Round 24 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 24 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition gave us a new league leader as the battle for a spot in the top four ramped up.
Have a read of our full summary of the weekend that was below.
Match of the Round – Blacktown Spartans 2 v Gladesville Ravens 3 at Blacktown Football Park
The Gladesville Ravens came away with the spoils from Blacktown Football Park on Sunday evening with a last gasp 3-2 victory over the Blacktown Spartans.
Blacktown got off to the perfect starting, hitting the front after five minutes, before being hit back on the half hour mark.
They wouldn’t be level for long, pushing in front again shortly after to take a 2-1 lead into the break.
The final half hour would be the Bella Habuda show though as she scored two goals, one in the final minute of normal time to secure all three points for the Ravens.
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NWS Spirit 3-4 Emerging Jets at Christie Park
A 7-goal thriller played out on Saturday afternoon, with the Emerging Jets prevailing 4-3 over NWS Spirit in their visit to Christie Park.
Spirit entered Round 24 with slim hopes of pushing into the top four, with the side coming into their own as the season has progressed. Similarly, the Jets have been one of the NPL Women’s standout sides in the back half of this campaign and will have travelled to Christie Park ready to put on an attacking display.
And it was the Jets who opened the scoring in the 6th minute after Josie Allan received the ball on the edge of the box and successfully manoeuvred around her defender before unleashing a sublime strike into the opposite corner. 1-0 to the Jets.
Spirit muscled their way back into the match and found an equaliser in the 38th minute through Clare Holder, who was played into open space by Erin Tavares and finished her subsequent opportunity with ease. 1-1 in the 38th minute.
The Jets then reestablished their lead just a few minutes into the second half through Isahbella Threlfo, who was well-placed after a header deflected into her path for an instinctive tap in. 2-1 in the 48th minute.
Holder did exceptionally well to earn herself a brace and to again level the scores for her side in the 53rd minute, with the wily forward cutting inside one-on-one with her defender and firing a rocket of a strike that bounced in via the underside of the crossbar.
Having seen what her teammate produced just a few minutes earlier, Skye Halmarick stepped up to launch her side into the lead with an outstanding hit from distance that eclipsed the goalkeeper and nestled into the back of the net. 3-2 to Spirit in the 55th minute.
The Jets showed off their attacking prowess in the build up to their equaliser in the 81st minute, with Allan putting the finishing touches on a well-worked move after creating space for herself and planting an assured strike into the goal.
Allan was then at the heart of her side’s winning goal in the 87th minute, having driven into the box before playing a squared ball to Milan Hammond, who had no trouble tapping home into an empty net. 4-3 the final score.
Bulls FC Academy 0-1 Sydney University at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy’s hopes of finishing in the top four took a dramatic dent after Sydney University came away with a 1-0 win at Northbridge Oval on Sunday evening.
Fresh from a win over the Emerging Jets last weekend, the Bulls will have understood the need to earn the three points in a matchup against a Sydney Uni side that have steadily honed their qualities this season. And with a top four spot within their grasp, the Bulls will have been focused on getting the win here.
The contest began evenly with both sides working their way into the match, but would soon take a surprise turn after Bulls midfield maestro Avaani Prakash reacted to a shove from a Sydney Uni player and was subsequently sent off in the 8th minute.
Sydney Uni then took the lead in the 29th minute after star striker Talia Kapetanellis picked up the ball on the edge of the box from a cleared corner and bent an extraordinary finish into the top left corner of the net from range to give her side the lead. 1-0 to Sydney Uni.
The Bulls generated several chances after going behind but were unable to place a shot on target, meaning the match finished 1-0 in favour of the visitors.
Manly United 0-6 Macarthur Rams at Cromer Park
The Macarthur Rams made a statement in their 6-0 demolition of Manly United, with the result meaning they left Cromer Park on top of the NPL Women’s ladder.
These two sides entered Round 24 with plenty on their line for their respective seasons. A win last week kept Manly within touching distance of a spot in the top four, which they will have been determined to achieve coming up against a Rams team fighting for the Premiership with APIA Leichhardt.
Macarthur showed plenty of quality in the buildup to their opener, with Bronte Trew tucking the ball home after being slipped through by Kelli Brown’s delicate touch in behind. 1-0 to the Rams in the 4th minute.
The Rams then doubled their lead in the 36th minute after Jodie Drever mishandled a corner into her own net.
A third goal would arrive for the Rams just before half-time, with Melissa Caceres displaying immense quality to take down a Manly clearance and drive home a scorching half-volley into the back of the net from the centre of the box. 3-0 in the 41st minute.
A determined Caceres was at the heart of her side’s fourth goal as she weaved her way through a crowded Manly defence before eventually working the ball out to Brown, who made no mistake in burying her finish for 4-0 in the 65th minute.
Brown and Bethany Gordon then linked up for Manly’s fifth of the evening, with the pair forcing Manly to relinquish possession, leaving Brown with time to play Gordon into space for a confident finish that initially deflected off the post before being put away by Gordon. 5-0 in the 80th minute.
Gordon then put the finishing touches on a dominant performance by the Rams, curling the ball in from a free-kick on the left edge of the box to make it 6-0 to the Rams in the 87th minute.
Illawarra Stingrays 3-2 Northern Tigers at Macedonia Park
The Illawarra Stingays were forced to fight for the three points, with the South Coast side scoring in extra time to secure a 3-2 win over the Northern Tigers on Sunday evening’s clash at Macedonia Park.
Despite a mixed run of results, the Stingrays remained in the top four heading into Round 24, however they will have known the importance of securing a run of wins to consolidate a finals football spot. The Tigers are one of the sides gunning for the Stingrays’ top four spot, and will have wanted to upset the Stingrays away from home.
Having shown plenty of determination for her side throughout the opening half, Hannah McNulty gave the Tigers the lead in the 31st minute after a ball from a corner deflected into her path, which the No. 7 promptly seized upon and calmly slid into the back of the net through a crowd of defenders. 1-0 to the Tigers.
The Stingrays would have to wait until the second half to notch their equaliser, with Brooklyn Hudson scoring the goal after seeing the ball fall at her feet just inside the box and smashing it into the bottom left corner. 1-1 in the 53rd minute.
A superb header from Sakura Nojima saw the Stingrays take the lead in the 57th minute, with the crafty No. 8 planting a bullet header beyond the goalkeeper and in for 2-1.
The Stingrays could only savour their lead for a few moments as McNulty stepped up to put her side back into the match after storming past her defender and firing across goal to make it 2-2 in the 59th minute.
With the game seemingly set to end as a draw, the Stingrays mustered one last dangerous foray into the Tigers area, causing chaos in the box before Kaelah Austin finally put the ball away to give her side a dramatic winner. 3-2 the final score.
UNSW 3-2 APIA Leichhardt at The Village Green
UNSW triumphed 3-2 over APIA Leichhardt at The Village Green over the weekend, and shook up the top of the NPL Women’s ladder in the process.
Many sides will have hoped that UNSW could be the ones to spring an upset on a high-flying APIA outfit, however the away side have proven difficult to beat in recent times with several last-minute winners keeping them on top of the NPL Women’s ladder.
An Allira Toby double gave UNSW a substantial lead in the early stages of the first half, with the No. 10 for the home side holding off her defender before guiding the ball in to make it 1-0 in the 3rd minute before earning herself a brace in the 19th minute with an extraordinary finish from the edge of the area that sailed in underneath the crossbar.
Gisella Pipino then got a goal back for APIA after being well-placed in the box to finish off a great build-up play by the visitors in the 39th minute.
A switch of play by UNSW to the right wing generated a fantastic opportunity for the home side to make it three, with Toby driving in a challenging ball for the APIA defence to deal with that was touched on by Tiana Petkovski to make it 3-1 in the 54th minute.
An own goal to Jasmine Limon in the 56th minute then gave APIA an avenue back into the match, with Teal Kilbride’s header finding an unwitting Limon before deflecting into the back of the net. However, UNSW would hold on for a huge 3-2 victory.
Football NSW Institute v Sydney Olympic – MATCH POSTPONED
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Words by Matthew Badrov
