Round 25 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW
Only two rounds remain in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition, with the Premiership potentially decided with a game to go and plenty still to play for across the ladder.
The race for the title remains the headline story, with Bulls FC Academy and UNSW FC continuing to battle for top spot, while the fight for third and fourth is also taking shape.
With just six points left to play for, every result becomes increasingly important as clubs look to finish the regular season strongly.
NWS Spirit FC v Manly United
3:00pm, Saturday 22 August – Valentine Sports Park
NWS Spirit take the opening game of the round to Valentine Sports Park as they take on Manly United on Saturday afternoon.
Spirit suffered their second straight defeat last weekend and only their third loss of the second half of the season. In saying that, those defeats have come against three of the top four teams in the competition, highlighting just how difficult their recent run has been.
Those results have left Spirit in 12th place on the ladder, but there is still plenty to play for, with two wins from their final two games potentially seeing them climb towards a mid-table finish.
They will be looking to return to winning ways and finish the campaign strongly after a challenging recent period.
Manly United, meanwhile, went down to the league leaders last weekend after conceding a very late first-half goal.
They have only lost twice since July and have navigated some very difficult fixtures during that period, while also contending with a Sapphire Cup Final.
Manly will be looking for a repeat of the first meeting between these two sides, when they claimed a 3-1 victory.
With both teams looking to finish the season on a positive note, this promises to be an intriguing opening fixture.
Bulls FC Academy v Northern Tigers
2:50pm, Sunday 23 August – Northbridge Oval
Sunday’s first game takes us to Northbridge Oval, where Bulls FC Academy will be hoping they can celebrate the Premiership when Northern Tigers come to town.
Bulls earned another hard-fought victory last weekend to keep their noses in front of UNSW FC in the race for first place.
They also kept their 11th clean sheet of the season, and their first in five games, with Marti Garces tightening the defensive screws at just the right time of the campaign.
The equation is simple for the Bulls.
Should they take all three points here and UNSW fail to win their match, Bulls FC Academy will be crowned Premiers after 90 minutes and secure back-to-back first-place finishes.
That will provide plenty of motivation, but they face a Northern Tigers side that is currently enjoying an impressive run of form.
Saturday’s last-gasp draw extended the Tigers’ unbeaten run to seven games.
A team that showed plenty of promise throughout the season may have left its run a little too late, but they are now demonstrating the quality they possess and will be keen to finish the campaign strongly.
They are also a side capable of causing problems for the Bulls, with the likes of Ellie Head and Lily McMahon providing plenty of attacking threat.
McMahon was the hero last weekend, converting a last-minute penalty to rescue a point.
The Bulls will know they cannot afford to take anything for granted if they want to celebrate the Premiership on Sunday.
Macarthur Rams v Western City Rangers
3:00pm, Sunday 23 August – Lynwood Park
At Lynwood Park on Sunday afternoon, Macarthur Rams take on Western City Rangers.
Currently sitting in ninth place, the Rams have enjoyed a solid 2026 campaign and will be looking to finish their season strongly.
They let three points slip away last weekend after conceding a stoppage-time penalty, a result which will undoubtedly sting for the young side.
They will now be looking to bounce straight back and finish the season with two victories from their final two games.
Western City Rangers, meanwhile, have endured a difficult campaign and things have become tougher in recent weeks.
They suffered their third straight defeat last weekend after Sydney Olympic defeated them 3-1.
There were nevertheless positives for the Rangers to take from that performance, particularly after they took the lead early in the game.
They will be hoping to build on those moments and produce a strong finish to the season despite their relegation having already been confirmed.
APIA Leichhardt v Western Sydney Wanderers
4:50pm, Sunday 23 August – Lambert Park
Not only are we in for a big game at Lambert Park on Sunday afternoon between APIA Leichhardt and Western Sydney Wanderers, but both teams and their supporters will also Unite Against Cancer as part of an initiative from the two clubs.
There is plenty at stake on the field as well.
APIA’s Premiership chances would take a real miracle now after they dropped points last weekend against Illawarra Stingrays on the South Coast.
They will nevertheless be looking to finish the season strongly and secure the best possible position heading into the Championship Series.
The Wanderers, meanwhile, come into the contest in excellent form.
Four straight wins and three consecutive clean sheets have them brimming with confidence heading into this crucial clash.
Currently, APIA and the Wanderers are level on points, with APIA ahead on goal difference.
That makes the equation simple — the winner of this game will finish third and avoid playing whoever ultimately claims the Premiership in the opening finals fixture.
The Wanderers won the first meeting between these two sides in a five-goal thriller, and we can expect plenty of the same when these two meet again at Lambert Park.
With third place and a favourable finals position on the line, this is arguably the game of the round.
Sydney University v UNSW FC
5:00pm, Sunday 23 August – Sydney Uni Football Ground
At 5pm on Sunday evening, Sydney University will host UNSW FC at Sydney Uni Football Ground in the Students Derby.
Uni will still be trying to figure out how they came away from last week’s game with absolutely nothing, having created numerous chances and played some good football.
Despite not winning since 28 June, they have been unlucky in recent weeks and most certainly have the capability of hurting their opponents.
That is something Zoran Naumovski will be very aware of as his UNSW side continues its push towards the Premiership.
After five straight draws, UNSW have now secured two consecutive victories, both by identical 1-0 scorelines.
Their defensive resilience has been a key feature, with Erin Nayler proving increasingly difficult to beat between the posts.
UNSW will be hoping Bulls FC Academy slip up against Northern Tigers, while they continue marching forward and putting pressure on the league leaders.
The Students Derby therefore carries plenty of significance, particularly with so little margin for error remaining in the Premiership race.
Hills United v Illawarra Stingrays
5:30pm, Sunday 23 August – Valentine Sports Park
Hills United take on Illawarra Stingrays on Sunday evening at Valentine Sports Park.
Hills have turned it on late in the season, winning their last two games by an impressive combined scoreline of 7-0.
They have done it with five different scorers, highlighting the attacking threat they possess across the team rather than relying on one individual.
Encouragingly, they have also kept two consecutive clean sheets, taking their season tally to eight.
Hills will be looking to maintain that momentum and finish the campaign strongly.
After a couple of heavy defeats and some disappointing results, the Stingrays stepped up last Sunday to hold Premiership contenders APIA Leichhardt to a 1-1 draw.
That point will provide plenty of confidence heading into the final two games of the season, particularly after producing a disciplined performance against one of the competition’s leading sides.
Illawarra will now look to carry that momentum into Valentine Sports Park and finish their campaign on a positive note.
Sydney Olympic v Gladesville Ravens
5:40pm, Sunday 23 August – The Crest
At The Crest on Sunday, in the final game of the round, Sydney Olympic take on Gladesville Ravens.
Another team that may have left its run a little too late, Sydney Olympic have lost just once in their last five outings.
A 3-1 victory last Sunday moved them into seventh place on the ladder and gives the club a strong springboard heading into 2027.
Tiana Petkovski was the star of the show last week, scoring a brace to take her season tally to six goals.
Olympic will be looking to continue that momentum and finish the campaign as strongly as possible.
The Gladesville Ravens, meanwhile, arrive at The Crest at the other end of the form ladder, having recorded just two wins during the second half of the season.
It has been a disappointing campaign for a side that was expected to be much higher up the ladder.
Their recent defensive struggles have been particularly concerning, with the Ravens conceding 13 goals across their last three appearances.
They will need to be wary of the attacking threat Olympic possess, particularly with Petkovski coming into the contest in strong scoring form.
By Nikola Pozder
