Round 24 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 24 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition provided plenty of action and surprise results, with the regular season set for a nail-biting finish in the coming weeks.
Read on for our full breakdown of Round 24.
Match of the Round –Manly United 2-0 Illawarra Stingrays at Cromer Park
Cromer Park is set to host a do-or-die clash between Manly United and the Illawarra Stingrays, with the former fighting for a spot in the finals and the latter looking to solidify their place in the top four. Manly have endured a patchy run of late and will want to put in a strong performance in front of their home fans, whilst the Stingrays will be riding the confidence of a 1-0 win over fellow top four candidates UNSW.
Limited chances characterised the first half between the two sides, with both Manly and the Stingrays attempting to gain control of the match.
It took until the second half for either team to score, with Manly breaking the deadlock in the 53rd minute after a terrific free-kick into the box was confidently met by Sienna Dale for an emphatic header that bounced underneath Stingrays goalkeeper Brianna Edwards and into the back of the net. 1-0 to Manly.
Manly then added a second goal late on to cap off a strong second half showing in front of the Cromer Park faithful, the goal triggered by Alexia Forner’s quick-thinking and sensational pass in behind the Stingrays backline to play in speedy substitute Tegan Biasi for a well-taken finish across goal. Manly make it 2-0 in the 86th minute and secure the three points in the end.
Check out the full report here.
Macarthur Rams 4 v Bulls FC Academy 2 at Lynwood Park
Macarthur Rams stunned the high-flying Bulls FC Academy defeating them 4-2 at Lynwood Park.
After a scoreless draw the game came to life in the second half as Sakura Nojima and Lola Sossai notched up goals to make it to 2-0 to the hosts.
Nojima added a third with ten minutes to go before Isabella Coco-Di Sipio scored from the spot in extra time before Jynaya Dos Santos made things interesting bagging a goal in the 92nd minute to make it 3-2.
Tea Mucenski iced the match however scoring the Rams’ fourth as they recorded a massive win against the current number two side in NSW.
Northern Tigers 0-2 NWS Spirit at North Turramurra Recreational Area
Saturday evening brings the first match of the round, with the Northern Tigers hosting NWS Spirit at North Turramurra Recreational Area. The Tigers matched it with a high-flying APIA Leichhardt last time out, however, despite their effort, they were unable to get on the scoresheet that day. With their 4-4 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers all but ending their slim hopes of playing finals football, NWS Spirit enter this matchup with nothing to lose.
Spirit took the lead early on in the match after the Tigers backline gave the ball away from a free-kick at the halfway line, with Bethany Gordon on hand to latch onto the loose pass. The Spirit midfielder showed her quality by calmly meeting the run of Skye Halmarick with a brilliant aerial through ball that the striker brought down and subsequently buried with assurance. 1-0 to the visitors in the 13th minute.
Tiahna Robertson then kept her side from conceding just before the half-time break by sensationally saving a rocket of a half-volley from Lily McMahon.
Gordon was at the heart of her side’s second of the evening after a set-piece play unlocked a chance for the dynamic midfielder to fire a dangerous cross into the box, which was unwittingly turned home for an own goal at the near post by Aimee Longhurst. 2-0 to Spirit in the 77th minute.
The away side would hold onto their 2-0 lead and successfully take the three points away from the North Turramurra Recreational Area.
Sydney Olympic 0-3 APIA Leichhardt at Valentine Sports Park
Though Sydney Olympic were able to salvage their season a few months ago with a great run, their form of late has left them sitting in 11th. Coming up against an APIA Leichhardt side undergoing an unbeaten run will be seen as a real challenge for Olympic, and it will be the aim of the home side to upset the visitors in the midst of their current streak.
APIA jumped into the lead in the 36th minute courtesy of a poacher’s finish from Teal Kilbride, who was able to bury the ball through a sea of players after a header at a corner fell her way in the box. 1-0 to the visitors.
Set pieces have been a consistent source of goals for APIA this campaign, and they would earn their second from a corner routine to back-up their opening goal as an unmarked Ashlie Crofts buried a bullet header with ease at the near post. 2-0 to APIA in the 70th minute.
Crofts secured herself a brace only a few minutes later when Sophie Hoban raced onto an Olympic clearance to setup the APIA striker for a well-taken finish with limited time and space available to her. 3-0 to APIA in the 73rd minute, which would come to be the final score at full-time.
Western Sydney Wanderers 2-2 Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Wanderers Football Park
The Western Sydney Wanderers have struggled in the second half of this campaign, with a run of 10 losses compounding their woes as they come into this weekend languishing in 13th place. The Mt Druitt Town Rangers will arrive at Wanderers Football Park reeling from a midweek loss to 5th place UNSW and determined to keep their place in the top four.
The Rangers were rewarded for their dominant first half performance when Ena Harada drove a low free-kick on the edge of the box into the bottom right corner on the stroke of half-time. 1-0 to the Rangers in the 45+3rd minute.
The home side began to gain a foothold on the match in the second half with Nikkita Fazzari equalising in the 67th minute. The goal was sparked by a fantastic cross into the box that was touched toward goal and brilliantly saved by Renee Krstanovska, however she could only palm the ball into the path of Fazzari for an easy finish. The Wanderers make it 1-1.
Rosaria Galea successfully regained the lead for her side after being shoved down in the box whilst jumping for a header. Galea then stepped up to take the spot kick and placed the ball just beyond goalkeeper Aimee Hall, who was able to get a finger to the ball but could not prevent the goal. 2-1 to the Rangers in the 73rd minute.
The Wanderers were not done yet and saved the dramatics for the closing stages of the match, with Isabella Sultan seeing her quality free-kick bounce off the post and into the path of Olivia Vanderlaan for a composed finish into the roof of the net in the 90+1st minute. The match then finished 2-2.
Newcastle Jets 1-2 UNSW at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
The Newcastle Jets were unable to keep the momentum going after earning a rare victory in Round 22, having endured a heavy 6-0 loss to the Mt Druitt Town Rangers. They will be desperate for any points against UNSW, who arrive at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility determined to pickup the win to stay in the hunt for finals football.
A mistake from Jets goalkeeper Caoimhe Bray gave UNSW a chance to take the lead early on, with Angelique Hristodoulou on hand to tuck her half-volley away into an empty net. 1-0 to the visitors in the 5th minute.
Alexis Collins showcased her striking prowess when making a smart run to break away from the UNSW backline to chase down a long ball from the Jets defence. The Jets attacker then spotted UNSW goalkeeper Sarah Langman stepping out of her goal mouth and proceeded to chip the ball in from outside the box. 1-1 in the 39th minute.
The closing stages of the second half would see substitute Aaliyah Kilroy earn a second yellow card and a subsequent red for a rough challenge made in her attempt to win the ball in the 89th minute.
Dramatically, UNSW would immediately storm up the field following the restart to craft a magnificent sequence of play that ended with Chloe Smith tapping the ball in at the near post. UNSW make it 2-1 in the 90+1st minute, ensuring they would leave Lake Macquarie with the win.
Gladesville Ravens 3-1 Sydney University at Christie Park
Round 24 closes out with a clash that is sure to be entertaining for fans at Christie Park, with the Gladesville Ravens facing Sydney University. With the two sides sat in 9th and 10th respectively on the ladder, this bodes as a chance for both teams to build form ahead of next year as they look to come back stronger in 2026.
The Ravens went 1-0 up in the 10th minute when a ball from their defence flew beyond the Sydney Uni backline and into the path of Morgan Roberts, who strode forward before laying a pass on for Allyssa Ng Saad to finish into an empty net. 1-0 to the Ravens.
Having secured herself an assist, Roberts then scored an extraordinary goal in the 35th minute when she picked the ball up on the right wing and shaped up for a cross before firing a spectacular finish from range that sailed over Hannah Callaghan and dipped into the bottom left corner. The Ravens make it 2-0.
Substitute Eliza Familton put in the hard yards to cultivate a third goal for her and displayed real determination to work herself into a position to cross on the left wing, with the ball ultimately finding Roberts at the back post for a tidy finish. 3-0 in the 90+1st minute.
Though it was too late for them to mount any real comeback, Sydney Uni earned themselves a consolation in the 90+2nd minute when Maddie Caspers was played in behind the Ravens backline and assuredly fired the ball in across goal. The visitors make it 3-1 but are unable to change the scoreline any further, with the Ravens earning the victory.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
