Round 18 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 18 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition gave us early goals, huge wins, and sublime football.
Have a read of our full Round 18 Review below.
NWS Spirit 0-1 Macarthur Rams – Match of the Round
The Macarthur Rams made it four straight wins with a hard fought 1-0 victory over NWS Spirit at Christie Park on Sunday evening.
It was wet, it was cold, but Bronte Trew found the ice breaker with a second half strike to secure all three points for the Rams.
Click here to view the full match report!
Blacktown Spartans 0-3 Manly United at Blacktown Football Park
Manly United returned to winning ways over the weekend, having handed the Blacktown Spartans a 3-0 loss at Blacktown Football Park.
After surprising the Illawarra Stingrays last time out, the Spartans will have been gunning to add to Manly’s misery of late with the away side having gone eight games without a win. Fans will have entered this match expecting plenty of entertainment with both teams in need of the three points.
And it was Manly who found the opener through Daisy Arrowsmith, who received the ball after Kahli Johnson played a smart pass on the turn and into her path before charging at goal and unleashing a thunderous strike that sailed above Spartans goalkeeper Anna Norton and into the roof of the net. 1-0 to Manly in the 11th minute.
Arrowsmith would then earn herself a brace in a manner that caught both teams and the crowd by surprise, as her 41st minute corner curled into the back of the net to extend her side’s lead to 2-0 just prior to half-time.
Emily Minett proceeded to make it 3-0 in the 51st minute after initially being involved in the excellent buildup by Manly, the No. 9 finishing past a sea of Blacktown defenders after Tegan Biasi’s cross was nearly turned in for an own goal and saved by Norton. 3-0 the final score.
Bulls FC Academy 1-2 Sydney Olympic at Northbridge Oval
Despite their attempts at a comeback in the second half, Bulls FC Academy were unable to undo Sydney Olympic’s lead with the away side prevailing 2-1 in their visit to Northbridge Oval.
Having lost last weekend, the Bulls will have wanted to get back to winning ways immediately. A tough fixture up against an Olympic side still in the fight for top spot would have had the Bulls primed for a competitive matchup.
An early opener for Olympic in the 3rd minute provided the opposite of a desirable start for the Bulls, with neither side able to keep a hold of the ball following a corner giving Maxine Peak enough time to step up and react to a loose clearance to unleash a magnificent first-time strike that flew above Trudy Simmons and smashed into the back of the net. 1-0 to Olympic.
Some sensational buildup play amongst the Olympic forwards led to a terrific second goal that was put away by Demi Koulizakis, who buried a superbly taken finish into the bottom left corner and ensured a priceless two-goal lead for her side in the 14th minute.
The Bulls would then respond in the second half following a superb feint in the box by Amber Luchtmeijer that left her with time to pick out Peta Trimis at the far post, which the Bulls winger promptly touched down and knocked in via the half-volley underneath the crossbar. Individually, it was an excellent outcome for Trimis who had two prior attempts in the match prevented by the crossbar. However it would not be enough for the home side as the match ultimately concluded 2-1 in favour of Olympic.
APIA Leichhardt 3-0 Football NSW Institute at Lambert Park
A strong first half performance was enough for APIA Leichhardt to come away with a 3-0 over Football NSW Institute at Lambert Park on Sunday evening.
A run of strong form has seen APIA takeover in first place on the NPL Women’s ladder. Up against the visiting FNSW Institute – a side that has endured an inconsistent season – will undoubtedly have been seen as an opportunity to maintain their status as league leaders.
And it was APIA who set the tone of the match early as Angelique Hristodoulou stepped up to take a free-kick on the left edge just outside of the 18-yard-box and saw her subsequent strike at goal unwittingly deflecting off of an Institute defender and in the back of the net for 1-0 in the 9th minute.
Ashlie Crofts was given the perfect opportunity to extend her side’s lead in the 19th minute after a brilliant through ball was played between the Institute defence and into the path of the APIA No. 11, who almost had her strike saved by Jasmine Black but was ultimately able to see it home for her first of the day.
The APIA star then secured her brace after making a brilliant foray through the Institute defence and making no mistake in burying the ball into the bottom left corner, notching her fourteenth goal of the season in the process.
Emerging Jets 1-4 Northern Tigers at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Despite their good form of late, the Emerging Jets were unable to withstand the Northern Tigers, who prevailed 4-1 in an entertaining match at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
With inclement weather forcing their Round 17 fixture to be rescheduled, the Jets enter this matchup with the Tigers on a 3-match unbeaten run. The Tigers will have been seen as a formidable opponent for the Jets to face with plenty of goals expected.
It was the Tigers who got off to the perfect start as Nicola Dominikovich picked up on a mistake by Jets goalkeeper Lily-Rose Dunbar and placed the ball into an empty net for her twelfth of the season. 1-0 to the Tigers in under a minute.
The Tigers then scored their second in the 40th minute when Josie Wilson rose highest to bury a header at the near post.
The Jets however would stay in the fight and fashioned a goal of their own via Emma Dundas just before half-time, the No. 6 tapping the ball in over the line after Emma Dundas’ swerving hit at goal was mishandled by Tigers keeper Susanna Behne-Smith. 2-1 to the away team heading into the half-time break.
Wilson again proved to be a significant threat at corners for the Tigers, except this time the defender reacted well to get onto the end of a header that deflected into her path just in front of goal. 3-1 to the Tigers in the 60th minute.
A fantastic ball in behind the Jets defence from Isabel Gomez in the 74th minute would unlock Shadeene Evans, who showed complete composure in running at goal and tucking the ball in with ease to cap off a huge 4-1 win.
Illawarra Stingrays 4-1 Sydney University at Macedonia Park
The Illawarra Stingrays delivered a strong showing at home on Sunday evening and would secure a 4-1 win over Sydney University in the process.
The Stingrays will have been determined to earn a win this weekend after losing to the Blacktown Spartans in Round 17. In comparison, Sydney Uni are yet to find their groove but have proven to be a tough side to beat for several teams this year.
Sydney Uni began the match in the ascendancy and shocked the Stingrays by taking the lead early in the 8th minute, Giuliana Nicholas with the goal via a tap in at the back post.
Unfortunately for Sydney Uni their lead would not last long as the Stingrays responded soon after in the 13th minute through Ami Dekimura, who was able to get a foot to the ball after goalkeeper Tahlia Franca was unable to deal with a free-kick.
The Stingrays would then take advantage of another Sydney Uni mistake, after a back pass to Franco led to a free kick in the box that Sienna Saveska ultimately finished (despite an initial Sydney Uni prevention) through an assembly of Sydney Uni defenders on the goal line. 2-1 to the Stingrays in the 56th minute.
A brilliant piece of ingenuity from Sakura Nojima would give the Stingrays a third goal in the 68th minute, with her quick feet proving to be too much for the Sydney Uni defence to handle as she made her way into the box for a sublime toe poke finish.
The final goal of the day would be scored by Kaelah Austin, who confidently tapped on a free kick that was lofted over the Sydney Uni defensive wall and into the path of the well-positioned No. 13. 4-1 the final score.
UNSW 0-1 Gladesville Ravens at The Village Green
The Gladesville Ravens arrived at The Village Green determined to secure a win and held strong after taking an early lead to see out a 1-0 win over UNSW in a closely-fought clash on Sunday evening.
A win is necessary here for UNSW with relegation on the line for the side who are newly-promoted to the NPL Women’s this campaign. The Ravens however will have been fully focused on securing the three points, particularly after a few challenging weeks of results.
A 3rd minute goal would give the visiting Ravens the lead early on in the match, the goal being earned by the determination of Renee Pountney who hounded the UNSW defence and took the ball for herself on the right wing, before making her way into the box and standing strong one-on-one with an outrushing Tiahna Robertson to sneak the ball in at the near post. 1-0 to the Ravens.
The Ravens continued to dominate the first half and would have added more goals if it was not for the goalkeeping efforts of Robertson. UNSW began to gain a foothold on the match in the second half but were unable to find an equaliser in spite of their best efforts.
Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
Words by Matthew Badrov
