Round 2 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW
Round one of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition has come and gone, with the nerves and jitters out of the way as the league prepares for another exciting weekend of football in Round Two.
Northern Tigers v Illawarra Stingrays
6:30pm, Saturday 14 March – NTRA
The Northern Tigers host their second straight home game on Saturday afternoon against the Illawarra Stingrays at NTRA.
The Tigers once again open the round and will be looking for a similar result to last week’s opening day win.
They were under pressure for large parts of their match against the Gladesville Ravens but defended strongly and eventually took the points courtesy of a Charlotte Mortlock penalty.
The Stingrays suffered defeat first up against the Western Sydney Wanderers down the south coast.
Travelling to NTRA is one of the most difficult away trips of the season, and the Stingrays will be eager to claim their first points of the campaign.
APIA Leichhardt v Hills United
4:50pm, Sunday 15 March – Lambert Park
The first game on Sunday takes us to Lambert Park as APIA Leichhardt take on Hills United.
It was the perfect start for the 2025 Sapphire Cup Champions last weekend, kicking off their season with victory.
New signing Talia Kapetanelis and club captain Ash Letta were the stars of the show, both getting on the scoresheet and expected to play key roles again.
After a tough Round One clash, it gets no easier for newly promoted Hills United as they travel to the inner west.
They showed strong character to remain competitive against the Bulls last week and will need more of the same in this encounter.
Bulls FC Academy v Macarthur Rams
5:00pm, Sunday 15 March – Valentine Sports Park
The last two competition Champions meet at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday as Bulls FC Academy face the Macarthur Rams.
Marti Garces’ side had to settle for a draw in their opening match despite dominating much of the contest against Hills United.
Their finishing let them down in Round One, something they will need to improve against a strong Rams side.
Macarthur demonstrated they will be highly competitive this season, putting up a strong fight against Manly United last weekend.
They face another tough challenge here and Vic Guzman’s side will be pleased if they navigate the opening two rounds undefeated.
Western City Rangers v NWS Spirit
5:00pm, Sunday 15 March – Popondetta Park
Western City Rangers take on NWS Spirit on Sunday afternoon at Popondetta Park.
The Rangers produced an impressive display in Round One against competition favourites UNSW.
They will take confidence from that performance as they look to build momentum against Spirit.
After taking the lead against Sydney Olympic in Round One, Spirit appeared on track for an opening day victory.
However, the match turned dramatically as they suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat, and they will be determined to respond strongly this weekend.
Gladesville Ravens v Sydney University
5:10pm, Sunday 15 March – Christie Park
At Christie Park on Sunday evening, the Gladesville Ravens host Sydney University, with both sides looking to bounce back from Round One defeats.
Lauren Phelps and the Ravens left North Turramurra wondering how they failed to take points after a strong performance.
They now have an opportunity to correct that and secure their first victory of the 2026 season.
Sydney University also faced a difficult opening match but were competitive against APIA Leichhardt.
While they didn’t manage to earn a point, there were plenty of positives for the Students to take into this week’s fixture.
Sydney Olympic v Manly United
5:40pm, Sunday 15 March – The Crest
Sydney Olympic will host their first home game at their new venue, The Crest, against Manly United.
There were several question marks surrounding Olympic heading into the season, but they quickly answered them with a convincing 6-1 victory over NWS Spirit.
Backing that result up with another win would send a strong message to the rest of the competition.
Manly United had to settle for a draw in Round One but created enough chances to potentially take all three points.
Two away matches to start the season presents a challenge, but avoiding defeat again would represent a positive beginning for the side.
UNSW v Western Sydney Wanderers
7:00pm, Sunday 15 March – The Village Green
The final match of Round Two kicks off at 7pm as UNSW welcome the Western Sydney Wanderers to The Village Green.
An opening day victory on a difficult away trip was exactly the start coach Zoran Naumovski wanted for his team.
UNSW will be confident of claiming another three points and are always determined to make their home ground a difficult venue for visiting teams.
One of the surprises of the opening weekend came from the Western Sydney Wanderers, who defeated the Illawarra Stingrays.
While the challenge becomes even greater this week, another positive result would provide a significant confidence boost for the Wanderers.
-By Nikola Pozder
