Round 22 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW

With five rounds to go in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition everything is still up for grabs, from the Premiership, to finals and the relegation battle.

NWS Spirit v APIA Leichhardt @Christie Park, Saturday 3pm

The round kicks off at Christie Park on Saturday afternoon at 3p as NWS Spirit host APIA Leichhardt.

Spirit suffered a shock 4-2 defeat on Sunday afternoon that seriously dented their finals aspirations.

Missing a host of stars, Spirit’s young guns weren’t able to match it with Sydney Olympic and their task will be no easier this weekend against APIA.

They have only won once in their last five starts which has seen them drop to sixth, four points outside the top four now.

APIA continue their march and pursuit of top spot with another victory on Sunday, their fifth straight, this time over a plucky Manly United.

Brad Attard will also be pleased that Ash Crofts has found her scoring boots at the right time of the season, scoring her 17th and 18th goals of the season across all competition on Sunday.

If APIA wants the Premiership to come down to the final game of the season, they need to continue this streak.

UNSW v Gladesville Ravens @The Village Green, Saturday 5:30pm

Also on Saturday, UNSW welcome the Gladesville Ravens to The Village Green at 5:30pm.

UNSW may have looked down and out about a month ago but have shown they were far from throwing the towel in.

Three straight wins, four points and game in hand behind the top four, they are right back in the hunt.

Any points dropped for them in the run in though could be the end of their finals hopes.

For the Gladesville Ravens, it really is a shame the season ends in five weeks time having put together the run they have, seven games without defeat.

They put the Newcastle Jets to the sword last week, winning 6-0 and Eliza Familton the star, picking up an impressive hat-trick.

Northern Tigers v Mt Druitt Town Rangers @NTRA, Saturday 6:30pm

The final game on Saturday night takes us to NTRA as the Northern Tigers host the Mt Druitt Town Rangers.

A miracle would be required for the Tigers to qualify for the finals but it doesn’t mean they will lay down.

Despite it being a disappointing season at North Turramurra, they’ll be keen to finish as high up the ladder as possible.

The Rangers snapped a three-game winless run, four if you include the Sapphire Cup final, defeating the Macarthur Rams 3-0.

The win could not have come at a better time with the Rangers set for a mid-week catch up against Sydney Olympic before this one.

Leena Khamis scored a brace, taking the veterans season tally to 13 goals.

A massive couple weeks await Ben Gough’s side.

Macarthur Rams v Illawarra Stingrays @Lynwood Park, Sunday 5pm

At Lynwood Park on Sunday evening, the Macarthur Rams take on the Illawarra Stingrays.

Inconsistency has crept into the Rams side over the last few weeks but have shown they can definitely ruffle some feathers.

With a number of players preparing for national team duty, the Rams numbers will be low in this one, but Vic Guzman’s side has already shown that in adversity they can come out on top.

The Stingrays have dropped points in their last two outings and dropped to fourth place on the ladder.

They definitely cannot afford to drop any further points or risk falling out of the top four and finals football.

Newcastle Jets v Sydney Olympic @Lake Macquarie, Sunday 5pm

The Newcastle Jets are at home on Sunday night as they host Sydney Olympic.

Newcastle suffered another heavy defeat last weekend and at the moment can’t catch a break.

They have lost 12 games in a row and are staring down relegation.

After a fine run of form, Sydney Olypic went four games without a win, picking up only a point in that period.

On Sunday though, they put up an excellent performance, defeating NWS Spirit 4-2.

This match could have massive implications in the relegation battle with defeat for the Jets all but settling the question.

WSW v Sydney University @Wanderers Football Ground, Sunday 5pm

At Wanderers Football Park, the Western Sydney Wanderers host Sydney University on Sunday night at 5pm.

The Western Sydney Wanderers are winless in 8 games and currently occupy 12th place on the ladder.

In the last three weeks though, the Wanderers have lost all three games by the odd-goal, in fact, during this run, aside from heavy defeats to APIA Leichhardt and Sydney Olympic, there hasn’t been more than a goal in the games.

Sydney University have been one of the best performing teams in the second half of the season, losing just three games.

Without a doubt, Talia Kapetanelis has been a major part of their improved performances.

Manly United v Bulls FC Academy @Christie Park, Sunday 5pm – MOTR

The match of the round takes us to the Northern Beaches as Manly United host league Leading Bulls FC Academy at Cromer Park at 5pm.

A massive game at Cromer Park in terms of both the Premiership and finals football.

Manly come into this one three games without a win and two straight losses, seeing them drop outside the top 4.

A win is imperative for Manly to continue their chase of finals football as a defeat could really hurt their chances.

They have had an incredible season and defied the odds on many occasions, they’ll look to do the same on Sunday night.

The Bulls just keep on rolling on, and even when it seemed they could drop off the pace after their defeat to Sydney Uni, they turned around and won three straight.

Three tight wins in a row for the Bulls, with Petria Phillips scoring the winner last week, has Martinho Graces high flying side in top spot.

This will be a tough task at Cromer Park but could be a major step toward securing the Premiership.

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-By Nikola Pozder