Round 25 Review – NPL Women’s NSW

In terms of entertainment, Round 25 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition could not have provided a better set of matches for fans around the competition.

Have a read of our full wrap-up of an incredible weekend of action.

Match of the Round – Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2 v Sydney Olympic 3 at Popondetta Park

Sydney Olympic leapt to National Premier League NSW Women’s safety on Sunday night with a 3-2 victory over the Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Popondetta Park.

Things didn’t get off to the best start for the visitors as Mt Druitt took the lead through Erin Tavares with just over a minute on the board.

But Olympic hit back, first Tiana Fuller, then Baxter Thew and finally Alyssa Whinham on the stroke of half time.

Rosie Galea got Mt Druitt back into the game in the second half but Olympic held on to take an important three points to Belmore Sports Ground.

Full Report click here

NWS Spirit 3-0 Macarthur Rams at Christie Park

NWS Spirit welcome the Macarthur Rams to Christie Park on Saturday afternoon for the opening match of the round. Pending results, Spirit could make a late run at finishing in a finals football spot, but it is out of their hands at this stage in the season. Meanwhile, back-to-back wins have pushed the Rams up to 11^th on the ladder and given them plenty of confidence heading into this fixture.

The connection between Bethany Gordon and Skye Halmarick continues to pay dividends for Spirit this year, with the former setting up the opening goal of the afternoon scored by the latter. Gordon played a brilliant, pinpoint ball over the top of the Rams midfield into Halmarick, who brought it down with confidence before smashing a sensational half-volley into the back of the net. 1-0 to Spirit in the 16^th minute.

With the Rams backline sitting high up the pitch and their goalkeeper Issabella Coelho sat just outside of her goal mouth, Spirit were quick to turn winning possession in midfield into a goal through Halmarick’s impressive strike from halfway that eclipsed the Rams goalkeeper and landed in the goal. 2-0 to Spirit in the 27^th minute.

Halmarick then secured arguably the best hattrick of the season when she stepped up in the 84^th minute to make it 3-0 to her side, this time through a perfect free-kick that effortlessly flew into the top right corner, the goal sealing the three points for Spirit.

Bulls FC Academy 4-1 Gladesville Ravens at Northbridge Oval

Sunday’s action kicked-off at Northbridge Oval with Bulls FC Academy taking on the visiting Gladesville Ravens. The Bulls will be eager to rectify their loss to the Macarthur Rams last weekend, with the result pushing them out of top spot on the ladder. For the Gladesville Ravens, this matchup will purely be played for pride and momentum leading into next season.

The Bulls got the ball rolling early on in the first half, with Isabella Coco-Di Sipio making space away from her marker at a corner to guide a sensational header into the far bottom corner of the net. 1-0 to the home side in the 17^th minute.

Coco-Di Sipio was then heavily-involved a short while later for her side’s second of the afternoon, this time playing provider with a lovely pass into the path of Jynaya Dos Santos on the left wing, which the dynamic attacker calmly slotted in for 2-0 in the 21^st minute.

The goals did not stop flowing from here on out though, with the Bulls adding a third in the 26^th minute when the Ravens cleared the ball toward Petria Phillips. The Bulls winger was stood just outside of the 18-yard box and proceeded to unleash a terrific curling finish from range. 3-0 to the Bulls.

After conceding three unanswered goals, the Ravens found a way back into the match through Allyssa Ng Saad, who scored a sensational volley from the middle of the box after Morgan Roberts drew out the goalkeeper at the goal line and setup Ng Saad for her finish. The Ravens make it 3-1 in the 54^th minute.

However, that hope was short-lived for the Ravens, with the Bulls putting their opposition to the sword with a swift counterattack that ended with Coco-Di Sipio firing a quality strike from distance into the bottom right corner. 4-1 to the Bulls in the 55^th minute.

The home side then held on for the remainder of the match to win 4-1.

UNSW 3-2 Manly United at The Village Green

It’s crunch time at The Village Green, with the 5^th place UNSW hosting Manly United in 6^th place on Sunday afternoon. Just a single point separates the two teams facing off here, and neither side will be taking a backward step as they make a play to dent the other’s hopes of reaching the top four. With form comparable between the two teams, it is set to be an incredible clash with all eyes on the action at The Village Green.

UNSW opened the scoring in the first half when an emphatic header from Aya Yamahata at a corner propelled them into the lead in the 33^rd minute.

The home side then doubled their lead in the 41^st minute after Georgia Plessas latched onto a Manly defensive header to setup Demi Koulizakis, who steered the ball over goalkeeper Jodie Drever and in. 2-0 to UNSW.

Soon after the second half restart, Manly clawed a goal back through their captain Ruby Jackson, who was able to put the ball away in a crowded area after a corner left both the UNSW defence desperate to clear it and Manly urgently trying to score. Manly make it 2-1 in the 51^st minute.

Manly then equalised in a miraculous fashion in the 66^th minute after Alexia Forner thundered a free-kick toward goal that took a deflection off of a UNSW defender and skewed wildly into the back of the net. 2-2.

Incredibly, UNSW were able to retake their lead in the final minute of the match after Allira Toby’s cross was unable to be cleared by the Manly defence, leaving Chloe Smith in a prime position to snatch the three points away from the determined visitors and secure a 3-2 win for her side in the 90+7^th minute.

Illawarra Stingrays 2-2 APIA Leichhardt at Macedonia Park

This is a massive test for the Illawarra Stingrays, who enter Round 25 in 4^th place and in desperate need of three points to hold off UNSW and Manly United underneath them on the ladder. In their way stands an APIA Leichhardt side who have been unstoppable in the second half of this NPL Women’s season and who successfully leapt into 1^st place last weekend after Bulls FC Academy were downed by the Macarthur Rams.

Sienna Saveska gave her side the perfect start in the 4^th minute after lining up a brilliant free-kick that was struck with real venom to swerve past the defensive wall and APIA goalkeeper Sophie Magus seamlessly. 1-0 to the Stingrays.

Ashlie Crofts brought her side back into the proceedings in the 32^nd minute after spotting the gap in-between the Stingrays backline and making a darting run in behind to meet a square ball with a firm finish. 1-1 before halftime.

The Stingrays retook the lead with a rapid sequence of play in the 54^th minute that ended with Caitlin Cooper being setup on the left wing, driving inside and lifting a superb strike from range that nestled into the top right corner of the net. 2-1 to the Stingrays.

However, the game was not over, with APIA conjuring up an equaliser in the 90+3^rd minute through a strong header by Gisella Pipino that was planted perfectly into the far-left corner. The match would then finish in a 2-2 draw.

Western Sydney Wanderers 0-1 Northern Tigers at Wanderers Football Park

It has been a long time since the Western Sydney Wanderers have tasted victory in the NPL Women’s this season, meaning they will be eager to secure the three points over the Northern Tigers at Wanderers Football Park. For the Tigers, this campaign has seen them experience the highs of fighting for 1^st place and the lows of a winless run that has seen them drop into 9^th place. A win here is essential for both sides to help them finish the season on a high and to hopefully build strong momentum heading into a 2026 competition that is sure to be just as competitive.

The Tigers were moving the ball around with confidence early on as they sought to gain a foothold on the match as soon as possible. This led to a corner where everything seemed to go wrong for the Wanderers from a header that was spilled by Wanderers goalkeeper Aimee Hall to the quick reaction clearance that deflected back toward goal off of a Wanderers player’s head, leaving Mischa Anderson with the easiest job in the world on the goal line to give her side a 1-0 lead in the 8^th minute.

The visitors were able to hold on for the remainder of the match to win 1-0 in the end.

Sydney University 2-1 Newcastle Jets at Sydney Uni Football Ground

Sydney University enter Round 25 in a patchy run of form, with back-to-back losses undoing the momentum they had begun to build after huge wins over top half opposition. The Newcastle Jets will be desperate for the three points here to give themselves any chance of climbing off the foot of the ladder in the run to the end of the season.

A rapid counterattack opened the door for Sydney Uni to take the lead in the 13^th minute, with Tiana Petkovski being played in behind the Jets defence and slotting the ball calmly into the bottom right corner. 1-0 to the home side.

The Jets were determined to fight for an equaliser and found one courtesy of Marni Duggan, who was able to pickup on a spill by Sydney Uni goalkeeper Sofia Fante and promptly bury the ball in via a tight angle. The Jets make it 1-1 in the 32^nd minute.

Unfortunately for the Jets their high would be a fleeting one, as Sydney Uni jumped back into the lead in the 37^th minute when Charlotte Hogan was first to a Jets defensive clearance from a corner and proceeded to strike a magnificent half-volley through the sea of players in front of her and in underneath goalkeeper Caoimhe Bray, who was unable to keep the ball from rolling in despite getting her gloves to the ball. Sydney Uni make it 2-1.

The match would ultimately conclude 2-1 in favour of Sydney Uni.

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Words by Matthew Badrov