Round 23 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW
The finish line is in sight in the National Premier Leagues women’s NSW competition, finals is all but settled and the Premiership isn’t far from being lifted either.
NWS Spirit FC v WSW
3pm, Saturday 8 August – Christie Park
We are at Christie Park on Saturday afternoon for the first match of round 23 as NWS Spirit take on the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Only one defeat in their last 10 outings for Spirit and from bottom of the table, they have moved up to 11th with hunger to continue their rise.
The Wanderers all but secured their spot in the top four and finals football with an emphatic 9-0 victory last weekend against the Western City Rangers.
This game could be one to keep an eye on with quality players all across the park and promises a high scoring affair.
Bulls FC Academy v Sydney University
2:40pm, Sunday 9 August – Northbridge Oval
Sunday afternoons first game takes us to Northbridge Oval as league leading Bulls FC Academy host Sydney University.
With four games to go, the Bulls have a four-point lead over their closest rival in the race for the Premiership. With one hand on the trophy, Marty Garces’ team could go a long way to securing back-to-back first place finishes.
Every week someone steps up for the Bulls and this weekend was no different, the Dos Santos sisters Jynaya and Indi showing their class.
Uni are now winless in five matches after going down to a strong NWS Spirit side last weekend. They have only secured one win in the second half of the season and that came against bottom placed Western City Rangers.
Poppy Tay managed to get goals in consecutive games in the last fortnight and would love to keep that run going against the Bulls.
Macarthur Rams v UNSW FC
3pm, Sunday 9 August – Lynwood Park
The match of the round takes us to Lynwood Park Sunday afternoon as the Macarthur Rams welcome UNSW FC.
The Rams recorded a surprisingly comprehensive 5-0 win away from home against the Gladesville Ravens last weekend.
They kept a clean sheet, were prolific and had five different players find themselves on the scoresheet which would have impressed Vic Guzman.
If someone told you, you wouldn’t believe it, but Zoran Naumovski’s UNSW FC has recorded five straight draws and still sit second on the ladder!
They have had 8 draws this season and only won three games in the second half of the season. This will be another tough task but to hold onto second place, they need all three points.
APIA Leichhardt v Gladesville Ravens
4:50pm, Sunday 9 August – Lambert Park
At Lambert Park on Sunday evening, APIA Leichhardt take on the Gladesville Ravens.
APIA had to settle for a point last week against the league leaders and probably missed their opportunity to stay in the hunt for the Premiership. They were good value though and probably felt they deserved a little more from the game.
They need to win here though to keep the pressure on UNSW FC and look to secure second place and a home semi-final.
The inconsistent Ravens have struck again, this time going down at home 5-0 against the Macarthur Rams.
After a few hard-fought draws against the competition top two teams, they were humbled at Christie Park. They are now winless in six but if there is a game Leena Khamis is up for, it’s against APIA who the veteran has a great record against.
Manly United v Illawarra Stingrays
5pm, Sunday 9 August – Cromer Park
Manly United host the Illawarra Stingrays on Sunday evening at Cromer Park.
It’s been a mixed bag of results for Manly over the last month but they have shown they are a team that was perhaps unlucky not to be closer to playing finals football.
Unable to get revenge for their Sapphire Cup final loss against UNSW FC on Sunday, despite leading in that one.
It has been a rough campaign for the Illawarra Stingrays. Five games without a victory and they sit second bottom on the ladder.
They have managed only three wins all season and they will hope to see the back of 2026 as soon as possible.
Hills United v Western City Rangers
5:30pm, Sunday 9 August – VSP
The bottom placed Western City Rangeres are on the road on Sunday as they fce off with Hills United at VSP.
Hills have settled well in the top tier and they’ll be looking to secure their top flight status with a positive result here on Sunday.
They have built a solid base to improve on and can put the Rangers closer to relegation with victory here.
After their impressive win against the Stingrays, expectations were of the Rangers to give survival a real proper fight.
Instead they were brought back to reality with a humbling 9-0 defeat last weekend, making safety all but impossible now.
Sydney Olympic v Northern Tigers
5:40pm, Sunday 9 August – The Crest
The final game on Sunday night takes us to The Crest as Sydney Olympic host the Northern Tigers.
In a game with not much on the line for either team, you feel as this could end up being a really good fixture.
Olympic’s form has been outstanding over the last month, dropping points only once in a 0-0 draw with UNSW FC. They managed to notch up wins against APIA, Macarthur and the Stingrays in that period, conceding only one goal as well.
The Tigers come into this one off a five-game unbeaten streak. Unfortunately for them, their last two draws have put them too far off the fourth placed Western Sydney Wanderers.
They’ll want to continue this form as high a position as possible on the ladder.
– By Nikola Pozder
