Spectacular goals and competitive matchups typified Round 15 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition, with APIA Leichardt maintaining their position at the top of the ladder at the end of the weekend.
Have a read of our full breakdown of the weekend’s games below.
Match of the Round – Bulls FC Academy 2-2 APIA Leichardt at Sydney United Sports Centre
It was a fantastic game of football at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday evening as APIA Leichhardt continued their unbeaten start to the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition, coming from behind to snatch a late 2-2 draw against Bulls FC Academy.
The Bulls took the lead against the run of play when Peta Trimis netted five minutes before half time.
There was enough time for them to pinch another before the break, Elizabeth Grey on hand to double the advantage.
APIA responded in the second period as substitute Bella Habuda halved the deficit, before Ash Crofts got her 14th of the season with an excellent finish.
Sydney Olympic 4-0 Blacktown Spartans at Peter Moore Field
Sydney Olympic put in a ruthless display against Blacktown Spartans on Sunday, delivering a 4-0 win in front of the home fans at Peter Moore Field.
Kiara De Domizio instantly got her side off on the right foot with a thumping finish beyond Spartans goalkeeper Makayla Kent in the 2nd minute of the match.
The Spartans defence would have rued the nature of Olympic’s second goal as a loose through ball went uncleared, leaving Sarah Yatim with room to pounce on the opportunity to hand Angelique Hristodoulou a goal on a platter for 2-0.
De Domizio would deliver a second goal in the 23rd minute to earn herself brace. Outstandingly however, she undeniably saved her best for her second goal: a scintillating volley smashed home from outside the box that was crafted with impressive instinct, football intelligence and pure artistry. A truly majestic goal to make it 3-0.
Taylor Ray’s superb outside-of-the-foot pass in the 68th minute was another one of many special moments from Olympic in the match, and to pile on the woes for the Spartans, it ensured a fourth goal for Olympic when the pass made its way to Yatim who showed her quality in taking the shot on and inching it past Kent.
Olympic coach George Beltsos would have been impressed with the dominant showing from his side, particularly because it put back-to-back losses in Rounds 13 and 14 behind them and keeps Olympic close to the top three.
Emerging Jets 2-2 Football NSW Institute at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
There were several exciting moments during the 2-2 draw between the Emerging Jets and Football NSW Institute at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The two youngest teams in the NPL NSW Women’s went head-to-head in an entertaining matchup, with the Jets fancying themselves against a side they suffered a late loss to earlier in the season, and FNSW Institute eager to get a result after two weeks off due to players missing through international commitments.
The Jets would strike first through their talismanic forward, Brinley Gentle, when the no. 9 took on a great through ball by Emma Dundas, turned her defenders and drove toward goal to eventually put it just beyond the outstretched FNSW goalkeeper.
FNSW Institute showed no intention of backing off in the second half and were impressive in gaining the ascendancy in the match.
A lethal counter-attack led to Shereen Karnib equalising for FNSW Institute in the 52nd minute with her goal, a spectacular curling finish from outside the box, besting Jets keeper Xanthe Parsons and arriving off the crossbar.
FNSW Institute would then take the lead in the 71st minute with a fantastic header across the Jets goalmouth and into the back of the net.
The Jets, who are still chasing their first win of the season after fifteen rounds, would bring the game full circle with Gentle scoring the final goal of the day after taking a quality Josie Allan cross down and volleying beyond the keeper.
Manly United 0-0 Illawarra Stingrays at Cromer Park
A 0-0 draw was played out between Manly United and the Illawarra Stingrays at Cromer Park on Sunday evening.
The match was an opportunity for Manly to break their winless run in front of the home fans, whilst it also gave the Stingrays a chance to capitalise on an out of form United side.
And it was in fact the Stingrays who thought they had earned the lead in the 16th minute when Michelle Carney got on the end of a Sakura Nojima cross to tuck the ball past Nicole Simonsen in the Manly goal. The no. 10 was then disappointed to see the goal called back for offside.
The run of chances fell the way of the Stingrays throughout the ninety minutes, with the away side nearly securing the three points in the 89th minute when Sarina Bolden made space for herself in the box through some terrific trickery and unleashed a strike that rattled the crossbar.
Manly would have one final chance in the 92nd minute when Emily Bastow attempted to squeeze the ball in from range on the right wing, however it would prove to not be enough and would find itself hitting the side netting.
The result ensures back-to-back draws for the sturdy Stingrays and extends Manly’s hapless winless run to 11 matches.
Macarthur Rams 3-1 NWS Spirit at Lynwood Park
Lynwood Park hosted an entertaining clash between Macarthur Rams and NWS Spirit which ended 3-1 to the home team.
2nd versus 3rd in the NPL NSW Women’s competition was always going to be a stellar matchup, and these two certainly did not disappoint.
Kelli Brown would open the scoring for Macarthur in the 36th minute, notching her 11th goal of the season in the process. The goal was sparked by a fantastic pass by Melissa Caceres to open up Miku Sunaga for a resulting run and low cross into the box, with Brown latching onto a failed Spirit clearance with an instinctive poacher’s finish.
Brown was heavily involved in the Rams’ second goal when she took a long ball down well and shimmied to find India Breier for a top-drawer finish into the far-left corner in the 58th minute.
Spirit would manage a way back into the match through the individual brilliance of Sarah Morgan in the 74th minute, the midfielder taking on a free-kick with poise and beating Brianna Clarke in the Macarthur goal.
However, Spirit’s positive momentum would be cut short when Breier miraculously floated her shot over Mio Nemoto and planted the ball into the far post from the left-wing, the shot defying any expectations from her teammates of a cross.
The win guarantees that the Rams, who are in seemingly unstoppable form of late, would overtake Spirit and end Round 15 in 2nd place on the ladder.
Gladesville Ravens 1-1 Bankstown City Lions at Christie Park
Gladesville Ravens and Bankstown City Lions shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Christie Park over the weekend.
A tightly-contested first stanza saw Gladesville and Bankstown both competing well to take control of the game, with both sets of starting elevens showcasing plenty of urgency and desire to shift favour for their team.
With chances mainly limited to long shots from distance in the first half, goals either side of halftime would then deliver the goods for patient spectators.
Bankstown were the first to score in the match, Alexia Karrys-Stahl the hero for her side at the end of the first half with a goal that was sparked by Olivia Price confidently winning the ball in midfield and striding forward. Price then spotted Demi Koulizakis on the left-wing and allowed the no. 13 the necessary time and space to cross to Karrys-Stahl for a first-time volley beyond Romina Parraguirre in the Ravens goal.
The Ravens replied instantly upon returning for the second half when Jess Wootton smartly made herself a nuisance in the Lions defensive line to beat her defender and score a marvelous header off a cross to make it 1-1.
The match would conclude as a draw, with both sides putting in encouraging performances to hold on for the single point.
Northern Tigers 1-0 Sydney University at North Turramurra Recreation Arena
A back-and-forth match played out between Northern Tigers and Sydney University at North Turramurra Recreation Arena, with the Tigers prevailing 1-0 in the end.
This contest arrived at a significant point in both teams’ seasons, with both the Tigers and Sydney Uni steadily finding the cohesion and ability to see off matches they have been known for in previous seasons.
Whilst both Sarah Willacy in the Tigers goal and Sophia Varley in the Sydney Uni goal both showed plenty of assurance in protecting their nets, the Tigers often had their defence to thank for some last-gasp interceptions and tackles throughout the match.
The Tigers initially felt they had scored the opener when Claudia Cholakian’s cross was turned in for an own-goal in the 34th minute, but after a brief consultation with the sideline official, the referee awarded a free-kick to Sydney Uni.
A corner would again provide the Tigers with a chance at taking the lead, and this time they were able to successfully notch a goal via Ella Tonkin’s emphatic header. 1-0 in the 53rd minute.
Despite the fact Sydney Uni were proactive with their possession of the ball and always sought to create effective chances, the match would ultimately end in favour of the resilient Tigers.
-By Matthew Badrov