Round 20 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
An action-packed Round 20 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition delivered its fair share of upsets, goal fests and spectacular finishes.
Read on for our full breakdown of the weekend that was.
Match of the Round – Western Sydney Wanderers v Bulls FC Academy at Wanderers Football Park
Bulls FC Academy continued their impressive form with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers at Wanderers Football Park on Sunday night, holding their nerve after a dramatic comeback from the hosts.
Check out the full report here.
Northern Tigers 3-1 Western City Rangers at North Turramurra Recreational Area
The Northern Tigers will have been buoyed by their win last weekend and determined to maintain their momentum coming up against a Western City Rangers side currently struggling for form. Olivia Cartwright opened the scoring after taking advantage of the Rangers’ high line and racing in behind to deliver an emphatic finish one-on-one with the goalkeeper. A second yellow card and successive red card to Tanaye Morris in the 33rd minute left the Tigers with 10 players. However, it would not undo their momentum as they eventually overcame the Rangers with a recreation of their opener in the 71st minute that was finished off by Bethany Gordon. A few minutes passed before the Tigers made it 3-0 through a similar sequence of playing in behind the Rangers’ backline, with Charlotte Mortlock improvising a quality strike beyond the goalkeeper in the 74th minute. The Rangers earned a goal back when Catalina Wyrzynski put the finishing touches on an attacking play but were unable to best the Tigers on home turf.
Macarthur Rams 2-2 Sydney University at Lynwood Stadium
As the season’s end draws closer and closer, the Macarthur Rams and Sydney University will look to finish their respective campaigns on a high. The Rams found an early opener when Gabrielle Sarkis’ pressed the Sydney Uni defence into coughing up possession, leading to Tea Mucenski finding the bottom corner from range in the 7th minute. Eliza Ammendolia almost conjured a brilliant second for her side with a chip that rattled the crossbar and was eventually buried by Amelia Cassar on the follow-up to make it 2-0. A great square ball into the near post saw Sydney Uni pull a goal back in the 61st minute through substitute Ella McCann, before Emilia Murray was able to power her strike past the goalkeeper in the 66th minute to ensure a 2-2 draw in the end.
Illawarra Stingrays 1-1 NWS Spirit at The Pond
An intriguing contest awaited fans at The Pond this weekend, with the Illawarra Stingrays hosting an NWS Spirit side that has defiantly turned their season around these past few months. It took until the second half for either side to break the deadlock, which Chloe Middleton did in spectacular fashion after intercepting the goalkeeper’s throw out from goal and delivering a brilliant instinctive finish to make it 1-0 in the 60th minute. Disarray in the box at a corner situation eventually led to Spirit finding a leveller through Frankie Morrow’s final touch to make it 1-1, which would ultimately be the final score.
Gladesville Ravens 2-2 UNSW at Christie Park
A run of games without scoring will have the Gladesville Ravens focused on hitting the back of the net here, with UNSW arriving to Christie Park in 2nd place following a drop in form. An errant back pass allowed Chloe Smith a perfect opportunity to open the scoring in the 9th minute from close range, before the Ravens found an immediate equaliser when Morgan Roberts swept in a spectacular half-volley across goal a minute later. A return to play in the second half produced a similarly frenetic start as substitute Milan Hammond was in the right place at the right time to steer home the loose ball after Lexie Moreno’s strike from outside the box hit the crossbar. However, as was the story of the match, the Ravens equalised quickly after through Roberts’ well-taken finish at the back post, with the match concluding 2-2 in the end.
Hills United 1-2 Manly United at Valentine Sports Park
Hills United welcome Manly United to Valentine Sports Park with both sides eager to secure the three points to finish the run in to the end of the season on a high. A wild own goal gave Manly the lead in the 17th minute when Tiana Jaber’s attempted clearance backfired and trickled into the bottom corner despite the desperate attempt by the goalkeeper to keep the ball out. Sienna Dale then produced a stunning free-kick early in the second half before Hills’ Mary Stanic-Floody rifled in a brilliant strike that sailed over the goalkeeper and in to give the home side a consolation. Ultimately, Manly would take the three points back to Cromer Park with a 2-1 win.
Sydney Olympic 2-1 APIA Leichhardt at The Crest
Sydney Olympic will enter their matchup with APIA Leichhardt hopeful that they can shut out an attack that has scored 51 goals this season, with Ash Letta leading the Golden Boot on a remarkable 23. The high press from APIA earned them an early opening goal in the 12th minute, with Talia Kapetanellis finishing off the opportunity with an assured strike into the bottom corner. A brilliant equaliser from Morgan Wirtz brought Olympic back into the game in the 18th minute, before Tiana Petkovski was able to earn the winner for her side in the 49th minute by somehow finding the back of the net through a sea of players and securing a special 2-1 win for the home side.
By Matthew Badrov
