Round 21 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Round 21 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition delivered plenty of surprise results and kept the race for both the Premiership and finals football wide open.
Have a read of our full breakdown of the weekend’s action.
Match of the Round – UNSW FC 1 v APIA Leichhardt FC 1
The Village Green
The points were shared between UNSW FC and APIA Leichhardt FC at The Village Green on Saturday evening in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition.
APIA took an early lead through league top scorer Ash Letta, before Chloe Smith found an equaliser before the break to make it 1-1.
Neither side could find a winner in an entertaining contest, with both teams’ Premiership hopes taking a slight hit.
Click here for the full report.
NWS Spirit FC 1-0 Hills United
Christie Park
A strong run of form has seen NWS Spirit become one of the competition’s strongest sides as we reach the backend of the season, with Hills United looking to halt their momentum.
It was an evenly contested first half, with both Spirit and United producing attacking football for the supporters at Christie Park.
However, Spirit would eventually find the breakthrough in the 60th minute. Avaani Prakash produced a superb solo run before delivering a through ball to Lara Gooch, who finished emphatically to secure all three points for the hosts.
Bulls FC Academy 1-1 Gladesville Ravens
Northbridge Oval
Northbridge Oval played host to an important clash as Bulls FC Academy continued their push towards back-to-back Premierships, with Gladesville Ravens standing firmly in their way.
The Ravens made the perfect start, taking the lead in the fourth minute through Leena Khamis. The striker showed excellent technique, producing a superb half-volley on the turn from a tight angle.
Bulls continued to push for an equaliser and were eventually rewarded late in the contest. Tamires Souza guided the ball home from close range in the 90+1st minute to secure a 1-1 draw.
Macarthur Rams 0-3 Sydney Olympic FC
Lambert Park
Macarthur Rams and Sydney Olympic entered Round 21 in similar positions on the ladder, with the visitors looking to overtake their opponents with a strong performance.
Olympic made the perfect start, with Tess Quilligan heading home in the 14th minute to give her side the lead.
Morgan Witz then doubled the advantage with a smart finish from range, spotting a gap at the near post before taking the opportunity to strike.
Ruby Nathan added a third goal in the 85th minute after Peta Trimis produced an excellent pass in behind the defence, allowing Nathan to run onto the ball and finish confidently.
Sydney Olympic secured a convincing 3-0 victory at Lambert Park.
Western City Rangers 6-1 Illawarra Stingrays
Popondetta Park
Western City Rangers entered the contest desperate for three points as they looked to move away from the bottom of the table, with Illawarra Stingrays travelling to Popondetta Park.
Clare Holder’s excellent pass in behind the Stingrays defence created the opening goal, with Trudy Camilleri making no mistake in the 29th minute.
Illawarra responded quickly, with Ruby Egan-Brown levelling the scores in the 33rd minute.
However, Rangers immediately regained control, with Holder scoring twice in quick succession in the 37th and 41st minutes to restore their advantage.
Holder completed her hat-trick in the 56th minute when her long-range effort was initially saved but eventually crossed the line.
The striker added a fourth goal in the 68th minute after reacting quickest to a loose ball following Camilleri’s blocked effort, producing a superb first-time finish to make it 5-1.
Roukayah Al Fararjeh then capped off a memorable afternoon for Rangers with a classy finish, securing a crucial 6-1 victory for the current bottom-placed side.
Sydney University SFC 2-2 Northern Tigers
Sydney University Football Ground
A difficult run of form has seen Sydney University fall from Premiership contenders to mid-table challengers, while Northern Tigers arrived searching for a result to keep their slim top-four hopes alive.
Sydney University opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Jenny Hill produced a composed finish at the back post.
Northern Tigers responded seven minutes later through Bethany Gordon, who produced a powerful first-time volley from distance to level the scores.
Sydney Uni regained the lead in the 32nd minute when Poppy Tay fired a powerful strike into the near post from outside the penalty area.
However, Gordon would have the final say, completing her brace in the 65th minute with a clever looping header over the goalkeeper to earn the Tigers a valuable point in a 2-2 draw.
Manly United 1-2 Western Sydney Wanderers
Cromer Park
Manly United and Western Sydney Wanderers closed out the round in a crucial clash, with the hosts knowing a victory could have opened up the finals race.
A frantic 10-minute period ultimately decided the contest, with the Wanderers opening the scoring in the 70th minute through Allyssa Ng Saad, who produced a composed volley from the centre of the box.
Talia Younis doubled the advantage three minutes later, finishing off Ng Saad’s excellent work as she pressured the Manly defence before calmly converting into an open net.
Manly responded in the 79th minute through Sienna Dale, who produced a sensational header to reduce the deficit.
However, the goal proved to be only a consolation as Western Sydney Wanderers held on to secure three valuable points and take them back to Wanderers Football Park.
Words by Matthew Badrov
