Round 13 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 13 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition marked the halfway point of the season, and gave fans plenty of entertainment in an action-packed weekend.
Have a read of our full breakdown of the weekend that was.
Match of the Round – Western Sydney Wanderers 5 v Newcastle Jets 0 at Wanderers Football Park
The Western Sydney Wanderers put the Newcastle Jets to the sword on Sunday evening at Wanderers Football Park securing a 5-0 victory.
After five straight defeats, it was the perfect tonic for Jamie Dib’s team, snapping their poor run of form.
For the Jets, it makes it four defeats in a row and worryingly, 20 goals conceded over that period.
Miriam Zumaya and Amy Barker both scored a brace each, while Olivia Vanderlaan came off the bench to round off the scoring.
Click here to view the full match report.
NWS Spirit 0-2 Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Christie Park
The sole Saturday fixture of the round sees the in-form NWS Spirit hosting the high-flying Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Christie Park. Spirit experienced a brilliant May and will have wanted to keep the momentum going in April, however a matchup against a Rangers outfit that remain in first-place was no easy feat for the home side.
Mt Druitt could not have gotten off to a better start, with Leena Khamis opening the scoring for her side in just the 2nd minute of the match. The goal was well-earned by the Rangers, who pressed Spirit into a wayward pass back to the defence and seized onto the loose ball through Adelaide Wyrzynski, which led to the resulting cross and Khamis’ follow-up shot being blocked by the Spirit defence before the NPL Women’s veteran buried her strike into the far bottom corner. 1-0 to the Rangers.
Khamis then returned the favour for her fellow attacker by dropping into midfield and turning with time on the ball to setup Erin Leah Tavares via a terrific pass behind the Spirit defence, however Tavares smartly let the pass run onto Wyrzynski for a thumping first-time finish into the roof of the net. 2-0 to the Rangers in the 23rd minute.
The visitors would hold off their opponents in the second half to ultimately see out the match as 2-0 winners.
Bulls FC Academy 1-1 APIA Leichhardt at Northbridge Oval
Following a mixed start to their campaign, Bulls FC Academy are on fire of late and are currently the in-form side in the competition. Their opponents in Round 13, APIA Leichhardt, have the quality to be pushing for a spot in the top four and have picked up their form of late, ensuring that this matchup with the Bulls will have fans of both sides excited for an entertaining clash.
APIA crafted a terrific sequence of one-touch play in the lead up to their opening goal that left the Bulls defence scrambling to hold off their opposition, which ultimately saw Charlotte Lancaster being brought down in the box before she could put the finishing touches on the excellent build-up. Captain Ashlie Crofts then showed her experience with the subsequent spot-kick by burying it neatly into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to APIA in the 27th minute.
The Bulls were able to force a corner from a throw-in and produce a chaotic moment in the box to earn an equaliser in the 34th minute, with Tamires Souza finally able to force the ball home past a sea of players after multiple attempts by her teammates. The two sides would then head into half-time at 1-1.
A tight second half would eventually lead to the Bulls and APIA sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Northbridge Oval.
UNSW 3-2 Northern Tigers at The Village Green
Back-to-back wins prior to Round 13 saw UNSW pushing up the ladder and joining the fight for a position in the top four. The Northern Tigers arrive at The Village Green in a similar situation after shaking off successive losses to win back-to-back matches of their own in recent weeks, meaning fans will have expected a close clash between the two competitors.
UNSW were the first to open the scoring on the night when Angelique Hristodoulou raced onto a loose ball and drove into the box to square a pass at the back post that was dispatched with ease by Demi Koulizakis. 1-0 to UNSW in the 34th minute.
Charlotte Mortlock’s smart through ball opened up a chance for the Tigers to equalise in the 49th minute, which they ultimately did through Beth Bernardi after Bo Burton was initially denied. 1-1.
An incredible half-volley from Skye Casacchia just outside of the 18-yard box pushed UNSW back in front soon after the Tigers’ equaliser, giving the home fans plenty to cheer for. 2-1 to UNSW in the 52nd minute.
The Tigers refused to back down in their visit to The Village Green and levelled proceedings again in the 75th minute when Haley Johnson headed an unstoppable header in at the far post. 2-2.
Despite their best efforts, the Tigers were unable to keep UNSW out when Hristodoulou’s cross was well met by substitute Trudy Camilleri’s header that goalkeeper Jasmine Black could not prevent despite getting her gloves to it. 3-2 to UNSW in the 82nd minute.
The home side held onto their 3-2 lead and secured the three points in front of their loyal fans.
Macarthur Rams 2-4 Sydney Olympic at Lynwood Park
Few would have predicted that the 2024 Championship-winning Macarthur Rams and finalists Sydney Olympic would be sat in 12th and 14th come the halfway point, but here the two are heading into Round 13. For the Rams, returning players will provide a much-needed lift and give them an edge over their opponents, with Olympic desperate to get the three points here at a crucial point in their season.
Olympic striker Aideen Keane showed real tenacity to create her side’s opening goal in the 3rd minute after outmaneuvering her defender in a challenge for the ball and playing in Alyssa Whinham for an attempted shot across goal that deflected wildly off of Chantelle Maniti and flew in at the near post. 1-0 to the visitors.
The Rams would continue the frenetic start to the match by equalising only a few minutes later after Sakura Nojima setup Amelia Cassar – via a brilliant cross field ball – to deliver an unbeatable strike from range that catapulted into the back of the net. 1-1 in the 6th minute.
Whinham got her side back in front after Tara Baudana was brought down in the box, the Olympic No. 8 firing the resulting spot kick into the top right corner of the net with gusto. 2-1 to Olympic in the 18th minute.
The visitors were putting on a show in the first half at Lynwood Park and added a third when Sarah Yatim rolled a low cross into the box that was met by Keane for a clinical finish past goalkeeper Issabella Coelho. Olympic lead 3-1 in the 19th minute.
Macarthur persisted despite the two-goal deficit and would put Olympic under pressure just prior to halftime after a clever interchange of play on the wing led to India Breier finding some luck in blocking a clearance and guiding the loose ball home for 3-2 in the 44th minute.
Keane and Whinham linked up yet again in the 77th minute to give Olympic breathing room in the final stages of the game, the former showing real strength to win the ball in a one-on-one situation and composure to setup the latter on the edge of the box for a magnificent skill and a superb strike to cap it off. 4-2 to Olympic.
Manly United 2-1 Sydney University at Cromer Park
A lacklustre May saw Manly United drop out of the top four ahead of their clash with Sydney University this weekend. The home team will be wanting to put the past month’s results behind them as they take on a Sydney Uni side that have proven tough to break down at times this season, and who will be buzzing after their 4-0 triumph over the Newcastle Jets in Round 12.
Sydney Uni were competing strongly throughout the opening first half at Cromer Park, and would be duly rewarded for their committed pressing in the 20th minute when Talia Kapetanellis found Alice Thompson in acres of space on the left wing, which led to the Sydney Uni No. 3 turning her defender inside and out before seeing her low shot best Jodie Drever and trickle in for 1-0.
Manly would have to wait until the second half to get on the scoresheet but would reward their home fans with an equaliser in the 58th minute when Lucy Richards played a terrific pass in behind the Sydney Uni defence for Emily Minett, who let a shot off that caught goalkeeper Sofia Fante and bounced over the line for 1-1.
The home side had their goalkeeper to thank for helping them go ahead in the 79th minute after she launched a fantastic goal kick beyond a chasing Sydney Uni backline for Minett to steal the ball out from underneath them and finish into the bottom left corner. 2-1 to Manly was the final score.
Illawarra Stingrays 1-1 Gladesville Ravens at Macedonia Park
While mixed form has seen their competitors lose their top four spots of late, the Illawarra Stingrays have stood strong to stay in the running with the Mt Druitt Town Rangers for the top of the ladder. In comparison, a rollercoaster season for the Gladesville Ravens has seen them unable to find consistency despite the quality in their squad.
The first significance chance of the match fell the way of the Tigers in the 13th minute when a free-kick was won just on the edge of the Stingrays’ area. Lexie Moreno stepped up for her side with a lethal strike that sailed just above the crossbar.
The closely-contested nature of the opening forty-five minutes remained in the second half, with neither side able to make the most of their chances.
After a hard-fought 75 minutes, the Stingrays would take the lead late in the second half courtesy of a moment of individual brilliance from Caitlin Cooper. The midfielder initially won the ball in a headed contest following a goal kick before striding up the field to create an opening for Chloe Middleton, who brilliantly back-healed her pass for Cooper to storm into the box and tuck the ball away into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to the Stingrays in the 76th minute.
However, the Stingrays would only be in front for a short while as the Ravens clawed their way back via a quality headed equaliser from Miku Sunaga in the 88th minute, ensuring the match would finish 1-1 in the end.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
