Round 22 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Surprise results in Round 22 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition means that plenty will be on the line heading into next weekend’s matches.
Have a read of our breakdown of what was an exciting Round 22 in the NPL Women’s NSW.
Match of the Round – NWS Spirit 3-1 Gladesville Ravens at Christie Park
NWS Spirit FC continued their second half of the season renaissance with another victory, this time defeating the Gladesville Ravens in the local derby at Christie Park on Sunday evening.
It was cold, it was windy, but the home side was just too strong and in the end, deservedly took the spoils.
The home side took the lead courtesy of the in form Ella Abdul Massih, before Morgan Roberts made it two in her 150th game in Spirit colours.
Bella Habuda halved the deficit just before the break for the Ravens but Abdul Massih secured the points with her second half strike.
Check out the full report here!
Bulls FC Academy 4-2 Northern Tigers at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy proved to be too strong for the Northern Tigers in the end, prevailing 4-2 over the visitors at Northbridge Oval on Sunday evening.
The Bulls entered this fixture with the knowledge that a win was a critical to give them any chance of consolidating a spot in the top four. Standing in their way: a confident Tigers side similarly desperate to play finals football come the end of the season.
And it was the Tigers who found the lead early in the 4th minute via Shadeene Evans, who rose highest in a crowded box to plant a strong header over Bulls goalkeeper Trudy Simmons. 1-0 to the visitors.
The Bulls gradually worked their way back into the match, finding an equaliser ahead of the break through Avaani Prakash’s deft touch and volley finish in the box. 1-1 in the 36th minute.
The second half continued the back-and-forth nature of the first forty-five, with Amber Luchtmeijer delivering for the home side after instinctively slipping the ball past Aimee Hall in the Tigers goal. 2-1 in the 48th minute.
Barely a minute later and the Tigers responded with another goal of their own, with Evans bagging a brace after seizing upon a small window of opportunity to bury a quality, intuitive finish into the back of the net. 2-2 in the 49th minute.
In a show of their determination to get the three points, the Bulls would go ahead again following a bit of individual brilliance from Daniella Naeimi, who unleashed a lethal strike from range after picking up a loose back pass from the Tigers and driving forward to plant a thunderous finish over an outstretched Hall. 3-2 in the 51st minute.
A fourth goal in the 58th minute would be enough for the Bulls to consolidate their victory, as Luchtmeijer showed her class in winning a contest with the Tigers defenders and hitting a sublime strike into the top left corner. 4-2 the final score.
Football NSW Institute v Sydney University at Valentine Sports Park
Sydney University recorded a 2-0 win over Football NSW Institute in a tightly-fought contest at Valentine Sports Park.
FNSW Institute have endured a poor run of form of late and will want to see out their season on a high by picking up a few positive results. In contrast, having lost midweek to the Emerging Jets, Sydney Uni will be gunning for the three points here against a team lacking in confidence.
Though FNSW Institute were able to carve some chances of their own, Sydney Uni was the better of the two sides in the first half in what was a quality attacking display consistent with their form of late.
Uni’s many forays forward eventually led to them unlocking the Institute defence with a great ball in behind that was eventually squared to Olivia Vanderlaan, who showed total assurance in guiding the ball into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to Sydney Uni in the 43rd minute.
A late goal in the second half ensured the victory for Sydney Uni, as Vanderlaan popped up again to put the finishing touch on an initially deflected strike, capping off a strong performance from Sydney Uni. 2-0 the final score at the end of the match.
Manly United 1-1 Emerging Jets at Cromer Park
A 94th minute equaliser earned the Emerging Jets a huge 1-1 draw with Manly United in a close encounter at Cromer Park.
Manly have rediscovered their groove late in the season, with a run of results propelling them in contention for a spot in the final four. Comparatively, the Jets had back-to-back wins to their name coming into the match and have undoubtedly experienced their finest season over the past few years of the NPL Women’s competition.
A brilliant Ariella Cabezas cross was matched by an equally-brilliant Daisy Arrowsmith strike in the 37th minute, as the No. 16 for Manly took a superb touch before sizing up an opportunity and unleashing a sensational volley that glided directly into the back of the Jets net. 1-0 to Manly just before the half time break.
Though they were resilient in holding onto a 1-0 lead for a large portion of the match, Manly could only do so much as the Jets scored a miraculous late winner when Alexis Collins’ cross from the left edge sailed over Jodie Drever and dropped into the bottom right corner. It was a cruel outcome for Manly, however the late equaliser was a testament to how far the Jets have come as a squad this campaign.
Blacktown Spartans 1-2 Sydney Olympic at Blacktown Football Park
A late comeback secured a 2-1 win for Sydney Olympic over the Blacktown Spartans at Blacktown Football Park.
A victory in this match will be seen as critical for two sides on opposite ends of the ladder here, with the Spartans needing the three points to stave off relegation and Olympic wanting to solidify their place in the top four. A midweek loss to UNSW will have added to the urgency for Olympic, who require a win here above all else.
A cagey first half where both sides attempted to build their way into the match led to all of the goals being scored in the second half, with Roukayah Al Fararjeh intelligently picking up a pass behind an unaware Olympic defender and hitting a phenomenal first-time volley that rose precisely into the top right corner of the net. 1-0 to the Spartans in the 60th minute.
A dangerous run from Olympic captain Brianna Oliverio led to the away side finding their hugely sought after equaliser in the 75th minute, with Maxine Peak’s strike being well-saved by Spartans No. 1 Anna Norton before landing on the head of Gabrielle Peak, who dispatched her header into an open net with ease. 1-1.
A late chance to Olympic saw Norton fumble an Olympic header from a free-kick, with Ebony McCue-Shore on hand to see the ball over the line and to give her side a win in the 92nd minute.
Illawarra Stingrays 3-0 APIA Leichhardt at Macedonia Park
The Illawarra Stingrays defeated league leaders APIA Leichhardt 3-0 at Macedonia Park on Sunday evening, leaving the competition for first place wide open heading into next weekend.
The Stingrays will have known that a matchup with the league leaders meant that they needed to be at their best to have any hope of holding onto their place in the top four. APIA on the other hand will have had the prospect of back-to-back premierships on their mind and will have been determined not to slip up against a quality Illawarra outfit.
The home team took the lead in the 25th minute when a lofted ball into the box was mishandled by Sally James, leaving Sasha Grove with a pivotal opportunity to take the lead, which she did with aplomb after rounding the goalkeeper and squeezing the ball past the wall of retreating APIA defenders. 1-0 to the Stingrays.
Sofia Christopherson continued the momentum for her side when in the 30th minute Hayley Taylor-Young chased down an APIA defender and picked up a loose back pass before setting up Christopherson for a simple finish into an open net. 2-0 in the 30th minute.
The Stingrays then saved the best for last, as Danika Matos received the ball on the right edge before spectacularly curling the ball into the top left corner and giving her side an emphatic 3-0 win in the process.
UNSW FC 0-2 Macarthur Rams at The Village Green
The Macarthur Rams proved to be too strong for UNSW FC as the visitors came away with a 2-0 win at The Village Green.
A win in midweek against Sydney Olympic will aid UNSW’s efforts to beat the drop in their first season in the top flight, however coming up against a Rams team on a strong run of form will have been seen as a real challenge for the home side.
The Rams took the lead early in the first half after Melissa Caceres’ initial run and cross to Kelli Brown was impeded by a UNSW defender, leading to Miku Sunaga arriving late in the box to confidently dispatch a blistering finish into the far post. 1-0 to the Rams in the 14th minute.
With the first half continuing to be dominated by the visitors, Caceres again stepped up 48th minute to dictate proceedings for her side, playing Bronte Trew through on the right edge for the No. 11 to attempt a difficult strike from a tight angle which was saved by Tiahna Robertson. However, Sunaga was again in the right place at the right time and was able to bury her finish through the sea of UNSW defenders stationed in front of goal. 2-0 the final score.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
