Round 20 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 20 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition delivered the goods, with the ladder being dramatically reshaped ahead of next weekend’s action.
Read on as we wrap-up the matches in Round 20.
Match of the Round – Northern Tigers 0-1 Gladesville Ravens at North Turramurra Recreational Area
The Gladesville Ravens shattered the Northern Tigers finals hopes with a late 1-0 win at North Turramurra Rec Area on Saturday night.
With minutes remaining, Alyssa Ng Saad scored her 13th goal of the season and extended Lauren Phelps’ teams unbeaten run to six games.
Click here to view the full report.
NWS Spirit 2-0 Manly United at Christie Park
NWS Spirit and Manly United face-off in a massive clash to kick-off Round 20 of the NPL Women’s competition, with the home side desperate to keep their finals hopes alive. In comparison, Manly are sat in 4th with Spirit among the sides making a dash to overtake them. Fans at Christie Park will no doubt be expecting a close matchup with neither side willing to back down in their pursuit of a spot in the top four.
The first half was an even affair with both teams producing a number of attacking opportunities without getting on the scoresheet, meaning the two sides went into the half-time break at 0-0.
Spirit broke the deadlock in the 56th minute after great build-up play by Shani Cooney-Cross driving through midfield and the neatly working the ball to Skye Halmarick, who played in Siena Hawkins inside the box for a superb goal. The Spirit attacker cut in on her right foot before unleashing a wonderful curling strike into the top right corner to make it 1-0.
With Manly committing players forward late on, Spirit were able to spring on the counterattack and add a second goal late on to wrap-up proceedings. The goal arrived through Hawkins, who smartly weaved past her defender and thumped a strong finish across goal for 2-0 in the 88th minute. Spirit would then see out the match with a 2-0 win.
UNSW 2-1 Sydney Olympic at The Village Green
The Village Green is the setting for the matchup between UNSW and Sydney Olympic on Saturday, with the two sides vying for an important three points here. Having won in Round 19, UNSW are in with a chance of making the top four and will know they need to maintain consistency in order to push up the ladder. After hitting a purple patch in the middle of the season, Olympic have struggled for wins of late but will be determined to seal the victory to helps stave off any relegation worries.
Marcella Santos put any potential pre-game nerves to bed early on with an outstanding header in the 7th minute, with the No. 11 standing strong at a corner and jumping slightly to steer the ball into the top left corner to make it 1-0 to UNSW.
Miraculously, Olympic almost found an equaliser immediately from kick-off, however Peta Trimis could only guide the cross over the bar.
The visitors did eventually secure themselves a leveller in the 32nd minute when Aideen Keane was found in space on the wing and drove into the box to square the ball for Alyssa Whinham, who cut in to beat one defender before stopping her run to mislead both defender and goalkeeper, leading to a confidently taken finish into the bottom left corner.
Maryam Mostaghimi then sent her side into the half-time break elated after being in the right place at the right time on the goal line when Demi Koulizakis’ corner bypassed a sea of players to guide the ball home. 2-0 to UNSW in the 45+2nd minute.
UNSW were able to hold onto their lead and secure an important 2-1 win at The Village Green.
Illawarra Stingrays 0-1 Bulls FC Academy at Macedonia Park
The idea of 1st versus 2nd in any football league always promises to be a fantastic match, but in the context of this NPL Women’s season, where several teams are still capable of winning the Premiership, this arrives as a major moment in the year. Illawarra Stingrays hosting Bulls FC Academy at Macedonia Park will have had fans and neutrals alike nervously anticipating the outcome of this fixture with plenty on the line.
Fittingly, the first half was an action-packed opening forty-five minutes characterised by last-ditch tackles and plenty of attacking opportunities. A standout moment in the 15th minute saw Bulls defensive stalwart Elizabeth Grey clear the ball away on the goal line when a Stingrays corner led to a header on target.
The Bulls then went ahead in the 24th minute via a goal from Isabella Coco-Di Sipio. Sparked by a well-taken corner into the near post, Coco-Di Sipio then broke away from her defender to steal in unmarked at the near post for a tidy finish over goalkeeper Brianna Edwards. 1-0 to the visitors.
After pushing for an equaliser throughout the rest of the first half and much of the second forty-five, the Stingrays found an opportunity when a Bulls defender gave away a penalty due to handball. Siobhan Edwards stepped up for her side and but saw her strike heroically saved by Mio Nemoto, dropping to her right side and then clearing the loose ball.
The save kept the Bulls in the lead and ensured that they ultimately took the 3 points back with them to Sydney.
Newcastle Jets 0-4 APIA Leichhardt at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Though the Newcastle Jets have struggled this season, they have been unfortunate not to secure a win or draw in their last three matches with their defence looking sturdier of late. In contrast, APIA Leichhardt will have arrived at Lake Macquarie on a high after three successive wins in the league and especially after being crowned champions in the Sapphire Cup on Thursday.
The Jets were able to keep APIA scoreless in the first half but found no such luck in the second period, with the visitors taking the lead in the 59th minute Sophie Hoban seized upon a dangerous pass in the spread-out Newcastle backline and raced forward before slotting the ball into the bottom right corner. 1-0 to APIA.
A penalty for a clear challenge in the box gave APIA the chance to make it 2-0 in the 70th minute, which Ashlie Crofts promptly did after lasering the ball into the back of the net.
Ashlee Brodigan’s added a fantastic third goal for APIA in the 72nd minute after receiving the ball on the edge of the box and instinctively rocketing the ball into the top right corner. 2-0 to the visitors.
In an unfortunate moment for the Jets, the crossbar denied Aaliyah Kilroy a superb goal barely thirty seconds before APIA showed their killer instinct in moving the ball assuredly up the pitch to ultimately setup Estelle Fragale – arriving late into the box – for a composed finish into the bottom left corner in a sequence that resembled her Sapphire Cup goal from only a few days prior. APIA make it 4-0 in the 79th minute.
Western Sydney Wanderers 4-5 Macarthur Rams at Wanderers Football Park
It’s fair to say that both the Western Sydney Wanderers and the Macarthur Rams will have been hoping to be placed higher up the ladder by this point in their respective campaigns. The Wanderers have found wins hard to come by as their season has gone on, whilst the Rams have gone from the dizzying highs of three Championships in a row to now fighting against relegation. With the Wanderers in 12th and the Rams sat below them in second-last, earning a win here will have been seen as crucial to both sides’ seasons.
A precision ball from India Breier gave the Rams a great chance to open the scoring in the 20th minute, with Amelia Cassar racing in behind to put the finishing touch on a terrific pass. The Rams take the lead.
Miriam Zumaya equalised for the Wanderers after an attempted defensive header from the Rams at a corner resulted in the ball falling in a perfect spot for the No. 11 to force the ball over the line. 1-1 in the 26th minute.
The Wanderers added a second goal in quick succession via a corner delivered from the opposite side to their opener when an unmarked Chelsea Barton headed brilliantly into the far corner of the net. 2-1 to the home side in the 27th minute.
Breier showed her quality in getting an equaliser for the Rams in the 36th minute when a shot from a teammate deflected to her on the edge of the box, giving her limited time to react with a strong hit that bobbled into the bottom right corner. 2-2.
A composed finish from Amelia Bennett allowed the Wanderers to retake the lead in the 40th minute after a low cross found her unmarked in the box and the No. 31 slipped her strike underneath Rams goalkeeper Tahlia Franco. 3-2 to the Wanderers.
Bennett nearly had a brace in the 64th minute from a header at a corner, however whilst her strike was saved by Franco the follow-up from Amy Chessari at close range was unable to be kept out. The Wanderers make it 4-2.
The Rams were determined not to leave Wanderers Football Park without a point and scored their third of the evening in the 76th minute when Sakura Nojima knocked a sensational ball into the box down for substitute Halle Thomas to chip in. 4-3.
Cassar leveled the scores in phenomenal fashion in the 79th minute after her in-swinging corner bypassed the crowded penalty area and bested an outstretched Aimee Hall to loop into the goal. 4-4 late in the match.
Nikkita Fazzari almost gave the Wanderers a late winner in the 86th minute after a set-piece routine unlocked a chance for her at the back post that she was ultimately unable to steer in at the near post.
Dramatically, the Rams then completed an outstanding comeback in the 87th minute when a corner led to a header across goal that Nojima latched onto and buried confidently to put the Rams ahead at 5-4.
The Wanderers gave away a penalty late on in the 90th minute after bringing down a tricky Breier inside the box. The Rams attacker then stepped up to take her own spot kick but was denied by the post.
There would be no more goals in the match however, meaning that the Rams had secured a hard-fought 5-4 victory over their opponents and relegation rivals.
Sydney University 2-1 Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Sydney University Football Ground
A close loss to APIA Leichhardt in Round 19 aside, Sydney University have been one of the form teams in the competition over the past month and have turned into a giant killer along the way. If any side could be deemed a giant this campaign it is the Mt Druitt Town Rangers, who have led the league for most of 2025 and will be looking to get back in their groove quickly after going down 3-0 in the Sapphire Cup final on Thursday.
After receiving a quality pass from Talia Kapetanellis on the left wing, Charlotte Hogan delivered the opener for her side in a remarkable fashion with a cannon of a first-time strike that saw the ball sail into the top right corner. 1-0 to Sydney Uni in the 26th minute.
Adelaide Wyrzynski leveled proceedings between the two sides in the second half after Leena Khamis played a superb pass in behind the Sydney Uni defence, giving the winger ample opportunity to drill the ball across goal and into the bottom left corner. 1-1 in the 74th minute.
A late free-kick from deep on the left wing proved to be the perfect chance for Sydney Uni to retake the lead, with the home side scoring after the ball into the box eluded the Rangers defence and was pounced upon by Kiara Bonora, with the substitute lifting the ball into the roof of the net. 2-1 to Sydney Uni in the 87th minute.
Sydney Uni ultimately concluded the match as 2-1 winners in another giant-killing result for the home side.
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Words by Matthew Badrov
