Tigers v APIA Leichhardt
3:30pm, Saturday 6 July, North Turramurra Rec Area
The action kicks off on Saturday evening as APIA Leichhardt travel to take on the Northern Tigers.
A defeat here for the Tigers will all but extinguish their hopes of securing the Premiership with APIA a direct rival in that fight.
Three straight wins have seen the Tigers fortunes change of late and throw them back in the hunt for first place.
Many had written off APIA after the first couple rounds of the season, but they remain undefeated since round two.
Charlotte Lancaster returns to the squad this week having served her suspension, giving Brad Attard a selection headache ahead of this week.
The league leaders will come into this one off the back of a tough mid-week fixture against another Premiership rival, Sydney Olympic, a week that could say a lot in the race for top place.
Football NSW Institute v Manly United
1:45pm, Sunday 7 July, Valentine Sports Park
At Valentine Sports Park in the first game on Sunday, Football NSW Institute takes on Manly United.
Two consecutive 3-0 defeats and the Institute are not where they want to be on the ladder.
They will feel like they can get something from this one against a Manly team that really been struggling.
It’s been a very long time between drinks for Manly United but they finally broke their baron run on Sunday with a 3-0 win over the Blacktown Spartans.
Before the weekend, Tom Hopley’s team had gone an incredible eight games without a win and will be looking to make a late finals push now.
Macarthur Rams v Emerging Jets
5pm, Sunday 7 July, Lynwood Park
The Macarthur Rams welcome the Emerging Jets to Lynwood Park on Sunday night.
Macarthur made it four wins in as many league games last week with a very tough and well earnt win over NWS Spirit.
There were some fine patches of play that lacked a finishing touch, something Stephen Peters has also identified.
After three games without defeat, it was a humbling loss on Sunday at home against the Northern Tigers.
The Jets have showed over the last month they aren’t pushovers and will be keen to make some noise here.
Sydney Olympic v NWS Spirit – MOTR
5pm, Sunday 7 July, Peter Moore Field
On Sunday night, if the weather holds, Sydney Olympic host the NWS Spirit at Peter Moore Field.
July looks to be a tough month for Sydney Olympic with a number of games scheduled in for them against quality opponents.
Should they be able to come away from this month with some key wins, they will put themselves in a fantastic position to secure the Premiership.
They face APIA Leichhardt tonight and then host Spirit on Sunday.
After five games without defeat, Spirit suffered their first defeat to the Macarthur Rams on Sunday.
They were good against one of the best in the competition but did not have enough to record three points.
Sydney University v Blacktown Spartans
5pm, Sunday 7 July, Sydney Uni Football Ground
At Sydney Uni Football Ground, Sydney University take on the Blacktown Spartans.
Sydney Uni are winless in four, picking up just one draw over that time, conceding 12 goals.
They’ll need to tighten things up defensively because finding the back of the net isn’t a problem.
It seems the Spartans are able to record a massive win, like they did against the Illawarra Stingrays, but then lose to a struggling Manly in the space of seven days.
They will need to improve their consistency and perhaps challenge those around them on the ladder to ensure they avoid relegation.
Gladesville Ravens v Bulls FC Academy
5:10pm, Sunday 7 July, Christie Park
A big game awaits us at Christie Park on Sunday night as the Gladesville Ravens take on Bulls FC Academy.
After four games without a win, the Gladesville Ravens finally got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 win over UNSW.
The win keeps them just outside finals football and a victory here is imperative to keep those hopes alive.
Similarly, Bulls FC Academy who are one point further back, also will be desperate for three points.
After some excellent results in recent weeks, they were struck with two consecutive defeats and cannot afford to drop points here.
Illawarra Stingrays v UNSW
7pm, Sunday 7 July, Sir Ian McLennan Oval
Illawarra Stingrays take on UNSW at Sir Ian McLennan Oval on Sunday night in the final kick off of the round.
The Stingrays got back to winning ways on Sunday with a comfortable win over Sydney Uni, bouncing back after an unexpected loss to the Blacktown Spartans.
Sitting in third place, they are right in the hunt for first place and need to continue recording wins.
Four straight losses for UNSW and things aren’t looking to bright at the moment for the side promoted this season.
A tough away trip but one where any points will be very worthy in the relegation battle.
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By – Nikola Pozder
