Round 19 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW
The Premiership race is well and truly on, four teams all with a chance to secure silverware with round 19 upon us this weekend in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition.
NWS Spirit FC v Macarthur Rams
3pm, Saturday 11 July – Christie Park
The action opens on Saturday afternoon at Christie Park as NWS Spirit host the Macarthur Rams.
Spirit suffered their first defeat in five games on Sunday after turning their season around in recent weeks. They pushed APIA to their limits but fell short in the end.
Skye Halmarick continues to find the back of the net for Spirit, taking her season tally to seven goals already.
The Rams snapped their winless run of three games with a confident performance on the weekend against Hills United. Amelia Cassar has been outstanding for the Rams and was no different on Sunday, scoring a brace.
Their win saw them rise a couple positions up the ladder and could climb a couple more with a win here.
APIA Leichhardt FC v Western City Rangers
3pm, Saturday 11 July – Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval will be the venue on Saturday afternoon as APIA Leichhardt take on the Western City Rangers.
Brad Attard’s team has been flying over the last month and just as it seemed they were out of the Premiership race, they have thrown themselves right back into it with five straight wins.
Ash Letta is the competition’s top scorer with 19 goals this campaign and is important to APIA’s title hopes.
A massive improvement from the Rangers over the weekend saw them only minutes away from their first victory since round 4. They will gain confidence from that performance and will attempt to cause damage to APIA’s title hopes.
Points are imperative for their fight for survival, currently sitting bottom of the Club Championship table.
UNSW FC v Sydney Olympic
5pm, Saturday 11 July – The Village Green
UNSW FC takes on Sydney Olympic at 5pm at The Village Green on Saturday evening.
A loss and a draw in their last two games and UNSW has lost hold of top spot on the competition ladder. Zoran Naumovski will want to turn his clubs fortunes around quickly to ensure they move back to the summit.
They have been dominant defensively, conceding only 13 goals all season, Erin Naylor a standout between the sticks. Soring goals has dried up somewhat though, only once in their last four games have they managed to score more than one goal.
Sydney Olympic were good value on Sunday night against Bulls FC Academy and perhaps deserved more from that game.
Morgan Witz, Peta Trimis and Ruby Nathan caused problems for their opponents last weekend and will do the same to the competition’s best defence.
Bulls FC Academy v Illawarra Stingrays
2:40pm, Sunday 12 July – Northbridge Oval
Sunday’s first game takes us to Northbridge Oval as the new league leaders Bulls FC Academy take on the Illawarra Stingrays.
Marty Garces is doing it again. As the Bulls did last year, they go about their business quietly, getting better and better week after week. They have surpassed UNSWFC at the top of the ladder and are now looking to defend their Premiership from 2025.
Amber Luchtmeijer did not score last weekend but was dangerous throughout the whole game as captain Liz Grey was enormous at the back in keeping another clean sheet. The weekend game their 10th clean sheet of the season despite being under real pressure, Ashley Hughes making some important saves.
The Stingrays have turned their form around and come to North Sydney in good spirits. Ewan Boff has a draw and a win in his opening two games in charge and will feel his side should be two from two.
A late missed penalty denied them back-to-back wins, but coming away from Northbridge with something will continue their good form.
Manly United v Gladesville Ravens
5pm, Sunday 12 July – Cromer Park
At 5pm on Sunday evening, Manly United welcome the Gladesville Ravens to Cromer Park.
Manly have not won a game since the 22nd May when they defeated NWS Spirit. Since then, they have recorded five draws and one loss and their finals hopes have disappeared.
This is a team that won’t lay down and they proved that on Sunday, fighting back late to snatch a draw.
The Ravens played an exciting game against the Wanderers and showed that they are a team that can most definitely mix it with the best in the competition.
Leena Khamis demonstrated again why she is no where near retirement, the Ravens most dangerous attacking threat. A top half finish will be the focus from the Ravens and could jump Manly with a win here.
Sydney University SFC v Hills United
5pm, Sunday 12 July – Sydney Uni Football Ground
Sydney University take on Hills United at Sydney Uni Football Ground on Sunday night.
After tough away trip down the south coast, Sydney Uni secured a point last weekend against the Illawarra Stingrays. Some heroics from Scarlett Gray in stoppage time saw her save a penalty for her side that was enough for the draw.
Just one win in their last five games has seen them drop outside finals places.
Also, much like their opponents, just one win in their last five starts and the Hills form guide does not read good for them.
They have been competitive though and caused teams problems, they’ll look to do the same to Sydney Uni.
WSW v Northern Tigers
5pm, Sunday 12 July – Wanderers Football Park
The Western Sydney Wanderers are at home against the Northern Tigers on Sunday at Wanderers Football Park.
It wasn’t quite the result the Wanderers expected on the weekend with their Premiership hopes taking a massive hit. Despite pushing hard, Allyssa Ng Saad and Talia Younis were unable to break down a stubborn Ravens defence.
They will receive the same treatment this week against another team that is difficult to break down.
The Tigers have also seen themselves drop out of form, one win in five and finals have got away from them. This has been a transition season for them and the higher up the ladder they can finish gives them a good platform for 2027.
– By Nikola Pozder
