Round 26 Review – NPL Women’s NSW

Round 26 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition brought the regular season to an end, with Bulls FC Academy claiming back-to-back Premierships.

With the Championship Series now set, several teams finished their campaigns strongly, while others will be left to reflect on what might have been as attention turns towards the finals.

Read on for our full review of the weekend’s action.

Match of the Round – Western City Rangers 0-3 Bulls FC Academy

Bulls FC Academy celebrated their National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s Premiership in style on Sunday evening at Popondetta Park, defeating Western City Rangers 3-0 to officially cap off a remarkable regular season.

It was a contrast of emotions at Popondetta Park, with the Bulls celebrating back-to-back Premierships while the home side played their final game in the top flight following their relegation.

Sarah Hunter’s early goal, followed by two strikes in the final 15 minutes from Jynaya Dos Santos and Tamires Souza, were enough to secure all three points for the newly crowned Premiers.

Click here to view the full report. 

Gladesville Ravens 3-0 NWS Spirit at Christie Park

Thursday night’s derby at Christie Park saw Gladesville Ravens host local rivals NWS Spirit in a clash between two similarly placed sides looking to finish their seasons on a high.

Hannah McNulty produced a stunning curling finish to send the Ravens 1-0 up in the 35th minute.

The home side had to bide their time before adding a second, with Morgan Roberts sliding the ball into the near post in the 76th minute to double the Ravens’ lead.

An unfortunate own goal from Erin Pridmore then secured the 3-0 win for the Ravens, with the defender accidentally heading the ball into an open net following a miscommunication with her goalkeeper.

UNSW 1-1 Hills United at The Village Green

UNSW’s dream of winning a maiden Premiership came down to the final round, with a win over Hills United necessary for the home side to stand a chance of securing the silverware.

It took until the 78th minute for either team to get on the scoresheet, with the visitors delivering a goal-of-the-season contender through Olivia Sloan’s sensational free-kick from near the halfway line.

The goal certainly made life difficult for UNSW, who equalised late in the 90th minute through a miraculous finish, spurred on by a United clearance that deflected off an UNSW player and over the goalkeeper for 1-1.

The draw meant UNSW would have to look to the finals for their first trophy.

Northern Tigers 2-1 APIA Leichhardt at North Turramurra Recreational Area

The Northern Tigers were looking to end their campaign with a win and secure fifth place, while APIA Leichhardt were looking to build momentum from a positive result ahead of another Championship Series campaign.

Ashlie Letta reached 30 goals for the season with her 16th-minute header, which crossed the line despite the best efforts of the Tigers’ defence.

The second half began with a bang, as half-time substitute goalkeeper Sophie Johnstone was sent off after taking down a Tigers attacker on the edge of the box.

Barely a minute had passed before the Tigers had another chance to equalise from a free-kick just outside the 18-yard box, with Lily McMahon stepping up to launch the ball into the top-right corner for 1-1 in the 50th minute.

Amelia Feeney then conjured up a terrific strike of her own after cutting in from the right and launching her effort beyond Charlotte Lancaster, who had taken over in goal, to secure a 2-1 lead and a huge eventual win for the Tigers.

Illawarra Stingrays 0-1 Macarthur Rams at The Pond

The second-last Illawarra Stingrays welcomed Macarthur Rams to The Pond for a battle to end their respective seasons on a high.

An even contest played out in the first half, although it was the Rams who dominated the chances created.

The visitors took the lead in the 44th minute after their high press caused the Stingrays defence to cough up possession inside the box, allowing Gabrielle Sarkis to bury the ball into the bottom-left corner and ultimately secure the Rams the win.

Sydney University 2-2 Manly United at Sydney University Football Ground

It has been a rollercoaster year for Sydney University after beginning with promise before fading out in the second half of the season, with Manly United looking to continue the home side’s poor run of late.

After a goalless first half, Sydney Uni came out firing in the second period and broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Poppy Tay calmly slotted her spot-kick into the bottom-left corner.

Ella McCann then latched onto a terrific ball in behind the Manly defence before producing a superb chip over the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 in the 59th minute.

However, the visitors were determined to fight their way back into the match and pulled a goal back in the 71st minute through substitute Brinley Gentle’s clinical penalty.

Lucy Richards then made a significant impact off the bench by levelling the scores for Manly with a powerful drive that rattled into the goal off the crossbar.

The two sides ultimately shared the points in an entertaining 2-2 draw.

Western Sydney Wanderers 2-2 Sydney Olympic at Wanderers Football Park

Having secured a finals berth, Western Sydney Wanderers have impressed throughout the campaign and were eager to finish the regular season with a win against a Sydney Olympic side looking to finish as high as fifth after a positive season.

Olympic left the home side stunned with back-to-back goals in quick succession over a five-minute period early in the first half.

Giuliana Nicholas produced Olympic’s first in the seventh minute, planting the ball into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the 18-yard box.

Tiana Petkovski followed this with a strong solo run and finish into the near post from range in the 13th minute.

The Wanderers were brought back into the match on the stroke of half-time through Madena Moussa’s close-range finish.

A remarkable last-minute equaliser was then earned by the Wanderers after the Olympic goalkeeper was caught out by Mia Nataly, who set up Isabella Sultan for a finish into an empty net that sent the home crowd into raptures.

The comeback secured a 2-2 draw at Wanderers Football Park.

By Matthew Badrov