Round 21 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
It was an action-packed Round 21 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition, with a few surprise results reshaping the ladder ahead of next weekend.
Have a read of our breakdown below.
Match of the Round – Sydney University 1-2 UNSW at Sydney Uni Football Ground
UNSW FC kept their finals hopes alive with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Sydney University SFC at Sydney Uni Football Ground on Sunday night.
Trudy Camilleri opened the scoring for UNSW just after 20 minutes, only for Talia Kapetanelis to equalise 10 minutes later for the home side.
On the stroke of half time though, Chloe Smith scored her first league goal in nine games which would end up being the winner.
Check out the full report here.
Bulls FC Academy 1-0 Western Sydney Wanderers at Northbridge Oval
Top of the table Bulls FC Academy play host to the Western Sydney Wanderers at Northbridge Oval to kick-off Sunday’s action in the NPL Women’s. We’ve arrived at a significant point in the season, where every point is crucial, meaning the Bulls will be primed to secure the win to keep themselves atop the ladder while the Wanderers will be hoping to upset their opponents as they fight to steer clear of relegation.
The first half saw the Bulls dictate most of the action, with chances limited for the Wanderers at the opposite end of the pitch.
The home side took the lead in the 27th minute when Jynaya Dos Santos won a challenge for the ball and squared it to Petria Phillips on the edge of the box. With Wanderers defenders closing in, Phillips bravely rode a heavy touch through an opposition player and slid in to score past an outrushing Aimee Hall. 1-0 to the Bulls.
It was a case of the same story in the second half, with the Bulls producing a number of chances off target whilst the Wanderers were largely kept in their own half with little reprieve.
The Bulls held onto their lead and saw out the match as 1-0 winners in the end.
Sydney Olympic 4-2 NWS Spirit FC at Peter Moore Field
After a run of wins pulled them off the bottom of the ladder, Sydney Olympic have struggled to get the three points of late. Returning home to Peter Moore Field will have had the side motivated to upset in-form visitors NWS Spirit, however their opposition will be desperate for the victory as they strive to push into the top four.
Olympic began the match with a bang in the 2nd minute when Aideen Keane was played in behind and proceeded to bury a blistering strike past Spirit goalkeeper Tiahna Robertson into the back of the net. 1-0 to Olympic.
Spirit had to be patient in their search for an equaliser, but the moment came in the 31st minute through Bethany Gordon playing a superb pass over the top of the Olympic backline to meet the run of Victoria Martin and chip the ball into the back of the net. 1-1.
Individual brilliance from Keane returned the lead to Olympic just before half-time, with the striker keeping the ball in at the goal line before steering herself back inside and unleashing a precision finish for 2-1 in the 39th minute.
Alyssa Whinham gave Olympic their third goal of the afternoon 60th minute after latching onto a loose ball just inside the 18-yard box and making space to plant her finish in the top left corner. 3-1 to Olympic.
Keane was determined throughout the match to notch the goals for Olympic and give her side added breathing room. The Olympic attacker did exactly that in the 84th minute after evading multiple Spirit defenders and lasering a low finish from range into the near post. 4-1 to the home side.
A consolation goal for Spirit was scored late on in the 89th minute when Lola Greenberg was found in the box and set herself up for a strong finish to make it 4-2.
Olympic kept Spirit at bay from here on out and held on to their 4-2 lead to secure the three points.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 3-0 Macarthur Rams at Popondetta Park
Having dominated at the top of the ladder for much of the season, the Mt Druitt Town Rangers have hit a difficult period where the wins are not coming as frequently. This sets up an important clash with the Macarthur Rams, who earned a comeback win over the Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 20 to help their fight for survival.
It was a perfect start for the Rangers with a goal scored in just the 3rd minute of the match, the goal earned by Erin Leah Tavares after a defensive header back toward Rams goalkeeper Jazlyn Lewis-Zraika came loose and Tavares was there to seize upon the ball to bury into the back of the net. 1-0 to the Rangers early on.
Rosaria Galea did brilliantly to create her side’s second goal of the evening after turning through two Rams defenders and storming into the box to fire a cross at Roukayah Al Fararjeh, who knocked the ball back toward the middle of the box for Leena Khamis to put the finishing touches on a terrific sequence of play. 2-0 in the 45th minute.
The Rangers’ third for the evening arrived courtesy of Holly Williams’ cross, which initially appeared to be overhit but was salvaged by Galea who scooped the ball over the top for Khamis to head home easily from close range. The Rangers would take a 3-0 lead in the 59th minute and hold onto it to collect the three points in the end.
APIA Leichhardt 2-1 Manly United at Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt’s strong run of form could not have come at a better time in their season, with their hopes of making the top four looking better with each win they stack up. Manly United have been in and out of the top four this season and will want to secure the three points to hold off APIA from securing a finals spot.
APIA opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Charlotte Lancaster held off her defender and weaved a superb ball in behind the Manly defence to Ashlie Crofts, who showed complete assurance in spotting the gap at the near post and duly burying her strike to make it 1-0 to the home side early on in the match.
Manly hit back quickly after the half-time break with a well-worked corner routine that was started and finished by Alexia Forner. The creative dynamo played a simple one-two with Lucy Richards before seeing her cross bypass attackers and defenders alike to nestle into the back of the net. 1-1 in the 48th minute.
Crofts bagged herself a brace in the 72nd minute after a corner landed on her head in a crowded penalty area just before Manly goalkeeper Nicole Simonsen could get a fist to the ball. The APIA striker was able to successfully steer the ball in and get a 2-1 win for her side in the process.
Illawarra Stingrays 0-0 Northern Tigers at Macedonia Park
Entering Round 21 of the NPL Women in 2nd, Illawarra Stingrays will have wanted to keep the pressure on Bulls FC Academy in 1st place as part of their own conquest for the Premiership. While the Northern Tigers have unfortunately missed out on a finals football spot this year, their ambition will be to upset the Stingrays with plenty of talent available to hurt the South Coast side.
The visitors had the majority of the chances in the opening forty-five minutes, with the Stingrays often relying on counterattacking opportunities that were hard to come by as the Tigers defence proved too resilient.
The Tigers continued to dominate in attack against their opponents in the second half, however Brianna Edwards was impressive in goal for the Stingrays and was regularly first to the ball in precarious situations for her side.
Edwards gave away a foul in a risky area after handling the ball just outside of the 18-yard box in the 85th minute. However, despite some difficulty clearing the ball, the Stingrays were able to keep the resultant free-kick from causing any damage.
After a hard-fought, end-to-end ninety minutes, the two sides would share the spoils as the match ended 0-0 at Macedonia Park.
Gladesville Ravens 6-0 Newcastle Jets at Christie Park
The Gladesville Ravens have been stringing the wins together of late, showing the potential many saw in them from the start too late into the regular season. For a Newcastle Jets side sat at the bottom of the ladder that has been unlucky of late, it is essential that they earn the win here for the sake of their season.
Eliza Familton scored the opening goal for the Ravens in the 13th minute after receiving a through ball on the right wing and cutting inside to take advantage of Jets goalkeeper Ally Boertje coming out of her goal mouth and guide the ball through a crowded box to give her side a 1-0 lead.
The Ravens doubled their advantage in the 18th minute when a free-kick was floated into the box and met by Taren King, who confidently steered a looping header over the outstretched Boertje, who was unable to keep the ball out despite getting a hand to it. 2-0 to the home side.
Keisha Allen added a third for her side prior to the half-time break after rising above a sea of bodies to send a strong header into the goal. 3-0 to the Ravens in the 40th minute.
Despite a better performance in the second half, the Jets came undone in the 77th minute when a quick Ravens counterattack opened up the chance for Familton to earn a brace, which she did after successfully beating her defender and placing the ball into the bottom right corner from range. 4-0 to the Ravens.
Boertje was caught out in the 87th minute whilst attempting to play out from the back, handing a waiting Patricia Charalambous the chance to setup Familton for a simple finish to lock in a hattrick for the evening. 5-0 to the home side.
With the Jets defence in disarray, Charalambous was able to add a sixth for the Ravens in the 90+1st minute by smashing an excellent finish across goal. The Ravens win 6-0.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
