Round 25 Review – NPL Women’s NSW

An entertaining weekend of action played out across Round 25 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition, with plenty of drama across the penultimate round of the regular season.

With just one round remaining, the Premiership race is set to go down to the wire, with Bulls FC Academy, UNSW and the chasing pack all having plenty to play for heading into the final weekend. There were also strong performances from several sides looking to finish their campaigns on a high.

Read on for our full review of the penultimate round of the season.

Match of the Round – APIA Leichhardt 4-2 Western Sydney Wanderers at Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt produced one of the comebacks of the season in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition, overcoming a two-goal deficit to run away with a 4-2 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers at Lambert Park on Sunday evening.

The Wanderers raced to a 2-0 lead during the opening half, but APIA returned from the interval with a completely different approach, scoring four unanswered goals to secure all three points in a memorable contest.

Click here to view the full report. 

NWS Spirit 3-1 Manly United at Valentine Sports Park

NWS Spirit kicked off the round by welcoming Manly United to Valentine Sports Park, with both sides searching for a response after suffering defeats the previous weekend.

Spirit made the stronger start and were rewarded in the 19th minute when Frankie Morrow fired her side ahead with a well-taken effort from range.

India Breier then produced a classy cut inside before finishing to double Spirit’s advantage in the 36th minute.

Manly refused to go into the break without a response, with Daisy Arrowsmith producing a quality solo run and finish to pull one back just before half-time.

Spirit remained composed after the restart and Morrow secured her brace and the eventual winner in the 67th minute, meeting a square ball inside the box before burying her finish to make it 3-1.

The result provided Spirit with a strong finish to the penultimate round, while Manly will now look to bounce back in the final weekend of the regular season.

Bulls FC Academy 2-0 Northern Tigers at Northbridge Oval

The Premiership was on the line for Bulls FC Academy as they welcomed Northern Tigers to Northbridge Oval, with the league leaders knowing a victory would put them within touching distance of securing another Premiership.

A double from substitute Jade Guichon proved decisive in the Bulls’ clash with the Tigers.

After arriving on the pitch as a replacement for the injured Olivia Vanderlaan in the first half, Guichon delivered instantly after the break.

The Bulls won the ball high up the pitch before the substitute produced a superb half-volley that sailed beyond the goalkeeper and into the net from a tight angle to open the scoring.

Petria Phillips then produced a terrific run to bypass the goalkeeper before setting up Guichon for a simple finish on the goal line.

The second goal ultimately secured a 2-0 victory at Northbridge Oval and kept Bulls FC Academy firmly in control of their Premiership destiny heading into the final round.

Macarthur Rams 3-2 Western City Rangers at Lynwood Park

Entering Round 25 in ninth place, Macarthur Rams were looking to end their season on a high against an already-relegated Western City Rangers side.

The Rangers showed they were still ready to compete, with Catalina Wyrzynski opening the scoring in the fourth minute.

Macarthur eventually found their response in the 28th minute when Marcella Santos levelled the scores after the Rams had hit the post twice in a matter of seconds.

Santos then produced a classy header in a crowded penalty area in the 59th minute to send the Rams 2-1 ahead.

She completed her hat-trick shortly afterwards when Sakura Nojima’s effort rebounded off the crossbar and fell into Santos’ path, allowing the striker to complete a memorable afternoon in front of goal.

The Rangers pulled another goal back through an Amalia Plummer own goal, but Macarthur held firm to secure a 3-2 victory and finish the season strongly.

Sydney University 1-2 UNSW at Sydney University Football Ground

Sydney University stood in the way of UNSW’s hopes of remaining in the Premiership race, with the Students needing another positive result to keep the pressure on Bulls FC Academy.

The hosts made the perfect start in the derby, taking the lead in the eighth minute through a thumping header at the back post.

UNSW responded strongly after half-time and found their equaliser in the 61st minute through Ava Collins, who produced an excellent close-range volley.

Collins then came agonisingly close to completing the turnaround herself, with a brilliant half-volley rattling the crossbar.

The rebound fell perfectly for Milan Hammond, who headed home in the 82nd minute to complete the comeback and secure a crucial 2-1 victory for the visitors.

The result keeps UNSW firmly in the Premiership race heading into the final round of the season.

Hills United 1-2 Illawarra Stingrays at Valentine Sports Park

Hills United have impressed during the run-in to the end of the season and were looking to maintain their momentum when they faced Illawarra Stingrays at Valentine Sports Park.

Neither side could find a breakthrough during the opening 45 minutes, with the teams heading into the half-time break locked at 0-0.

The Stingrays eventually broke the deadlock in the 49th minute when Ruby Egan-Brown’s volley took a deflection off Brook Hastie and found the back of the net.

Illawarra doubled their advantage late in the contest when Sofia Christopherson confidently converted from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute.

Hills United refused to give up, with Erin Tavares giving her side hope of a comeback after breaking into the box and producing a low finish across goal.

However, the goal proved to be only a consolation as the Stingrays held on for a 2-1 victory.

Sydney Olympic 2-0 Gladesville Ravens at The Crest

A strong end to the campaign for Sydney Olympic contrasts heavily with the fortunes of Gladesville Ravens, who arrived at The Crest having recorded only two wins during the second half of the season.

Olympic made the perfect start, with Tiana Petkovski opening the scoring in the second minute.

The forward outpaced her defender from halfway before racing into the penalty area and unleashing a quality strike to give the Blues an early 1-0 lead.

Olympic continued to control the contest and eventually put the result beyond doubt in the 78th minute.

Ruby Nathan produced a moment of quality from the left edge of the penalty area, electing to loft her effort over the goalkeeper and into the opposite corner to make it 2-0.

The result capped another strong performance from Olympic as they continue to build momentum heading into the final round.

By Matthew Badrov