Round 18 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW

The National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition keeps on giving with round 18 ahead of us this weekend.

In a league where everyone can beat anyone, the action kicks off on Saturday with two games, the other five on Sunday.

NWS Spirit v Gladesville Ravens @Christie Park, Saturday 3pm

The first game of the round kicks off at 3pm on Saturday as NWS Spirit takes on the Gladesville Ravens at Christie Park in the local derby.

With two consecutive draws, NWS Spirit sit just outside the top four and need three points here to jump back into the finals places.

They led for the majority of the game last weekend against the Illawarra Stingrays but conceded late and had to settle for a point.

Encouraging for Tony Candy is that Princess Ibini got on the scoresheet and he should have Rubi Sullivan and Skye Halmarick back from Young Matildas camp.

The Ravens may have left it little to late to make a run a for the finals, currently three games without defeat.

Confidence is high for Lauren Phelps’ team and they will be relishing the opportunity to put a dent in their local rivals finals hopes.

Alyssa Ng Saad can’t stop scoring, finding the back of the net five times in her last three games, taking her season tally to 13.

Northern Tigers v Manly United @North Turramurra Rec Area, Saturday 6:30pm – MOTR

The match of the round on Saturday will see the Northern Tigers host Manly United at North Turramurra Rec Area at 6:30pm.

A massive game for both teams here on Saturday night, with both desperate for three points in the race for finals football.

Only one win in their last four games has the Tigers down in seventh place and six points away from fourth, albeit with a game in hand.

Victory is imperative for Chris Wood and his side here otherwise it may be a hurdle to high to throw their hat back in the finals mix.

Manly have been a little inconsistent of late but remain in third place on the ladder and in a good position for finals football.

A goal in either half was enough for the win over the Newcastle Jets last week and the ever reliable Nicole Stuart getting herself on the scoresheet as well.

Should Manly win here, they could all but eliminate a direct finals rival from the race.

Newcastle Jets v Macarthur Rams @Lake Macquarie, Sunday 3pm

The Macarthur Rams travel north on Sunday to take on the Newcastle Jets at Lake Macquarie at 3pm, opening up the action on Sunday.

So much rides on this game for both squads, with it potentially playing a pivotal role in the relegation battle.

If there is a game where the Newcastle Jets need to stop this eight-game losing streak, this is the one.

Not only have they been leaking a number of goals, but they have also only managed to score in two of them as well.

When talking about stopping a losing streak, the Rams did it in style on Sunday without a number of key players, defeating UNSW 3-0.

The likes of Chantelle Maniti, Sakura Nojima and Tea Mucenski starred for the Rams and with  their Young Matildas returning this week, Vic Guzman will be keen to secure another major three points on their road to safety.

WSW v APIA Leichhardt @Wanderers Football Park, Sunday 5pm

At Wanderers Football Park, the Western Sydney Wanderers take on APIA Leichhardt on Sunday at 5pm.

Four games on the bounce without a win for the Wanderers and they’ve dropped to 11th on the ladder.

Not for the first time this season, the Wanderers weren’t able to hold out a lead after Amy Barker put them in front in the first half on Sunday.

Similarly, they led against APIA only a couple week ago in the Sapphire Cup semi-final, only to go down on that occasion as well.

That game perhaps wasn’t APIA’s best of the season but Brad Attard’s squad will take the confidence from there into this one.

And with the way they played so flowingly on Sunday, defeating the league leaders quite comfortably, it is time that APIA put together consecutive good performances if they are to play finals football.

Sydney Olympic v Illawarra Stingrays @Peter Moore Field, Sunday 5pm

At Peter Moore Field on Sunday, Sydney Olympic host the Illawarra Stingrays.

Well just as you thought there was no stopping George Beltsos’ team, Sydney Uni thought otherwise.

Making finals was never on the cards but more so survival for Olympic, although, the story of making finals from their position two months ago would have made for a documentary.

The Stingrays sit in fourth place on the ladder, just ahead of the chasing pack who are breathing down their neck.

They have only won one game in their last five starts and will need a change of form immediately to stay inside the top four.

Sydney University v Bulls FC Academy @Sydney Uni Football Ground, Sunday 5pm

On Sunday at 5pm at Sydney Uni Football Ground, Sydney University take on Bulls FC Academy.

What a victory for Sydney Uni on Sunday, when no one expected it, Oz Rowley’s team showed up and took the spoils.

Jenny Hill was in fine form scoring a brace and without Jaime Beaufils, the win was even more impressive.

They stopped one undefeated run in Sydney Olympic, can they do the same to the seemingly unstoppable Bulls?

And the Bulls really do look unstoppable, 11 games without defeat, only two draws in that period and they sit two points behind the league leaders.

Martinho Garces has done some job with this squad and even without Amber Luchtmeijer and Avaani Prakash on Sunday showed how well drilled this team is.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers v UNSW @Popondetta Park, Sunday 5pm

At Popondetta Park on Sunday evening, the final game of the round has Mt Druitt Town Rangers hosting UNSW.

Mt Druitt wasn’t at their best on Sunday and in the end were well beaten by APIA Leichhardt at Lambert Park.

Teams are starting to close the gap on the most consistent team in the competition who is low on troops currently with Ben Gough having a tough job keeping everyone fit and firing.

If UNSW are unable to come away with the points in this one then their finals hopes are all but done.

They couldn’t back up their fantastic performance against APIA two weekends ago and in fact were quite poor against the Rams in a game where they were expected to win.

A response will be required here and with the players in this squad, giving up on their finals hopes is not on the cards.

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-By Nikola Pozder