The final round of the first half of the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Women’s competition takes shape on Sunday afternoon.
North West Sydney Koalas v Blacktown Spartans
ELS Hall Park hosts Sunday’s match of the round between the North West Sydney Koalas and Blacktown Spartans.
Both teams are travelling well this season with the Spartans in fourth and the Koalas in sixth.
They also both suffered defeats in round eight after setting up a fine run of form and results leading up to last Sunday.
A loss for Stephen Peters’ team could see them drop off the pace for a finals place and make for an extremely tough second half of the season.
Victory for the Spartans would throw them back in the hunt for the Premiership and they won’t want to let that opportunity slip.
Sydney University v Emerging Jets
Sydney University host the Emerging Jets on Sunday afternoon at Sydney University Football Ground.
The Jets arrive full of confidence having scored their first win of the season last week, something the young side needed to kick start their season.
Uni played out one of the best matches of women’s football this season last week but weren’t able to claim all three points.
Heather Garriock will want to get back to top spot on the table and this is a must win match for her side.
Football NSW Institute v Macarthur Rams
It’ll be quite the clash at Valentine Sports Park as the Football NSW Institute host the Macarthur Rams.
The Institute finally won in round eight after not scoring a win since the second match of the season.
Craig Foster’s side has quality all over the park with Princess Ibini-Isei just one of many who could cause the Rams some issues.
The Rams are first and will not give up top spot too easy.
They showed that on Sunday, battling hard to make sure they wouldn’t be defeated as Amy Harrison once again shone.
Norm Boardman will be pleased with the progress his team has made and he’ll hope they continue that.
North Shore Mariners v Illawarra Stingrays
Valentine Sports Park will also host the North Shore Mariners and the Illawarra Stingrays on Sunday.
A loss could see the Mariners really fall off the pace of finals football and a win is imperative to keep them within striking distance of fourth place.
With only one loss in six matches, the Illawarra Stingrays are in some fine form of late.
They have the most potent attack in the league, lead by captain Michelle Carney from the front and they’ll take some stopping.
Manly United v Northern Tigers
Manly United will host the Northern Tigers at Cromer Park in somewhat of a local derby.
United currently sit in fifth place on the ladder but are yet to confirm some consistent form so far this season.
A win on Sunday will keep them within touching distance of top spot and a run at the Premiership.
The Tigers have lost four on the bounce and need to change their fortunes around soon.
Stopping Remy Siemsen could be key for the Tigers as they look to get something from what will be a tough match,
-By Nikola Pozder