Round 7 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
The National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition provided another round of unbeatable action and surprising results, with the ladder still remaining close after the Easter weekend.
Have a read of our full breakdown of the Easter weekend’s matches.
Match of the Round – APIA Leichhardt v Newcastle Jets at Lambert Park
Lightning and thunder cut one of the games of the season short on Easter Monday in the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition, as APIA Leichhardt and the Newcastle Jets were locked at 3-3 at Lambert Park.
The visitors opened the game in style, only 30 seconds in Layla Sharpe played in an inch perfect pass for Claire Adams who slotted the ball beyond an out rushing Sophie Magus.
India Breier almost set up the Jets’ second, finding Adams who this time couldn’t compose herself, shooting over the bar from a good position.
There were six minutes on the clock when the Jets doubled their advantage, Alexis Collins springing the offside trap and again placing the ball passed the APIA keeper.
Gisella Pipino had the home teams first effort, cutting in from the left but shooting just over the bar.
APIA continued the pressure on the Jets as Mona Walker forced Tiaharna Roberston into a fantastic reaction save, tipping the ball over the bar.
There were 16 minutes on the clock when APIA cut the deficit, a nice team move saw Pipino slip in Ash Crofts as the home sides captain blasted beyond Roberston, into the side netting.
The Jets responded and Collins almost had her second, this time Magus saving, getting her fingertips to the strike.
Adams was in the mood and almost found the back of the net, her blocked shot deflecting just wide of Magus’ goal.
APIA had two chances in quick succession to equalise, first Pipino had a last ditch effort cleared after a corner, before Mel Caceres went on a mazy run, forcing Roberston into another excellent save low to the right.
As the balance of the game began to tip in APIA’s favour, chaos struck for the home team.
Teal Kilbride was adjudjed to be the last player in the line of the defence as she brought down Collins, seeing red in the final moments of the first half.
There was still time for further damage to be done though, this time Adams becoming provider for Breier who once more sprung the offside trap, and for the third time in the game, the Jets had found the back of the net.
APIA had to show character in the second half and did just that, halving the deficit in the 49th minute, Crofts heading home after a corner and rising highest in the six yard box.
60 seconds later and the home team were level, captain Crofts latching onto a delightful pass from substitute Charlotte Lancaster, blasting the ball into the back of the net, the powerful strike thundering off the cross bar and over the line.
And that thunderous strike would be the final kick of the game, the match abandoned due to nature taking things into its own hands.
The match will be resumed at a later date to be confirmed by Football NSW and the participating clubs.
Bulls FC Academy 3-3 Illawarra Stingrays at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy showed real fight to come back from 3-1 down and equalise late on in a thrilling 3-3 draw with the Illawarra Stingrays at Northbridge Oval.
The Bulls arrived at the Easter weekend desperate to change the story of their season so far, but will have known that a matchup with the high-flying Stingrays required them to be at their best in order for them to add to their solitary win. The NPL Women’s sole South Coast representative has built on their commendable 2024 performance by stepping it up in 2025, and look to be real title contenders at this stage of the season.
The Bulls kicked off the Easter weekend with the first goal of the round, an assured Isabella Coco-Di Sipio penalty in the 19th minute that was planted just out of the reach of Stingrays goalkeeper Kiara Rochaix. 1-0 to the Bulls.
Ten minutes later and the Stingrays would have an equaliser as Hailey Bicknell played a perfect touch into the path of Siobhan Edwards, who outpaced the Bulls defenders and confidently buried her strike into the bottom left corner. 1-1 in the 30th minute.
A wonder strike courtesy of Alexia Karrys-Stahl doubled the Stingrays’ lead in the 38th minute, as the determined No. 10 contested for the ball close to halfway and spotted Mio Nemoto straying for her goal, which gave the Illawarra attacker the impetus to launch a rocket from distance that struck the back of the net with aplomb. 2-1 to the visitors.
A goal to Layla Etherington in the 59th minute, via a composed nutmeg finish underneath Nemoto, had the Stingrays believing that the three points was firmly within their grasp.
However, the Bulls had other plans, and would have Coco-Di Sipio to thank for a terrific finish on the edge of the box that put them back in the match. 3-2 in the 82nd minute.
The resilient Bulls then salvaged a point in dramatic circumstances late on, as their captain Elizabeth Grey snuck in at the back post to take advantage of the Stingrays failing to clear their lines from a corner. 3-3 the final result.
Sydney Olympic 2-3 UNSW at Peter Moore Field
A frenetic opening half saw UNSW take a 3-2 lead over Sydney Olympic, with the visitors holding on for the victory at Peter Moore Field.
Despite struggling for wins this season, Olympic have shown quality in patches throughout this campaign and almost downed a strong Manly United side last time out. They will have wanted to build on that performance in a matchup with a UNSW team that have endured a rollercoaster season of results already.
It did not take long for the first goal of the day to be scored, with Marcella Santos receiving a terrific pass from a free-kick in her own defensive half that she quickly commandeered and steered into the back of the net. UNSW take the lead in the 5th minute.
UNSW found some luck on the way to their second of the afternoon, following a smart set piece play that led to Skye Casacchia’s low strike deflecting via a sea of defenders and being saved by Olympic keeper Brianna Clarke, who was unable to prevent Aya Yamahata from doubling her side’s lead. 2-0 to UNSW in the 13th minute.
Though they conceded two early goals, Olympic showed plenty of intent to claw their way back into the match and would do so through Baxter Thew, who controlled the ball brilliantly before shimmying away from her defender and unleashing a wonderful strike that sailed beyond UNSW goalkeeper Stephanie Grimbilos and in for 2-1 in the 30th minute.
Despite their efforts to keep UNSW at bay, the away side earned a penalty after Santos was taken out in the box and had their captain Allira Toby step up to calmly slot the spot kick home. 3-1 in the 36th minute.
Incredibly, the opening forty-five had one more surprise in store for fans as Olympic notched their second courtesy of the fresh legs of Rochelle Borromeo pressuring the UNSW backline and playing in Olivia Lysiak for a sensational finish to make it 3-2. However, Olympic were unable to overcome UNSW as the match ended 3-2 in favour of the visitors.
Manly United 5-0 NWS Spirit at Cromer Park
Manly United were unstoppable in front of their home fans on Monday and delivered a mammoth 5-0 win over NWS Spirit at Cromer Park.
Heading into Round 7, Manly found themselves in a similar position at this point of the season when compared to last year. The exception being that Manly seem to have found a resilience that was lacking in 2024 which has kept them in the running for top spot so far this campaign. As for Spirit, there is talent throughout the side but this has not translated into consistency for coach Tony Candy, who will have wanted to see a big performance from his team come Easter Monday.
It took until just before half-time for Manly to break the deadlock, with Emily Minett smartly dragging away two defenders and setting up Anita Zordan on the edge of the box, who promptly set herself up for a terrific finish into the top right corner. 1-0 to Manly in the 41st minute.
The second half began well for Manly as they doubled their lead through Tegan Biasi, who received a perfectly weighted pass from Minett and showed real composure to hold off her defender and smash the ball across goal to make it 2-0 in the 56th minute.
Minett would finally be rewarded for her efforts in the 61st minute after Grace Arnold played a ball into Biasi in the box, which the No. 11 turned into a perfect goalscoring opportunity for Minett, who positioned herself in the centre of the box and buried her strike with aplomb. 3-0 to Manly.
The floodgates had well and truly been opened for Manly at this stage, with goal no. 4 of the day arriving courtesy of Daisy Arrowsmith playing in Grace Arnold for a simple one-on-one finish to cap off a quality sequence of play. 4-0 in the 63rd minute.
The fifth and final goal of the day would be scored by Minett, who capped off a 5-star performance for her side by following up on a Grace Smith save to collect the rebound across the goal line. 5-0 the final score.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2-1 Sydney University at Popondetta Park
The Mt Druitt Town Rangers continued their stellar campaign as the competition’s newest arrivals by defeating Sydney University 2-1 at Popondetta Park.
One of the league’s real standout performers this campaign has without a doubt been the Rangers, who entered Round 7 in 2nd place, though equal on points with the then league-leading Illawarra Stingrays. By contrast, Sydney Uni is a side capable of pulling off an upset, and will need to be at their best to unlock a Rangers defence that had only conceded a single goal heading into this weekend’s match.
A 23rd minute goal from captain Leena Khamis opened the scoring the Rangers, who looked determined to find a gap in the Sydney Uni defence and were rewarded for their patience when Tiarne Flavin curled through a pass to Khamis, who latched onto it and tucked the ball home for 1-0.
The Rangers then doubled their lead in the 38th minute through Keiko Tanaka, who beat Sydney Uni goalkeeper Sofia Fante at a corner and steered her header efficiently into the goal. 2-0 to the Rangers in the 38th minute.
Giuliana Nicholas pulled off the spectacular to give her side a chance of taking a point away from the Rangers, rifling a wicked strike that bested Rangers Laura Tredinnick and achieved the rare feat of scoring against Mt Druitt. 2-1 in the 85th minute.
The Rangers would eventually see out the match as 2-1 winners.
Macarthur Rams 2-3 Western Sydney Wanderers at Lynwood Park
The Western Sydney Wanderers came to Lynwood Park and delivered a strong performance in a 3-2 win over the Macarthur Rams.
Fans of the Rams and the Wanderers will have anticipated a goal fest between the two sides, both of whom have had trouble defensively this season. There is quality across both teams’ frontlines and it was always going to make for an entertaining contest at Lynwood Park.
The home team got off to a flying start, with a seamless sequence of play opening up the Wanderers via Halle Callow, who raced toward goal and picked out Tea Mucenski for an easy one-touch finish. 1-0 to the Rams in the 20th minute.
Amelia Cassar was at the heart of the Wanderers’ equaliser as she raced onto a loose Rams pass into midfield and bypassed one defender before setting up Miriam Zumaya for a confident finish into the far bottom corner. 1-1 in the 39th minute.
The Wanderers’ second of the evening was spurred by Anika Stajcic supplying a brilliant aerial through ball into the path of Nikkita Fazzari, who was well-positioned in front of goal to reward the quality assist with a well-taken finish. The Wanderers earn a 2-1 lead in the 73rd minute.
A phenomenal run from Fazzari opened up the Rams defence and created a perfect opportunity to extend the Wanderers lead, with the dynamic attacker putting it on a platter for Cassar to score a well-deserved tap-in from close range. 3-1 to the Wanderers in the 82nd minute.
With her side urgently needing a goal, Callow took the responsibility into her own hands to score a superb strike after racing down and cutting in to beat the keeper at the near post in the 94th minute. The Wanderers would ultimately win 3-2 in the end.
Gladesville Ravens 1-1 Northern Tigers at Christie Park
A close 1-1 draw played out between the Gladesville Ravens and the Northern Tigers on a cool Monday evening at Christie Park.
The Ravens are flying relatively low for a side that was expected to be fighting for a top four spot come this point of the season. As for the Tigers, the Northern Suburbs side have generated real momentum and appear to be firmly in the fight for a title challenge this campaign. Both teams will have been desperate for a win here for completely different reasons.
Quick reactions and sturdy defending from Annabelle Daczko would set the Ravens on their way to finding an opener in the 35th minute of the match. The Ravens No. 3 won the ball in a one-on-one and rewarded the run of Isabella Habuda with a quality pass over the top that the attacker eventually turned into a cross for Claudia Cholakian, who got a foot to a strike that took an unfortunate deflection off of a Tigers defender and slipped in over the goal line. 1-0 to the Ravens.
The Tigers did well to switch into gear for their 85th minute equaliser, having played through the Ravens midfield for Nicola Dominikovich to eventually square her pass to Haley Johnson for a trademark’s striker’s finish into the bottom right corner of the net. The match would ultimately end in a 1-1 draw.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
