Round 21 Review – NPL Women’s NSW

Round 21 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition was a huge round of results, with the ladder still closely contested as the season draws to a close.
Have a read of the full breakdown of Round 21 below.
Match of the Round – Sydney Olympic 0-2 Manly United at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Manly United secured an important victory defeating Sydney Olympic 2-0 at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
Manly’s ever-ready attacker Emily Minett got the game’s first goal in the first half before Tegan Biasi added the second midway through the second to gift Manly the three precious points.
Click here to read the full Match Report!
Northern Tigers 3-0 Gladesville Ravens at North Turramurra Recreation Area
The Northern Tigers made a statement in their dominant 3-0 win over the Gladesville Ravens in Saturday’s sole clash at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
Both the Tigers and the Ravens arrive at this fixture hopeful of securing a result to push them into a top four spot, but fans of both teams will have known that this is a make-or-break moment in their respective seasons.
And on a windy evening in the Northern Suburbs, the Tigers began proceedings by taking an early lead in the 2nd minute courtesy of a strong finish by Bo Burton, who rose highest in the centre of the box to bury a thumping header past Romina Parraguirre in the Ravens goal. 1-0 to the Tigers.
The home side had to wait until the second half to extend their lead, this time through Josie Wilson who tucked the ball in after an initial dropped ball by Parraguirre led to some chaos in the box before the Tigers No. 2 was able to sneak the ball in for 2-0 in the 70th minute.
Substitute Beth Bernardi got the crowd off their seats with a brilliant chipped finish in the 85th minute that stealthily rose over Parraguirre, however the final touch was provided by Olivia Cartwright who was quick to ensure a third for her side and finish off the chip by Bernardi. 3-0 the final score.
APIA Leichhardt 1-0 Sydney University at Lambert Park
Lambert Park played host to what could only be described as a battle on Sunday evening, with APIA Leichhardt again forced to fight for the three points in an entertaining 1-0 win over Sydney University.
APIA have come into their own as the season has gone along, and have consistently proven themselves to be a side worthy of being the current premiership leaders. An extra time winner against the Blacktown Spartans last week shows that APIA have what it takes to carve out wins, but a visit from a Sydney Uni side buoyed by a huge victory over Sydney Olympic last round will undoubtedly have been seen as a huge challenge for the home team to overcome.
Despite having a greater share of possession, the first half saw APIA carve out less clear-cut opportunities than their opponents as Sydney Uni pressed high and won the ball from APIA in their efforts to play out from the back.
The most significant chance of the first half fell to the away side, with APIA goalkeeper Sally James denying an in-form Talia Kapetanellis from point blank range in the 13th minute to keep the scores level.
However, it would be APIA who would eventually prevail as substitute Brinley Gentle chased down a deflected through ball before rounding an outrushing Tahlia Franco and finishing from a tight angle to give her side what would come to be the winner in the 83rd minute.
Blacktown Spartans 0-3 Macarthur Rams at Blacktown Football Park
The Macarthur Rams came to Blacktown Football Park and conquered, winning 3-0 over the Blacktown Spartans.
The Spartans have discovered some positive form of late, and nearly came away with a result against APIA Leichhardt last time out. Having surprised the Rams earlier in the season, the home side will have known the importance of being prepared to face a resurgent Macarthur team looking to push APIA for 1st place.
The Rams had trouble breaking down the Spartans initially, with the home side staying resilient in the face of Macarthur’s attacks. However, a piece of individual brilliance would unlock the match for the Rams as Maya Lobo collected and held onto the ball with minimal space to manoeuvre on the edge of the box and unleashing a sensational curling strike into the top corner. 1-0 to the Rams in the 41st minute.
Kelli Brown then doubled her side’s lead just a few minutes later with a confident strike into the bottom left corner after being put through by Melissa Caceres. 2-0 in the 47th minute.
The second half carried on the positive momentum for the Rams, as Miku Sunaga added a goal of her own after Brown kept the ball in following a Caceres strike hitting the post and played in the Rams No. 14 for a well-taken strike into the bottom right corner. 3-0 the final score.
Emerging Jets 6-2 Football NSW Institute at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Park
The Emerging Jets were relentless in their 6-2 defeat of Football NSW Institute over the weekend, giving the home fans at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Park plenty to cheer for in the process.
The Jets have established themselves as a convincingly competitive side as the season has gone on, and will be geared up to entertain the visiting FNSW Institute in what will have been seen as an even clash between the two sides sitting closer to the bottom of the ladder.
It was Institute who gained the early ascendancy in this matchup however, with Adelaide Wyrzynski fluffing her initial chance before smashing the follow-up in to make it 1-0 in the 9th minute.
Jets star Josie Allan then began to gain a foothold on the match, and would earn a superb goal for herself in the 17th minute after stealing the ball from an Institute defender in possession and firing a lethal strike into the near post. 1-1.
Wyrzynski acquired a brace for herself just a few minutes later, after Anita Zordan’s brilliant chipped ball in behind was assuredly put away by the Institute striker. 2-1 to the visitors in the 19th minute.
The Jets were quick to respond from kick-off though, as Allan picked up a loose clearance on the left wing and bypassed her defender before playing an exquisite ball inside to an under-pressure Alexis Collins in the box, who found an outlet in the form of Emma Dundas, with the No. 6 taking the ball in her stride and spotting Milan Hammond, who sized up the opportunity and struck a pearl of a finish from range into the top left corner. 2-2 in the 20th minute after a quality passage of play by the Jets.
Hammond was the next to go on the scoresheet, earning a brace for herself in the 61st minute via a poacher’s finish into an open net after a header bounced off the crossbar and into her path. 3-2 to the Jets.
A gorgeous pass in behind from Laura Knipe put Collins through one-on-one with Institute goalkeeper Zanthe Juric, with the Jets attacker diverting her run past the goalkeeper and shooting into an empty net to make it 4-2 in the 72nd minute.
Allan capped off a strong performance by notching a brace of her own in the 82nd minute, arriving at the back post to finish off an opportunity fashioned by Collins that was well denied by Juric, and thus making it 5-2 in the process.
Substitute Zoe Daly was the final goal scorer of the day for the Jets, and would deliver arguably the goal of the game after cutting inside and taking a split-second chance to fire an excellent finish from long range that nestled into the far corner. 6-2 the final score.
Illawarra Stingrays 1-2 Bulls FC Academy at Macedonia Park
A productive first half performance saw Bulls FC Academy come away with a 2-1 win over the Illawarra Stingrays in their visit to Macedonia Park on Sunday.
After a challenging fightback saw them earn a late draw against the Emerging Jets last weekend, the Stingrays entered this fixture knowing they needed to be at their best to take on a Bulls side that possesses plenty of quality.
The Bulls were clicking early on and found the opener in the 5th minute through Avaani Prakash, who will be commended by her coach for chasing the ball down and fashioning a chance after Sophie Emery’s attempted clearance was blocked by the Bulls’ midfield maestro and subsequently put away in an open net. 1-0 to the Bulls.
Bulls top goal scorer Amber Luchtmeijer continued her fine form in this match, earning a goal in the 37th minute after she picked up Briana Woodall’s brilliant ball in behind and instinctively chipped it over an outrushing Emery. 2-0 to the Bulls.
The Stingrays secured a consolation in the 90th minute when Hayley Taylor-Young took her chance to volley a Bulls clearance past a sea of defenders and in for 2-1. However, the Bulls would see out the win in the end.
NWS Spirit 2-0 UNSW FC at Christie Park
NWS Spirit continued their late push for a spot in the top four after defeating UNSW FC 2-0 in a tight contest at Christie Park on Sunday evening.
Both Spirit and UNSW will have known the significance of earning the three points here, with the home side desperate to play finals football and the visitors needing a result to steer clear of relegation from the NPL Women’s. Fans will have expected a closely fought bout between the two teams at different but equally important stages of their respective seasons.
However, it was Spirit who conjured up the opener in the 31st minute, with goal scorer Talia Younis at the heart of her side’s goal. The No. 8 did well to drop into midfield and play a superb back heel to spark her side into a strong attacking foray, before putting the finishing touches on her side’s chance after placing the ball in the back of the net following an initial clearance by UNSW goalkeeper Tiahna Robertson.
Some fantastic interplay on the right edge saw Spirit setup Ella Abdul Massih for a perfect chance to double her side’s lead in the 38th minute, which the No. 11 promptly did after seeing her initial strike saved by Robertson. 2-0 the final score.
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Words by Matthew Badrov