Round 11 Review – NPL Women’s NSW

The National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW returned with a bang in Round 11, delivering goals galore in an action-packed weekend of football.

Read on for our full wrap-up of the round’s action.

Match of the Round – Macarthur Rams 3-2 Northern Tigers

The Macarthur Rams produced a dramatic late turnaround at Lynwood Park, scoring deep into stoppage time to defeat the Northern Tigers 3-2 in a gripping National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s clash.

In a match packed with momentum swings and attacking intent, the Rams snapped a four-game winless run courtesy of a 95th-minute header from Megan Mifsud, capping off a resilient second-half fightback.

Click here to view the full report. 

NWS Spirit 3-8 UNSW at Christie Park

Last place hosts first in a matchup that was guaranteed to produce goals at Christie Park over the weekend. UNSW did not waste a second getting started, having opened the scoring in the 6^th minute with a superb goal scored by Angelique Hristodoulou. Bianca Galic headed home confidently from a corner in the 25^th minute before Demi Koulizakis latched onto a flicked-on header in the box to make it 3-0 in the 30^th minute. Chloe Smith’s ingenuity secured UNSW their fourth of the afternoon, having cheekily setup Koulizakis for her brace with a back pass in a tight area of the box. Aya Yamahata got involved in the fun by tapping in from close range after her teammates had multiple attempts blocked from a free-kick situation, taking it to 5-0 ahead of half-time. The good times kept rolling for UNSW in the second half with Milan Hammond adding a sixth following a strong solo run and well-taken finish across goal in the 61^st minute. Spirit rang in the calvary, turning to their bench for inspiration and ending up with successive goals from Skye Halmarick, Tiana Fuller and Avaani Prakash. It did not slow UNSW down however, with Chloe Smith tapping in from close range in the 85^th minute before Lexie Moreno produced the goal of the match with a stunning strike from outside the box in the 90+1^st minute.

Bulls FC Academy 2-2 Manly United at Northbridge Oval

Sunday’s action kicked-off at Northbridge Oval, with the in-form Bulls FC Academy hosting a Manly United side looking for consistency. Amber Luchtmeijer sent the Bulls into the lead in the 24^th minute after steering a confident header into the net, before Manly United equalised a few moments later when Kayla Osborn lasered a first-time strike from just outside the box. Luchtmeijer’s composure was key to the Bulls’ second of the afternoon, with the striker showing her poaching prowess with a well-guided finish in the 53^rd minute. However, Manly had one more trick up their sleeve, with Sienna Dale levelling the scores late on through a well-taken finish in the 80^th minute.

APIA Leichhardt 5-1 Illawarra Stingrays at Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt’s form has slipped of late, taking them down to fourth ahead of the weekend’s action against an Illawarra Stingrays side desperate for the three points. An outstanding header scored by Te Reremoana Walker gave APIA lift-off in the 28^th minute, with Sophie Hoban joining the fun a few minutes later via a confidently dispatched volley one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Jordan Jasnos was in the right place at the right time to finish off a well-crafted APIA opportunity in the 50^th minute, with Ashlie Letta similarly benefiting from timing and positioning to steer the ball over the line and make it 4-0 in the 51^st minute. After a corner was not cleared by the Stingrays, Hoban capped off a strong performance by her side to volley home in the 72^nd minute. Ruby Egan Brown was able to score a consolation goal for the Stingrays in the 76^th minute, as APIA held on to see out a 5-1 win.

Sydney University 3-0 Western Sydney Wanderers at Sydney University Football Ground

Sydney University faced-off with the Western Sydney Wanderers to the Sydney University Football Ground, with the two teams vying it out to keep their place in the top four. Sydney Uni secured the opener in the 29^th minute after a brilliant ball unlocked the pace of Poppy Tay on the right wing, who forced a strong save from Aimee Hall that rebounded into the path of Asha Sutton for a precision strike into the bottom left corner. Following on from their opener, Sydney Uni crafted a similar scenario for their second goal, with a cutback creating a chance for Ellen Hughes to slam the ball home for 2-0 in the 37^th minute. Kiara Bonora was well-placed to ensure the three points for Sydney Uni, having reacted quickest in the box to earn the 3-0 result for her side.

Hills United 1-0 Gladesville Ravens at Valentine Sports Park

Two sides looking to push up the ladder came up against one another at Valentine Sports Park, with Hills United hosting the Gladesville Ravens at Valentine Sports Park. Generally, United have shown themselves to be a resilient side this season, with scorelines rarely pushing past 1-0 or 2-0. Their result against the Ravens was no different, with Jessica Garrett latching onto the loose ball at a corner to give United an early lead. United continued attacking throughout the match, but would ultimately settle for a well-earned 1-0 win.

Sydney Olympic 3-1 Western City Rangers at The Crest

With Sydney Olympic and Western City Rangers each battling to stave off the threat of relegation, it was bound to be an entertaining clash at The Crest on Sunday evening. Maryam Mostaghimi and Catalina Wyrzynski linked up for the opening goal of the game to put the home side on the back foot, with the former setting up the latter for a first-time strike from just inside the box that nestled into the back of the net in the 17^th minute. Successive goals to Morgan Witz pushed Olympic in front in the second half, the first a well-taken volley at the back post and the second an outstanding chip from range to launch the ball over the goalkeeper. Tess Quilligan put the finishing touches on a late Olympic counterattack with a superb curling strike, sealing a 3-1 win for the home side.

By Matthew Badrov