Round 14 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
A closely-fought Round 14 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition played out over the weekend, with plenty of late drama unfolding.
Read on for our full wrap-up of the weekend.
Match of the Round – Western Sydney Wanderers v Illawarra Stingrays at Wanderers Football Park
The Western Sydney Wanderers secured all three points in the Match of the Round in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Illawarra Stingrays 1-0 at Wanderers Football Park.
A dramatic last-minute goal sealed the victory for Jamie Dib’s side, who look well placed to have secured finals football.
UNSW FC 2-1 Western City Rangers at The Village Green
The round would begin with an unbeaten UNSW FC hosting Western City Rangers at The Village Green on Saturday. Chloe Smith produced a terrific goal to open the scoring for UNSW, having found space on the right wing before unleashing a precision strike beyond the goalkeeper and into the top left corner. Despina Vasiliadis equalised for the Rangers in the 62nd minute after Catalina Wyrzynski seized on a heavy touch out of the UNSW backline and was denied one-on-one by the outrushing Erin Nayler, leading to Vasiliadis burying the loose ball to make it 1-1. UNSW then proved why they’re the competition’s leaders, with Demi Koulizakis securing the winner in the 68th minute after a scramble at a corner led her to smash the ball in for the 2-1 win.
Bulls FC Academy 2-1 Hills United at Northbridge Oval
Entering this match on a run of nine games unbeaten, Bulls FC Academy would kick-off Sunday’s set of fixtures by welcoming Hills United to Northbridge Oval. After a scoreless first half, the Bulls would take the lead in the 59th minute when Amber Luchtmeijer let off a shot from close range that deflected above for Olivia Vanderlaan to head home on the line. Bianca Galayini put Bulls goalkeeper Ashley Hughes under pressure a few moments later, leading to Galayini setting up Paula Boza Gil for a first-time hit that looped in for 1-1 in the 63rd minute. The Bulls scored the winner when Arna Hogarth-Scott arrived late in the box to put her laces through a strike that took a touch on the way in, leading to the home side winning 2-1.
Gladesville Ravens 1-0 Northern Tigers at Christie Park
The Gladesville Ravens faced off with the Northern Tigers at Christie Park on Sunday, with the home side eager to find momentum after a run of losses. Having fought it out over close to 90 minutes, the Ravens would eventually overcome their opponents in the 89th minute when Hannah McNulty spotted the run of Josie Allan and played a brilliant ball for the attacker to square a pass inside for Laura Murtagh to finish at the near post. The goal would ultimately give the Ravens the three points.
Sydney Olympic 0-1 NWS Spirit at The Crest
Having endured a mixed campaign so far, Sydney Olympic were set to welcome an NWS Spirit side chasing a resurgence in their season. Ultimately, Spirit would prevail over their opponents when Naomi Chinnama headed home from a corner in the 78th minute, giving Spirit an important three points in their conquest to push away from bottom place.
Manly United 1-1 Macarthur Rams at Cromer Park
An intriguing matchup was set to play out at Cromer Park, with Manly United facing the Macarthur Rams. It was Manly who gained the ascendancy early on when a free-kick into the box was met with aplomb by Emily Minett, who guided a terrific header into the back of the net in the 8th minute. The Rams remained determined to get back into the match and would find a leveller through Tegan Bertolissio, whose header landed in the goal via a mistimed catch from the goalkeeper. The two sides would ultimately share the points in the end.
Sydney University 0-3 APIA Leichhardt at Sydney University Football Ground
Fans of both Sydney University and APIA Leichhardt would have been excited heading into their sides’ clash on the weekend, with an exciting 90 minutes expected. An own goal from Isabella Raad gave APIA the lead in the 59th minute, with the defender unintentionally heading the ball into her own net in an attempt to clear a corner kick. Talia Kapetanellis scored her side’s second of the evening in the 74th minute after spotting an opportunity from range and firing low across goal and into the bottom right corner. Ashlie Letta then showed her striking prowess to secure APIA’s third and final goal of the match, leading to the visitors earning a strong 3-0 victory.
Words by Matthew Badrov
