Round 20 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 20 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition may prove to be crucial in the run in to the end of the season, with plenty of upsets and comebacks being secured over the weekend.
Read on for our full wrap-up of the weekend that was.
Match of the Round – Macarthur Rams 3-3 Northern Tigers at Lynwood Park
The spoils were shared in a six-goal thriller at Lynwood Park on Sunday evening as the Macarthur Rams and Northern Tigers drew 3-3.
The Tigers raced off to an early lead thanks to Lily McMahon before the home side responded with two quick goals, Miku Sunaga and Beth Gordon putting the home side in front at half time.
McMahon had her second shortly after half time before again the Rams restored their advantage via Bronte Trew.
Minutes later, Jade McAtamney would equalise in what would prove to be the final goal of the evening.
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Bulls FC Academy 0-1 NWS Spirit at Northbridge Oval
NWS Spirit travelled to take on Bulls FC Academy and shocked the home side to come away with a 1-0 win at Northbridge Oval.
After a run of three losses in a row, the Bulls will have returned to Northbridge Oval knowing the importance of this fixture against visitors Spirit, who were sitting just below the home side on the ladder coming into Round 20. Fans will have expected an even contest with neither side guaranteed to earn the three points.
An even first half saw both teams put together several forays at goal, though much of the action took place in midfield with neither side backing down in contesting for the ball. The Spirit defence showed plenty of urgency to nullify the Bulls’ attacks, whilst the Bulls showcased a lot of confidence in playing out from the back.
The deadlock would finally be broken late into the second half, with Spirit star Ella Abdul Massih stepping up to put her side in front in the 80th minute with a wonderful curling free-kick that evaded the outstretched Issabella Coelho in the Bulls goal and rattled the back of the net. The goal would prove to be enough for Spirit to take the victory, and would more than meet the definition of a game-winning goal.
Sydney University 4-1 Sydney Olympic at Sydney Uni Football Ground
Sydney Uni Football Ground played host as Sydney University delivered a massive 4-1 upset victory over Sydney Olympic.
A matchup with title contenders Olympic would have been seen as a challenging feat for Sydney Uni to overcome, but the side certainly knew they possessed the quality to frustrate Olympic. The visitors, fresh from defeating Football NSW Institute midweek, will have been focused on securing the three points to set themselves up for a strong run in to the end of the season.
And it began positively for Olympic, who found the lead through Demi Koulizakis rising highest at the back post to meet a Taylor Ray corner with a strong header. 1-0 in the 41st minute.
Chasing an instant response, Sydney Uni would be forced to work for an equaliser after a corner was cleared by Olympic for a Uni strike at goal just inside the box that was deflected into the path of Olivia Vanderlaan, who found her instinctive finish blocked onto the far post and subsequently turned home by a well-placed Ashley Irwin. 1-1 just before half time.
Sydney Uni then caught Olympic on the break in the 62nd minute leading to an emphatic strike by Talia Kapetanellis to give her side a 2-1 lead. Significantly, the goal did justice to a brave save by Hannah Callaghan to deny Olympic attacker Maxine Peak a mere thirty seconds before Uni’s counter-attack goal to keep the scores level.
Kapetanellis then backed up her first goal of the day with a second in the 66th minute: a well-taken header just in front of goal after a deep cross from the right wing was mishandled by Olympic goalkeeper Anna Ivanovic. 3-1 to Sydney Uni.
A brilliant cross from Kapetanellis would lead to Sydney Uni making it 4-1 in the 92nd minute, courtesy of a confident header at the back post from substitute Amelia Feeney.
Illawarra Stingrays 2-2 Emerging Jets at Macedonia Park
The Illawarra Stingrays fought back from 2-0 down to earn a late 2-2 draw with the visiting Emerging Jets on Sunday evening’s clash at Macedonia Park.
The Stingrays arrived in Round 20 with positive form on their side, but a visit from the Jets would have been seen as a potential problem for the South Coast side with the Jets having found form late in the season.
And the Jets certainly did cause problems for the Stingrays, with a penalty awarded to the side just prior to half time for a foul on Josie Allan. A key player for the Jets this season, Allan then buried the resulting penalty to give her side a 1-0 lead before the break.
The second goal of the night for the Jets was remarkable, with Alexis Collins confidently taking on Laura Knipe’s expert through ball and striking a chip on the half-volley that looped over Brianna Edwards and in for a sensational 2-0 advantage.
Sienna Saveska then earned a goal back for the home side in the 74th minute courtesy of an audacious free-kick fired from distance that rocketed above Lily-Rose Dunbar and into the roof of the net.
Despite doing their best to hold on, the Jets were unable to prevent the Stingrays from finding a late leveller, with an under-pressure Brooklyn Hudson impressively striking an emphatic finish from just outside the box that barrelled into the back of the net. 2-2 the final score.
Gladesville Ravens 4-1 Football NSW Institute at Christie Park
The Gladesville Ravens showed their quality in an impeccable first half performance to secure an emphatic 4-1 win over Football NSW Institute in Sunday night’s encounter at Christie Park.
A win was necessary here for the Ravens as they chase a spot in the final four come the end of the season. Though the Institute fell 2-1 to Sydney Olympic in midweek, the side have proven themselves to be a formidable opponent and would have sought to cause problems for the Ravens in their visit to Christie Park.
The Ravens would find the opener early on in the match as Claudia Cholakian buried a solid header from a pinpoint cross that was well-worked via a short corner on the right edge. 1-0 to the Ravens in the 6th minute.
A superb finish from Annie Halls would extend the Ravens’ lead to 2-0 in the 16th minute, with the No. 8 wonderfully curling the ball in from the left of the 18-yard-box after some patient build-up by the home side.
A truly magnificent strike would give the Ravens their third of the evening as Breanna Buccini made her way forward from defence to take a half-chance and fire a screamer from well outside of the 18-yard-box that eclipsed Jasmine Black and landed in the goal for 3-0 in the 27th minute.
Nikola Orgill then secured her side’s fourth and final goal of the day, a well-taken strike that deflected off of an Institute defender and bypassed Black to land into the back of the net. 4-0 in the 41st minute.
The Institute would keep the Ravens scoreless in the second half, and would earn a goal of their own in the 67th minute as a result of Tiana Fuller’s quality poacher’s finish after exquisite work in the build-up by Institute captain Caley Tallon-Henniker. 4-1 the final score.
Manly United 1-1 UNSW at Cromer Park
Manly United and UNSW shared the spoils at Cromer Park on Sunday evening, with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw.
A late return to form has seen Manly rise up in the ladder with the potential there for a push into the top four. Standing in their way was a UNSW side eager to pick up the three points to keep them away from the drop zone.
Manly were intent on securing a goal from the get go, and would cause problems for UNSW with their high press.
This determination would prove fruitful for Manly early on as they took the lead in the 6th minute after the ball was well contested in UNSW’s half and picked up by Tegan Biasi, who outpaced her defenders to put herself in a scoring position before confidently firing home for 1-0.
Emily Minett then nearly doubled Manly’s lead in the 33rd minute, however her header from a corner was assuredly saved by the quick reflexes of Tiahna Robertson in the UNSW goal.
UNSW were able to produce an equaliser in the second half via a stellar finish after a free-kick was touched down by a UNSW attacker for Talia Backhouse to glide in over the sea of Manly defenders. 1-1 the final score.
APIA Leichhardt 2-1 Blacktown Spartans at Lambert Park
Lambert Park played host as APIA Leichhardt staged an impressive comeback to win 2-1 over a plucky Blacktown Spartans side.
On top of the ladder heading into Round 20, APIA will have known that a matchup with the Spartans was a must-win. As for the Spartans, they will have seen this as an opportunity to back up from their win over Bulls FC Academy last weekend. If any club could stop APIA, it is arguably a side that has been prolific in beating teams in the top four this season despite their precarious ladder position.
Blacktown’s speed in attack caught APIA on the break early on in the match, with the visitors taking the lead in the 3rd minute after Alyssa McKenzie received the ball with little APIA resistance in front of her and proceeded to burn her defender before rounding the goalkeeper and calmly slotting the ball in for 1-0.
Charlotte Lancaster was central to her side earning an equaliser in the 43rd minute, with the wily No. 5 doing well to stay standing after a challenge from a defender before driving forward to the boundary and crossing in for Kiara De Domizio, who confidently controlled the ball and tucked it away for 1-0.
A last-gasp winner would arrive for APIA in the 95th minute as none other than their captain Charlotte Young buried a header at the back post following a mistake under pressure by Anna Norton that opened the door for Young to secure the reward for all of her side’s hard work in their efforts to take the lead.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
