Round 22 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW
Five games to go in the National Premier Leagues women’s NSW competition and Bulls FC Academy could all but secure back to back Premierships after this weekend.
Northern Tigers v Hills United
6:30pm, Saturday 1 August – NTRA
The action kicks off at The Village Green on Saturday night as the Northern Tigers take on Hills United.
Nine points off the fourth placed Western Sydney Wanderers with five games to go and their hopes of sneaking into the play offs are very thin.
Bethany Gordon scored a double last weekend but it wasn’t enough to take the points, settling for a draw. If the Tigers are to continue their hunt, they’ll need the midfield magician at her best again.
Hills suffered back-to-back defeats after going down by the odd-goal against NWS Spirit.
Should they not pick up any points in this one, Hills could slip further down the ladder. In terms of the club championship and safety, that is what is most important United and they are not far from safety now.
Illawarra Stingrays v Sydney Olympic
3pm, Sunday 2 August – The Pond
Sunday afternoons first game takes us to The Pond as the Illawarra Stingrays host Sydney Olympic.
Four games without a win and a heavy 6-1 loss against the bottom placed Western City Rangers has Illawarra in second last place on the league standings.
It seemed as though things were going to turn for the south coast side, instead, it was a colossal collapse last weekend and they’ll need an immediate bounce back this Sunday.
Syndey Olympic’s team has shown throughout the season that they have the ability to mix it with the best teams in the competition.
Two clean sheets in their last three games and a win and draw against some of the strongest teams in the competition shows us they will want to finish as high up the ladder as possible.
Morgan Witz continues to hit the back of the net and she will be key for Olympic on Sunday.
Gladesville Ravens v Macarthur Rams
3:10pm, Sunday 2 August – Christie Park
At Christie Park on Sunday afternoon, the Gladesville Ravens welcome the Macarthur Rams.
The Ravens have drawn against three of the competitions top teams over the last month, reiterating the fact that this team can put it to the best.
Consistency and concentration in key moments have cost them a higher position on the ladder. Despite the above mentioned draws, the Ravens have not won since 21 June.
The Rams’ results have been tough to pick this season. They’ve shown improvement as the year has gone on but find themselves in ninth on the ladder.
Another side that has struggled with consistency, their 3-0 defeat to Sydney Olympic on the weekend would have caught many off guard.
APIA Leichhardt v Bulls FC Academy
4:50pm, Sunday 2 August – Lambert Park
It’s blockbuster time at Lambert Park on Sunday as APIA Leichhardt take on Bulls FC Academy.
This is the last opportunity to make the Premiership race intriguing until the final round. An APIA win just slightly opens the door for both the home side and UNSW FC, while a Bulls victory will more or less secure back-to-back Premierships for Marty Garces and the Champions.
After six straight wins, APIA was defeated two weeks ago against Olympic, only to be held to a draw against UNSW FC last weekend, putting them six points behind the league leaders.
Ash Letta has once more had another outstanding campaign, finding the back of the net for 24th time on Sunday, an important part of Brad Attard’s squad.
What Marty Garces has been able to build at the Bulls is impressive and the feat he will achieve with a win here on Sunday will take his status a step up.
Before being held to a draw on Sunday, the Bulls had won four straight games, just as the pressure began to build from the chasing pack. They have not lost since the 29th of March when UNSW FC took the points.
It promises to be epic as it always is between these two powerhouses of women’s football.
UNSW FC v Manly United
5pm, Sunday 2 July – The Village Green
It is the Sapphire Cup Final rematch on Sunday at The Village Green as UNSW FC host Manly United.
UNSW won the cup final with a solitary goal from Chloe Smith and Zoran Naumovski will be looking for some similar magic in this one.
The cup champions need to take all three points here to keep their hopes of a maiden Premiership alive.
Despite losing that cup final, Manly showed fine character and determination in that clash and Tom Hopley’s side will feel they were right in it to the final whistle.
They will take confidence from that and try to pick up the win on a tough away trip. Their finals hopes took a serious shot on Sunday when they were defeated by direct rivals the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Sydney University v NWS Spirit
5pm, Sunday 2 August – Sydney Uni Football Park
At Sydney Uni Football Ground from 5pm, Sydney University will do battle with NWS Spirit.
After being one of the surprise packets of the opening third of the season, Sydney Uni has dropped off considerably.
They have recorded only two victories since round 10 and six draws, seeing them slip out of the finals race.
Spirit on the contrary, since the transfer window opened have been one of the form teams of the competition.
They’ve notched six wins in that period and let’s not forget, this is a team that lost their opening 12 games of the season. They are steadily climbing up the ladder and could soon find themselves in the top half.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Western City Rangers
5pm, Sunday 2 August – Wanderers Football Park
The final match of the round takes us to Wanderers Football Park as the Western Sydney Wanderers meet the Western City Rangers.
The Wanderers snapped a four-game winless run to deter any threat of dropping out of the finals places.
A tough away victory against a direct rival has steadied the ship for Jamie Dib’s side and they can now look to picking up form ahead of the playoffs.
It was a first win in 16 games for the Rangers on Sunday against Illawarra Stingrays and some win it was, defeating their south coast rivals 6-1.
Clare Holder was the star, scoring a hat-trick, and they will need her to step up as they look to somehow try and avoid the drop.
– By Nikola Pozder
