Things are hotting up in the PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 Preseason Cup with some intriguing results throwing both pools wide open ahead of the penultimate round of competition.
POOL 1 –
Illawarra Stingrays 2-2 Football NSW Institute
At JJ Kelly Park on Sunday afternoon, Champions the Football NSW Institute travelled to take on the Illawarra Stingrays.
The young Institute team took a 2-0 lead into the break before the Stingrays mounted a second half come back, with the game finishing in a draw.
The result has thrown the group wide open with three teams on four points with two games to play.
North Shore Mariners 0-1 Macarthur Rams
Seven Hills Sports High was the venue for Sundays pool match between the North Shore Mariners and Macarthur Rams.
The Rams have had a slow start to their cup campaign but made sure they’d keep their finals chances alive with a hard fought 1-0 win, courtesy of Amy Ward.
POOL 2 –
Emerging Jets 3-3 Sydney University
At Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, the Emerging Jets welcomed Sydney University.
The Jets have improved from their humbling first round loss and registered an entertaining 3-3 draw against University.
The point was enough to move Uni into second place while the Jets are in fourth with a result pending.
Central Coast 0-2 Manly United
Central Coast took their home game to Cromer Park as they took on Manly United.
United managed to register their first win of the season here, coming away with a 2-0 win. Tia Gavin and Louise Neville were the scorers for the winning side as they moved into third place on the ladder.
-By Nikola Pozder
PS4 NPL Women’s Preseason Cup Round 2 Preview
Round 2 of the PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 Preseason Cup gets underway this weekend with the teams starting to feel their feet.
POOL 1 –
Macarthur Rams vs Illawarra Stingrays @Lynwood Park
At Lynwood Park on Sunday afternoon, the Macarthur Rams take on the Illawarra Stingrays.
Two old rivals clash here with the Stingrays playing their first match of the year following the bye in round 1. The Rams went down last week and will be eager to get back amongst the winning teams.
North Shore Mariners vs Blacktown Spartans @Valentine Sports Park
The brand new synthetic pitch at Valentine Sports Park will get a work out on Sunday afternoon as the North Shore Mariners entertain the Blacktown Spartans.
It was mixed fortunes for these two in round 1 with the Spartans registering an impressive win over last years Premiers Macarthur, while the Mariners went down to 2014 Champions the Institute.
Football NSW Institute BYE
POOL 2 –
Emerging Jets vs Central Coast @Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
It’s another F3 Derby of sorts on Sunday as the Emerging Jets take on Central Coast.
Both teams are new to this seasons competition and will be looking to bounce back from disappointing round one defeats. A victory for either will be a great confidence booster to the young teams.
North West Sydney Koalas vs Manly United @Cromer Park
Cromer Park will be the venue for Sunday afternoons clash between the North West Sydney Koalas and Manly United.
The Koalas recorded a smashing round one victory and will be looking to build on that result. United had the bye first up and will look to get their start in the Cup underway with a positive result.
Sydney University BYE
-By Nikola Pozder
PS4 NPL NSW Women’s Preseason Cup Round 1 Review
Round one of the PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 Preseason Cup got underway over the weekend and we were treated to a barrage of goals.
POOL 1 –
Macarthur Rams 0-1 Blacktown Spartans
Last years Premiers, the Macarthur Rams, welcomed the Blacktown Spartans to Lynwood Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Spartans showed they’ll be an improved outfit from last season, winning by a solitary Logan Garard free kick late on in the game.
The Rams missed quite a few opportunities earlier in the match but couldn’t find the back of the net as they fell to defeat.
Football NSW Institute 4-2 North Shore Mariners
Current champions, Football NSW Institute entertained the newly named North Shore Mariners, formerly Northbridge FC, at Wilson Park.
The Institute started where they left off last season, picking up an impressive 4-2 victory over the Mariners.
Jacqueline Anyon-Smith scored a double while Princess Ibini-Isei and Demi Koulizakis scored the Institutes goals en route to the win.
POOL 2 –
Sydney University 4-1 Central Coast
Sydney University took on the newly promoted Central Coast on Sunday at Pluim Park.
Uni showed that they’re on track to pick up where they finished last year, coming away with a comfortable 4-1 win.
Melissa Caceres scored a brace, while Elizabeth Grey and Olivia Price also got their names on the scoresheet.
North West Sydney Koalas 6-1 Emerging Jets
At Campbell Field, the North West Sydney Koalas entertained new team, the Emerging Jets.
The Koalas displayed real firepower and revealed they’ll be a real force to be reckoned with this season, coming away with a comprehensive 6-1 victory.
Hannah Beard scored two while Amy Dahdah, Shayna Killey, Heidi Makrillos and Helen Petinos all added to the scoreline.
-By Nikola Pozder
NPL NSW Women’s 1 Preseason Cup Preview
The boots are finally out of the bag as the PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 Preseason Cup kicks off this weekend.
It has been a long wait between drinks for the states premier women’s teams as they get shake off the cobwebs in Round 1 of the cup.
The competing teams will be split into two pools of five teams where each team plays an opponent from their group once. The first placed team from each pool then moves on into the grand final to be played in the last week of March.
POOL 1 –
Macarthur Rams vs Blacktown Spartans @Lynwood Park
At Lynwood Park on Sunday afternoon, the Macarthur Rams will host the Blacktown Spartans.
Last years Premiers and Grand Finalists, the Rams, head into the season with a new coach as Norm Boardman takes the reigns from Stephen Neligan. The Cup would be a great way for Boardman to get his team rolling into the new season.
The Spartans must improve on their last year’s league standing where they finished on the bottom of the ladder. A good run in the cup could be a real confidence booster to the team.
Football NSW Institute vs North Shore Mariners @Wilson Park
Wilson Park will be the venue on Sunday afternoon as the Football NSW Institute welcome the North Shore Mariners.
The Champions are back and will not be a dark horse this season. The young, free flowing team will be stronger for experience and confidence after last years grand final victory.
North Shore Mariners, formerly known as Northbridge FC, made a strong start to the season last season but fell off the pace toward the end.
Illawarra Stingrays BYE
POOL 2 –
North West Sydney Koalas vs Emerging Jets
At Campbell Field on Sunday afternoon, the North West Sydney Koalas take on the Emerging Jets.
The Koalas had a good season last year finishing in second place on the ladder. They later fell at the final hurdle before the final, losing to the eventual champions, the Institute.
New girls of the competition, the Emerging Jets, are an unknown to the rest of the teams. It will be interesting to see how they rough up against their opponents come Sunday.
Sydney University vs Central Coast
Sydney University will take their home game to Pluim Park on Sunday as they take on Central Coast.
University finished in fourth spot, taking the last place for finals football last year. They lost their first game to the Institute but showed they have what it takes to be a force this coming season.
The Coast make their way back up into Women’s 1 following their promotion. The cup will give them an opportunity to see where they’re at as opposed to the other teams in the competition.
Manly United BYE
-By Nikola Pozder
Official Football NSW Match Schedules Announced
Football NSW has officially released the match schedules for all NPL, State League, Regional and SAP competitions for the 2015 season.
With football riding on a massive high thanks largely to the success of the Socceroos being crowned AFC Asian Cup Champions as well as the Western Sydney Wanderers taking out the AFC Champions League title and the continual growth of the women’s game via our Matildas side, Football NSW is gearing up for a bumper year across all its elite competitions.
PS4 have jumped on board for 2015 and have become the naming rights sponsors of the NPL NSW Men’s 1, Men’s 2, Women’s 1 and Women’s 2 competitions in a huge coup for each league.
On top of that, all Men’s and Women’s State League competitions as well as its Regional and SAP competitions have also strengthened making 2015 a year to watch out for.
Following the confirmation of all draws, a special note has been announced out of respect for one of Australia’s most important events in its calendar namely ANZAC Day.
ANZAC Day falls on a Saturday this year and as a mark of respect, matches will not be scheduled prior to 12 noon in any of the competitions Football NSW administer directly.
To view the draws click on the competition below