Round 14 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 14 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition delivered action, spectacular goals, and saw the ladder undergo some major changes.
Have a read of our full breakdown of Round 14.
Match of the Round – Macarthur Rams 1 v APIA Leichhardt 2 at Lynwood Park
APIA Leichhardt continued their resurgence in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition, defeating the Macarthur Rams 2-1 in a tight game at Lynwood Park on Sunday afternoon.
Sophie Hoban returned in APIA colours in style, opening the score line early in the first half, a lead which the visitors held going into half time.
The Rams equalised in superb style via Tea Mucenski in the second half, but that last only a few minutes as Ash Crofts scored what would be the winning goal.
Click here to view the full match report.
NWS Spirit 1-0 UNSW at Christie Park
NWS Spirit entered Round 14 in mixed form, with two wins and two losses from their last four matches, meaning they would have been desperate for the win to help preserve their position in the top four. UNSW arrived in Round 14 sat just two points behind Spirit and would have arrived at Christie Park determined to upset the home side and to potentially overtake them on the ladder.
Chances were limited in the first half, with Skye Halmarick ultimately coming the closest to putting either side in the lead via a long-range strike that was well-saved by UNSW goalkeeper Sarah Langman.
The second forty-five saw a change in momentum however, with a flurry of attacking chances being produced by both teams.
UNSW had a major opportunity to go 1-0 up in the 61st minute when Marcella Santos moseyed into the box and let off a strike destined for the opposite corner, however Madison McComasky stood strong to block the shot.
Langman stepped up again to keep her side in the action in the 89th minute, saving well from a curling finish by Siena Hawkins.
As the match neared the final seconds, Spirit showed real composure to take advantage of a heavy touch in midfield from UNSW and setup a last-ditch attempt with Victoria Martin. The substitute fired a pinpoint pass across goal for Kayla Osborn, who was surrounded by UNSW defenders that acted promptly to clear the ball, but could not steer the ball away far enough as Halmarick assuredly buried a superb half-volley that rattled off the post and in. 1-0 in the 95th minute was decidedly enough to ensure Spirit finished 1-0 winners.
Northern Tigers 6-2 Newcastle Jets at North Turramurra Recreation Area
A loss in Round 13 against UNSW would not have swayed this high-flying Northern Tigers squad from their goal of fighting for the title this season, but a matchup against a Newcastle Jets team capable of producing an upset will have kept them on their toes at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
The Tigers did not take long to open the scoring as Saffron Grass smartly took advantage of the Jets’ high line by playing a terrific pass over the top that Beth Bernardi took in her stride past the keeper before guiding the ball into an empty net. 1-0 to the home team in the 14th minute.
Bo Burton then found herself with plenty of time and space on the wing, giving her the chance to send in a difficult cross for the Jets goalkeeper, who mishandled it and allowed Haley Johnson to steal in and bury her easiest finish of the season yet. 2-0 in the 30th minute.
Seeing her side in need of a spark, Josie Allan proceeded to cause problems for the Tigers’ backline and forced an own goal after whipping in a decent cross that was unintentionally turned home by Savannah Murray. The Jets claw a goal back for 2-1 in the 33rd minute.
Johnson setup her side’s third of the evening, having made a run down the left wing before turning and driving a pinpoint pass at Lily McMahon, who took a smart touch to bypass her defender and storm into the box for an excellent finish into the bottom corner. 3-1 in the 41st minute.
The second half saw the Tigers continue to dominate their opponents, with Mischa Anderson well-positioned to put the ball into the back of the net after Josie Wilson’s initial chance in front of goal was saved by the keeper. 4-1 in the 48th minute.
Wilson was able to notch a goal in the 57th minute after standing strong in a crowded penalty area to knock the ball in from a corner. 5-1 to the Tigers.
The Jets pushed to reduce the deficit and would be rewarded in the 61st minute after Navah Crofton’s wicked finish on the edge of the box hammered the crossbar and was cleared into the path of Annika Driscoll, giving her time to head the ball across for Aaliyah Kilroy to make it 5-2.
The final goal of the day – and arguably the best – would be scored by Charlotte Mortlock, who unleashed a superb strike from outside of the box in the 72nd minute that hit the crossbar on the way in and ensured a 6-2 win for the Tigers.
Bulls FC Academy 2-0 Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy have transformed into one of the NPL Women’s in-form clubs over the past month, and headed into Round 14 experiencing an unbeaten run of form. Taking on the league-leading Mt Druitt Town Rangers would have been seen a real test of the home side’s abilities, however the visitors have shown themselves to be fallible in the past having lost to the Newcastle Jets in Round 10.
The Bulls were determined to find a way to score against this difficult-to-breakdown Rangers outfit and would do so in the 15th minute at a corner routine where Elizabeth Grey did brilliantly to break away from her marker and stretch to meet the cross just in front of goal. The Rangers could do very little beyond watching the ball trickle in over the line, which ensured that the Bulls would take a 1-0 lead.
The home side had clearly done their homework in the build-up to this fixture, as their second goal of the afternoon would be scored early on in the second half from a corner situation. Grey was yet again the goal scorer for the Bulls, this time via strong header that bested Rangers’ goalkeeper Renee Krstanovska and flew in for 2-0 in the 53rd minute.
Sydney University 1-2 Illawarra Stingrays at Sydney Uni Football Ground
Despite leading away to APIA Leichhardt last time out, Sydney University were unable to follow-up their dominant win over the Newcastle Jets in Round 12 with a successive victory at Cromer Park. Facing an Illawarra Stingrays side with real momentum on their side would have been understood as a chance for Sydney Uni to showcase their resilienec in the face of a team in excellent form.
A brilliant counterattack by the Stingrays resulted in the away side taking an early lead in the 8th minute of the match, with Alexia Karrys-Stahl turning in midfield before playing a superb ball in behind the Sydney Uni backline for Siobhan Edwards to race toward goal and finish confidently into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to the Stingrays.
Caitlin Cooper doubled her side’s lead in the 16th minute after guiding a bullet header in from a corner. 2-0 to the Stingrays.
Sydney Uni captain Jaime Beaufils earned her side a penalty after dancing into the opposition box and drawing a foul. The side’s creative maestro then stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way and bury the spot kick into the bottom right corner. Sydney Uni make it 2-1 in the 70th minute.
Taking an early lead proved to be a crucial to the Stingrays, who were able to hold on and withstand Sydney Uni’s attacking forays, bringing the three points back to Macedonia Park in the process.
Sydney Olympic 3-0 Gladesville Ravens at Peter Moore Field
Having seen reinforcements through the doors in recent weeks via the A-League Women’s returnees, Sydney Olympic have looked an improved squad over the past few weeks of action and will have been up for the challenge of facing the Gladesville Ravens. In contrast, the Ravens have been inconsistent this campaign, and will have aimed to find some stability at this point in the season.
The opening goal of the evening would be scored by Olympic in the 8th minute after Baxter Thew unlocked the run of her winger, who stormed into the box before squaring for Sarah Yatim to turn in at the near post. 1-0 to Olympic.
Olympic were similarly clinical in their approach to their second goal of the match; Aideen Keane finding the bottom corner superbly after being setup on the edge of the box and sauntering through to make it 2-0 in the 54th minute.
Alyssa Whinham saw the goal scoring efforts of her fellow attackers and earned a real chance to secure a goal of her own after finding herself in space on the edge of the box and cutting in to evade her defender before planting an assured strike from range into the far-right corner in the 93rd minute. 3-0 was the final score to Olympic.
Manly United 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers at Cromer Park
Manly United were one of the competition’s standouts for a large part of the season, however they have since slipped out of the top four despite their best efforts. A 4-0 win over the Newcastle Jets helped to rectify their rollercoaster form of late, but this Western Sydney Wanderers squad has proven themselves to be capable of an upset and will have been determined to achieve exactly that.
An evenly-contested first half led to neither time leaving a particular stamp on the match, and although there were chances for both sides to drive their team into the lead, the two teams headed into the half-time break at 0-0.
The Wanderers were the first to convert on a cold evening in the Northern Suburbs after their backline won possession and smartly worked the ball up quickly to the left wing, where a cross was fired in at the near post for the speedy Talia Younis to latch onto and tuck the ball in underneath Manly goalkeeper Jodie Drever. 1-0 to the Wanderers in the 60th minute.
After vying for an equaliser throughout the remainder of the second half, the Wanderers secured a last-gasp leveler in the 90th minute when Ellie Kerr was first to a cleared ball following a corner kick and launched a thunderous half-volley that eclipsed goalkeeper Aimee Hall. 1-1 was the final score.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
