Round 6 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
The National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW continued to deliver the action and entertainment on the weekend, with Round 6 providing fans with an abundance of goals and terrific contests to take in.
Read on for our full breakdown of the weekend that was.
Match of the Round – Western Sydney Wanderers 3 v UNSW FC 3 at Wanderers Football Park
In an epic National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW match of the round, the Western Sydney Wanderers and University of NSW FC shared the spoils in a six-goal thriller at Wanderers Football Park.
The Wanderers opened the scoring through Talia Kapetanellis with a special goal before Aya Yamahata equalised from the spot.
A goal either side of the break put the Wanderers 3-1 up as Miriam Zumaya and Anika Stajcic scored goals before first Demi Koulizakis halved the deficit and then substitute Marcella Santos scored a last second equaliser.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT
NWS Spirit 2-1 Bulls FC Academy at Christie Park
In Saturday’s opening match of the round, NWS Spirit earned an important victory in a 2-1 win over Bulls FC Academy at Christie Park.
Spirit and the Bulls would kick off the weekend’s proceedings in the early Saturday afternoon slot, with both teams eager to get the three points to push their way up the NPL Women’s ladder. Spirit have been competitive this year will have looked to build consistency in their matchup with the Bulls, however the away side will have been full of confidence heading to Christie Park after defeating Sydney University last time out.
After heading into the halftime break at 0-0, Spirit came out flying in the second half with Skye Halmarick opening the scoring in the 47th minute by swiftly turning her defender on the edge of the box and unleashing a beautifully placed strike into the top left corner. 1-0 to Spirit.
However, the Bulls proved to be similarly determined coming out of the sheds at halftime, and would equalise only a few minutes later when Ashlee Brodigan lined up a blistering finish off of a deflected clearance that rocketed into the top right corner of the net. 1-1 in the 52nd minute.
Halmarick would eventually come away from the match with a brace and the winner by meeting a well-take corner with a quality run and header. Spirit would ultimately see out the match as 2-1 winners.
Northern Tigers 6-1 Macarthur Rams at North Turramurra Recreational Area
The Northern Tigers put on an exhibition in front of the home fans at North Turramurra Recreational Area, decimating the Macarthur Rams 6-1 on Saturday evening.
The Tigers have plenty to be excited about with the season they are experiencing so far, having gone unbeaten in their opening five matches to arrive at Round 6 the favourites against last year’s Championship-winning Rams. The Rams however have undeniable quality and will be looking to last weekend’s standout in their win over the Jets, Sakura Nojima, for more magic.
The visitors did brilliantly to open the scoring in the 5th minute with a swift end-to-end counterattack that saw Halle Callow resiliently keep the ball down the wing before getting a last-ditch pass off to Sakura Nojima, who showed plenty of assurance in turning and setting up Claire Corbett for a confident finish. 1-0 to the Rams.
The home fans were forced to be patient as they awaited their side’s equaliser, with the goal arriving in the 38th minute courtesy of Servet Uzunlar, who linked up with Bo Burton via a one-two pass before launching a thunderous strike into the top corner of the net. 1-1 before half-time.
Burton was again involved after the half-time break, this time playing a smart pass in behind the Rams defence to Nicola Dominikovich, who took a touch before putting a composed finish past Rams goalkeeper Jazlyn Lewis-Zraika. The Tigers lead 2-1 in the 50th minute.
The Tigers attack kept the momentum going and would be rewarded for their brave football in the 55th minute when Dominikovich prevented the ball from going out of play before sending a fantastic cross into the box for Haley Johnson, who showed real class to touch the ball onto her right foot before volleying an unstoppable finish into the far corner. 3-1 to the Tigers.
Unfortunately for the Rams, the Tigers showed no signs of slowing down and would add a fourth in the 71st minute when Isla Witham was found space on the right wing and cut inside to let off a quality finish that eluded Lewis-Zraika and made it 4-1.
Maia Cameron scored her side’s fifth of the day, a well-taken header amongst a sea of bodies at a corner. 5-1 to the Tigers in the 77th minute.
An errant back pass would allow the Tigers in again for their sixth goal of the evening, with Jada Taylor showing plenty of composure to slip a ball to Johnson in behind the Rams backline for a calm finish. 6-1 the final score.
Sydney University 1-2 APIA Leichhardt at Seymour Shaw
Despite conceding early, APIA Leichhardt FC were able to grind out a well-fought 2-1 win over Sydney University SFC at Seymour Shaw.
Sydney Uni entered Round 6 in last on the competition ladder, and will have been striving for some resilience in a daunting match against an APIA side who have proven revealed themselves to be fallible after back-to-back losses. Fans of both teams will have expected a closely-fought match with both Sydney Uni and APIA desperate for the points.
The home team would shock the visitors right out the gate though, and took the lead in the 2nd minute to instantly put APIA on the back foot. Having been a reliable figure up front for her side throughout the 2025 campaign so far, Ruby Egan-Brown would come up with the opening goal and put her side 1-0 up.
However, APIA captain and club legend Ashlie Crofts clearly did not want a repeat of the previous two game weeks, and equalised for the visitors in the 14th minute to cut Sydney Uni’s early enthusiasm short.
Te Reremoana Walker then earned what would come to be the winner for APIA in the 37th minute, condemning Sydney Uni to another loss in what has been a challenging start to the new season.
Newcastle Jets 1-5 Illawarra Stingrays at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
The Newcastle Jets were unable to withstand the quality of the visiting Illawarra Stingrays, and would eventually fall 5-1 to the South Coast side in a loss at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The Jets had been unlucky in the weeks leading up to Round 6, having been overcome by both Manly United and the Macarthur Rams in entertaining matches. As for their opposition however, the Stingrays are a great example of consistency and arrived at Round 6 unbeaten to start the season. The visitors will have been cautious in making the trip up to Lake Macquarie though, with the Jets more than capable of delivering a strong performance.
Though, it was the Stingrays who got off on the right foot as Siobhan Edwards was put through down the right wing and took advantage of Jets goalkeeper Ally Boertje being far from her goal to knock the ball in from range with ease. 1-0 to Illawarra in the 1st minute.
Caitlin Cooper doubled her side’s advantage in the 11th minute after Edwards intercepted the ball and laid it off to the No. 15, who promptly launched a sensational strike from distance that floated beyond Boertje and in off the underside of the crossbar. 2-0 to the Stingrays.
The Stingrays were intent pushing for more goals as the first half went on, and would secure their third through Layla Etherington, who leathered a blistering finish from the wing that Boertje was unable to prevent despite getting a hand to the ball. 3-0 in the 36th minute.
Alexis Collins and Milan Hammond have proven to be a deadly combo for the Jets this season, and the duo would link up again after Hammond superbly wiggled her way through a group of defenders before playing in Collins for an expert striker’s finish after eluding Stingrays keeper Kiara Rochaix. 3-1 in the 55th minute.
Edwards would cap off her side’s phenomenal performance away from home by earning herself a hattrick. Her second of the day arrived via a thumping finish in the 65th minute after being played in behind, and her third was a well-taken effort from an expert striker in the 75th minute. 5-1 the final score.
Sydney Olympic 1-1 Manly United at Peter Moore Field
Sydney Olympic did well to hold league leaders Manly United to a 1-1 draw in a close contest at Peter Moore Field.
Fans would not have expected to see Olympic sitting so low on the ladder by this point in the season, but the competition veterans entered Round 6 in second-last place. Manly could not have been further away from their opponents though, with the Northern Suburbs side sat on top of the ladder for much of this campaign.
Though Manly began the match on the front foot, it was Olympic who struck first in the 11th minute when Helena Malesci contested strongly for the ball and played a superb pass in behind the unsuspecting Manly backline, who were caught off guard by the run of Olivia Lysiak that was promptly lasered into the bottom left corner with aplomb by the forward. 1-0 to Olympic.
It would take some time for Manly to find their way back into the match, as the home team stayed resilient in the face of the quality attacking options available to the visitors.
Star striker Emily Minett then stepped up for Manly in their time of need to chase down a terrific long ball from Anita Zordan and beat the onrushing Chloe Tseros to dink the ball into the back of the net for a much-needed equaliser in the 61st minute. The match would ultimately conclude 1-1.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1-0 Gladesville Ravens at Popondetta Park
The Mt Druitt Town Rangers have impressed yet again since debuting in the NPL Women’s competition this year, winning 1-0 over the Gladesville Ravens at Popondetta Park.
The Rangers were one of four teams who headed into Round 6 unbeaten, and have proven to be a difficult opponent to face for many teams this season. Since being promoted, the Rangers have shown full intent on pushing for silverware this season, and the Ravens will have been gunning to disrupt the Rangers’ aspirations whilst building on their win last weekend over NWS Spirit.
It was always going to take a moment of quality to open the scoring, and a combination of authentic NPL Women’s experience provided exactly that for the Rangers as Kaiya Buchanan delivered a pinpoint cross onto the head of Leena Khamis, who leapt beyond her defender to steer a strong header into the back of the net for 1-0 in the 27th minute.
The Rangers have made a habit out of grinding out 1-0 wins this campaign and this trend would continue in the matchup with the Ravens. The West Sydney side would ultimately succeed in the end, and keep themselves firmly in the running for a place atop the NPL Women’s ladder at the end of Round 6.
Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
Words by Matthew Badrov
