Round 17 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
It was a closely-fought Round 17 of action in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition, with the battle for top four heating up as clubs race to the finish line.
Read on for our breakdown of the weekend that was.
Match of the Round – APIA Leichhardt 2-0 Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Lambert Park
A goal in either half by APIA Leichhardt was enough for them to secure a major three points in their hope to qualify for the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW finals, defeating the league leading Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2-0 at Lambert Park.
The home side opened the scoring in the final moments of the first half through Sophie Hoban after a lovely team goal.
Ash Brodigan then scored in the second half to secure the victory for APIA in a very good performance from Brad Attard’s squad.
Click here to view the full report.
Bulls FC Academy 3-1 Northern Tigers at Northbridge Oval
Bulls FC Academy are one of the competition’s most in-form sides heading into Round 17, having extended their unbeaten run to ten matches after a 3-0 win over the Newcastle Jets. Coming up against a Northern Tigers side struggling for form after two losses in three matches will still have the home team cautious coming into this fixture, considering the Tigers’ abundance of talent.
Claudia Valletta gave the home side a brilliant opener in the 27th minute after cleverly curling in her free-kick from a difficult position on the left wing. 1-0 to the Bulls.
The visitors knew they had to find an equaliser fast and would notch a leveller in the 34th minute when Nicola Dominikovich strode into the box and found herself denied by Mio Nemoto in her attempt to setup Bo Burton, and proceeded to guide home the loose ball after a failed clearance. 1-1.
The Bulls showed no signs of backing off however and would restore their lead in the 40th minute when Tamires Souza escaped her marker and beat Annaliese Glastonbury to Valletta’s cross to head home with ease. 2-1 to the Bulls.
The crowd at Northbridge Oval would have been left in awe of the Bulls’ attacking masterclass, with Petria Phillips capping off her side’s quality performance by playing a one-two with Olivia Cartwright and unleashing a sensational strike from distance that walloped into the top right corner of the net. 3-1 in the 57th minute.
A 3-1 victory to the Bulls leaves them well-placed on the ladder ahead of Round 18.
Sydney University 2-0 Sydney Olympic at Sydney Uni Football Ground
Sydney University got off to a flying start after racing out to a 2-0 lead against an in-form NWS Spirit last weekend, however they were ultimately forced to settle for a 2-2 draw after Spirit quickly returned serve. Outside of Bulls FC Academy and Mt Druitt Town Rangers, Sydney Olympic are the side to avoid at the moment with a seemingly unbeatable momentum rocketing them off the foot of the ladder and onto a path toward finals football.
Following a restart in play, Sydney Uni were quick to take advantage of Olympic resettling as Jenny Hill raced into the box to get on the end of a superb cross and guide an assured header past a diving Annalee Grove in goal. 1-0 to Sydney Uni in the 11th minute.
The first half was quite even between both sides, with the same number of shots (5) and shots on target (3) recorded between the two.
Though the last few seasons have seen them finish on the lower end of the ladder, Sydney Uni have shown themselves to be capable of securing draws and a grinding out results against opposition in better form.
However, Uni were regularly on the front foot against Olympic across both halves and were imperious in defence.
This determination enabled them to secure a late chance to double their lead with Olympic’s outfielders high up the pitch. Substitute Poppy Tay won the ball on halfway and turned on the afterburners to race into the box and square it for Hill to secure a brace by triumphantly smashing the ball into the net, prompting her entire team to swarm her to celebrate. 2-0 to Sydney Uni in the 90+3rd minute would be how the match finished.
Illawarra Stingrays 1-1 NWS Spirit at Macedonia Park
The Illawarra Stingrays and NWS Spirit arrive at Round 17 in third and fourth place respectively, setting up a tantalising clash for fans and neutrals alike as both sides fight to retain their spot in the top four. The Stingrays have struggled to secure the three points of late and are leading the competition for drawn matches. Whereas Spirit will take confidence from their 2-2 draw with Sydney University last time out after initially going 2-0 down.
A mishap playing out from the back by the Stingrays would lead to Spirit taking the lead early in the 18th minute of the match, with the visitors quick to pounce on a wayward pass by Brianna Edwards out of goal and setup Princess Ibini-Isei, who showed real assurance to roll the ball into the bottom right corner with ease. 1-0 to the away side.
The Stingrays refused to give in in front of their home fans at Macedonia Park and mustered in equaliser late on when Siobhan Edwards’ looping cross caused problems for goalkeeper Tiahna Robertson. The Spirit No. 1 could only clear the cross as far as Chloe Middleton for the half-volley, which she reacted quickly to save, however she could do little about Kaelah Austin slamming the ball into the roof of the net for 1-1 in the 76th minute.
The two sides would ultimately be forced to share the spoils as the match concluded 1-1.
Macarthur Rams 3-0 UNSW at Lynwood Park
The Macarthur Rams will have arrived in Round 17 desperate to kick their season into gear after enduring a rollercoaster campaign thus far. Last season’s champions will have to face a UNSW team that have been patchy this year to say the least, with streaks of good and bad form a consistent feature of their 2025 performance.
A Rams free-kick into the box would cause problems for the UNSW defence and lead to the home side opening the scoring in the 29th minute when Tea Mucenski picked up a loose ball form Darcey Malone’s deflected strike and skilfully hit a quality strike with her back to goal. 1-0 to the Rams.
Mucenski was then heavily-involved in her team’s second of the afternoon, having been found in the space on the left wing the attacker guided a beautiful cross into the path of Bronte Trew, who ably latched onto the ball and steered it in for 2-0. The Rams double their lead in the 52nd minute.
A sensational pass from Sakura Nojima unlocked the UNSW defence and allowed Halle Callow to run into space in behind, with the Rams winger putting the finishing touches on the play with a classy strike planted in the bottom right corner. The Rams secure a 3-0 win in the 77th minute.
Manly United 2-0 Newcastle Jets at Cromer Park
A mixed run of form has pushed Manly United just outside of the top four, however they will be confident of pushing back up into a finals spot with only one point separating them and NWS Spirit in fourth. In comparison, this season has been a challenging one for the Newcastle Jets, with the side desperate for a win and in need of a spark to change their fortunes.
A well-contested opening twenty minutes saw both sides having chances, with the home side largely producing the bulk of the opportunities and attacking forays.
This was until the 20th minute when Manly found a gap in behind the Jets defence which was sitting high up the pitch. The home team secured the lead after Lucy Richards played Nicole Stuart in on the right wing, which the Manly attacker took on with confidence and dispatched with ease into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to Manly.
Though the Jets were able to keep the deficit at 1-0, Manly would double their lead in the 85th minute when Stuart played through substitute Sienna Dale in on the left wing, who sent a precise cross in toward the back post for fellow substitute Anita Zordan to bury for 2-0.
Manly secure the three points at Cromer Park with a 2-0 win.
Gladesville Ravens 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers at Christie Park
The Gladesville Ravens put an end to a tough run of form courtesy of Alyssa Ng Saad’s outstanding performance last weekend, and will be hoping to continue in that vein on Sunday evening against a Western Sydney Wanderers side that is sitting just above them on the ladder. Fans of both sides will be expecting an entertaining clash when the Ravens and the Wanderers meet.
The Wanderers opened the scoring on a cold evening at Christie Park when Olivia Vanderlaan stole in and positioned herself smartly in the box to receive a pass from the wing, before turning and setting up Amy Barker for a lethal finish into the bottom right corner. 1-0 to the Wanderers in the 29th minute.
Following an outstanding performance last week, Allyssa Ng Saad stepped up to earn a leveller for her side in the 56th minute with a fine finish. The Ravens make it 1-1.
The Wanderers then succumbed to the pressure of the Ravens’ press in the 75th minute after attempting to play out from the back, with Patricia Charalambous able to best goalkeeper Aimee Hall despite the Wanderers No. 1 getting a hand to the shot. The Ravens go ahead at 2-1.
Ravens fans would have been pleased to see their side achieve a 2-1 win in the end after going down early on in the match.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
