Round 5 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
It was another competitive match weekend in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW, with plenty of intriguing results reshaping the ladder and giving coaches plenty to ponder ahead of next weekend.
Continue reading for our full review of Round 5’s action.
Match of the Round – Gladesville Ravens 2-1 NWS Spirit at Christie Park
The Gladesville Ravens recorded their first win of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW season with a 2-1 victory over NWS Spirit in the local derby at Christie Park on Sunday night.
A huge relief for coach Lauren Phelps in what was a very tight and testing game in excellent football conditions.
The home side hit the front in the 17th minute through Patty Charalambous and only five minutes later doubled their lead courtesy of Isabella Edwards.
Spirit scored at the perfect time to get themselves back into the game, Ariana Stoltzfus scoring with practically the last kick of the first half.
Click here to view the full match report!
Bulls FC Academy 1-0 Sydney University at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy held onto a 1-0 win in a tough contest against Sydney University at Northbridge Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls had found themselves in an unfamiliar situation to start the season ahead of this match, having been a top four side in their debut promotion campaign in 2023 and pushing for a top four spot in 2024. Coming up against a Sydney Uni side similarly desperate for points will have been seen as a real test for the home team, and a moment to steal the three points away for the visitors.
The opening forty minutes was well-fought between the two teams, with both defences cautious not to allow their opposition in behind. It was clear that it would take a moment of magic to unlock a real attacking opportunity for either side.
The Bulls would do exactly that in the 42nd minute after pressuring the Sydney Uni midfield into giving up possession just outside of the 18-yard box. A squared pass was then played to Tamires Souza by Daniella Naeimi, which the Bulls No. 10 undertook with great flair to shift the ball past her defender and setup an Isabella Coco-Di Sipio in open space for a well-taken strike past goalkeeper Sofia Fante.
Though the visitors would remain competitive throughout the remainder of the contest, the match concluded 1-0 in favour of the Bulls.
Manly United 2-2 Northern Tigers at Cromer Park
It was the late show at Cromer Park, as both Manly United and the Northern Tigers scored a goal each at the backend of the second half before seeing out the match at 2-2.
A derby between the NPL Women’s two Northern Suburbs sides always promises to be a thrill-ride. Tom Hopley’s Manly side were sat in first place ahead of Round 5 after a great start to the season, and will have wanted to keep that momentum going to avoid a repeat of last season where they fell away from the top spot. Comparatively, the Tigers have shown plenty of quality this season and will have been gunning to knock Manly off of their perch in the derby.
Manly opened the scoring in the 13th minute following a superb pass in behind by Emily Minett that rewarded a terrific run by Daisy Arrowsmith, who promptly fired a quality strike beyond the outrushing Anna Norton in the Tigers goal. 1-0 to Manly.
The Tigers displayed plenty of determined to get back into the game from here on out, and would be rewarded for their efforts after Bo Burton picked up a pass down the right-wing and cut inside on her left foot to send a cross in for the in-form Haley Johnson to head home with aplomb. 1-1 in the 37th minute.
Though it would continue to be an entertaining clash for fans at Cromer Park from here on out, the game would go up a level in the 85th minute when Burton would brilliantly put her side ahead after racing into the box to meet Charlotte Mortlock’s cross and subsequently dispatching a classy half-volley into the opposite corner. 2-1 to the Tigers.
However, in classic derby fashion, the match would not conclude there as Manly were able to secure a late leveller courtesy of Phoebe Gilbane’s wonderfully hit volley that bounced into the bottom left corner and in for 2-2 in the 86th minute. The match would then ultimately finish as a draw.
Illawarra Stingrays 1-0 Sydney Olympic at Macedonia Park
The Illawarra Stingrays continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 win over Sydney Olympic at Macedonia Park.
A strong start to the season for the Stingrays saw them flying high in the top four ahead of this match; continuing their positive end to the previous campaign. Sitting closer toward the opposite end of the ladder prior to this weekend was Olympic, who have remained difficult to beat but who have struggled to match the levels we saw of them last year.
Having done well to withstand Olympic’s early momentum at the start of the match, the Stingrays would get a foothold on the contest as the first half went on. Though both sides were able to generate a few good attacking forays, they would enter the changerooms 0-0 at half time.
The Stingrays consistently pressed their opposition throughout the match and would finally unlock the Olympic defence in the 74th minute with a confident exchange of passes in the front third. The sleek interchange in attack would eventually lead to a looping cross being launched toward the back post that was met by the diminutive Hailey Bicknell, who planted an outstanding header toward the opposite corner of the net. The Stingrays would ultimately win 1-0.
UNSW 1-2 Mt Druitt Town Rangers at The Village Green
The Mt Druitt Town Rangers came away with the three points in a 2-1 win over UNSW at The Village Green.
UNSW are looking to have stepped it up this season, having gained immeasurable experience from their rollercoaster return to the NPL Women in 2024. Facing newcomers Mt Druitt – a team who have already proven themselves in their opening four fixtures to be a real challenge – will have been an exciting prospect for the loyal fans at The Village Green.
The Rangers took the lead halfway through the opening stanza after Kaiya Buchanan stormed her way through the UNSW defence from close to the halfway line before rushing toward the goal line and cutting a smart pass back to Leena Khamis, who duly rewarded Buchanan’s phenomenal effort with a confident finish. The Rangers lead 1-0 in the 24th minute.
Mt Druitt continued to play with confidence in the second half, and would add another in the 47th minute after Rosaria Galea played a brilliant ball in behind the UNSW defence for Holly Dalrymple to latch onto, which the pacey attacker took in her stride and buried past Stephanie Grimbilos. 2-0 to the Rangers.
Substitute Allira Toby brought her side back into the match with a cheeky free-kick that was curled into the near post from just outside the 18-yard box in the 74th minute. Though, this would ultimately not be enough as the Rangers would see out the match with a 2-1 win.
APIA Leichhardt 0-1 Western Sydney Wanderers at Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt were dealt a second loss in a row after being defeated 1-0 by the Western Sydney Wanderers at Lambert Park on Sunday evening.
APIA appeared to be in unbeatable form ahead of their Round 4 tie against Mt Druitt Town Rangers but fell to a 2-0 defeat against the newly-promoted side. That result will have given them impetus heading into Round 5 to deliver a statement against fellow new arrivals the Wanderers, however APIA will have understood the need to be weary against a side capable of surprising their opponents.
The home side would control much of the proceedings in the first half with their possession but found their attacking chances stifled by a resilient Wanderers outfit.
This trend would continue in the second half, as the Wanderers – who had in fact conceded the most goals in the competition up to this point ahead of Round 5 – contained a quality APIA side on their home turf.
Though they displayed plenty of defensive tenacity, the Wanderers conjured plenty of moments of quality and would take the lead in the 73rd minute after Siena Arrarte spread the ball out wide to Miriam Zumaya who did well to keep the ball in and trouble the APIA defence, which allowed Amy Barker to steal in and cross for an unmarked Olivia Vanderlaan to head home for 1-0.
There would be no late show from APIA this time around, as the Wanderers headed back to Western Sydney with the three points.
Macarthur Rams 4-3 Newcastle Jets at Lynwood Park
A seven-goal thriller played out at Lynwood Park, with the Macarthur Rams ultimately prevailing 4-3 over the Newcastle Jets.
Three losses and a win to begin the campaign had last year’s Championship winners sitting in 10th place before Round 5, and a visit from an improved Newcastle Jets team will have been seen as a difficult challenge for the Rams. Both teams will have wanted to secure the three points here, but both sets of players will understood the need to earn it in a tough matchup.
There would be a flurry of goals in the opening 20 minutes of the match, with the Jets surprising the home side by taking the lead in the 3rd minute. The goal arriving via Claire Adams’ free-kick from the left edge of the field that shaped beyond the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Issabella Coelho and in for a 1-0 lead.
The Rams did not take long to rectify conceding early however, as Sakura Nojima found herself in acres of space after a defensive miscommunication from the Jets allowed the Rams No. 10 to slip in behind before tucking the ball away into an empty net. 1-1 in the 7th minute.
Nojima was again involved for her side’s second as the played a lovely ball into the path of Halle Callow, who then setup Tea Mucenski at the far post for an easy finish past Tiahna Robertson in the Jets goal. 2-1 to the Rams in the 16th minute.
Layla Sharpe saw her opposite No. 10 pulling the strings for the Rams and elected to showcase her own flair for the Jets’ equaliser. The Jets’ midfield maestro dinked a terrific pass in behind the Rams defence to give Milan Hammond ample opportunity for a lethal finish into the bottom left corner. 2-2 in the 38th minute.
Buoyed by their strong end to the first half, the Jets would take the lead in the 60th minute through Hammond, who earned herself a brace with a thumping finish into the top corner of the net after picking up a smart back pass from a teammate. 3-2 to the Jets.
Macarthur did not have to wait long to score an equaliser after some stellar build up was capped off by Claire Corbett’s quality pass to Mucenski, who notched her brace with an assured chip over Robertson. 3-3 in the 62nd minute.
The winning goal for the Rams would arrive courtesy of their ever-present No. 10, who took on three Jets defenders in her stride toward the goal and won out in the end before placing an excellent finish into the bottom left corner to give her side a 4-3 win in the 75th minute.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
