Arrive Alive Women?s Premier League Round 10 Review

The weekend went pretty much the way of the form book although Penrith Nepean United came to the fore to share the points with Sydney University in their clash at Lees Park. Illawarra Stingrays still sit atop the competition table but the Macarthur Rams are in hot pursuit. These two sides certainly look the bench mark for the others as the moves towards the finals.
At Lynwood Park the home side, Macarthur Rams, played host to Manly United FC. This looked on paper to be an entertaining clash between two of the competitions leading teams. It was probably a day when neither team played to their true potential.
Macarthur had grabbed a 2-0 lead by half time with goals in the 19^th and 30^th minutes to striker Renee Cartwright. Five minutes into the second half the Manly side replied with a goal to Gill Foster. This seemed to set the game up for a nail biting finish but The Rams lifted. In the 62^nd minute Laura Donnelly added goal three for the home side before Stephanie Haim put the final nail in the Manly United coffin with her 82^nd minute goal.
Macarthur?s victory keeps them right on the tail of the Illawarra Stingrays with the defending champions having two games in hand. The Rams will certainly not relinquish their title without one hell of a fight.
Manly would have been disappointed to come away with so little to show for their afternoon?s work. They?ll be keen to break The Rams apparent spell over them should they meet again at the business end of the season.
Macarthur Rams  4 (R.Cartwright 19m/30m, L.Donnelly 62m, S.Haim 82m)
Manly United FC 1 (G.Foster 50m)
Over at ELS Hall Park the NWS Koalas clashed with the Marconi Stallions.
The Koalas are probably still trying to figure out what happened in the second half of their match with Illawarra last weekend. Letting a 3-1 lead slip is uncharacteristic of The Koalas and they were keen to return to the winner?s list on Sunday. Marconi were looking for points to turn around a disappointing season.
There wasn?t a lot in this game with both sides working hard for a win. It came down to a single moment of skill from Koalas Carlie Ikonomou who broke the deadlock with her goal in the 55^th minute. A case of so near yet so far for The Stallions whilst The Koalas bounce back into the top four with their win.
NWS Koalas         1 (C.Ikonomou 55m)
Marconi Stallions 0
At the Harrie Dening Centre the Sutherland Sharks shaped up to the competition leaders, Illawarra Stingrays.
The Sharks faced the game with some trepidation after a first round hiding at the hands of the visitors. The Stingrays started the game as if to repeat the round one scoreline. They created numerous scoring opportunities but were unable to convert until the 26^th minute when Ash Connor scored. Hayley Kerrigan doubled The Stingrays lead in the 34^th minute before Michelle Heyman added herself to the scoresheet in the 40^th minute.
With a 3-0 lead at half time most coaches would have been happy but Stingrays mentor Brett Wallin was less than impressed by his side?s wasteful ways in front of goal. He asked his girls to concentrate on finishing the chances they created in the second stanza.
The Stingrays responded with a four goal second half. Michelle Carney scored a brace in the 61^st and 72^nd minutes whilst Ash Connor rounded out her double with a 63^rd minute strike. Jayde Cunningham completed the scoring for the visitors with a long distance bomb in the 75^th minute.
A decision at training during the week to change the team?s formation back to a 4-4-2 seemed to do the trick for Illawarra with their defence seemingly much more disciplined. The Stingrays now look forward to their clash with Sydney University next Sunday. The Sharks had another difficult day but tried hard.
Illawarra Stingrays 7 (A.Connor 26m/63m, M.Carney 61m/72m, M.Heyman 40m, J.Cunningham 75m)
Sutherland Sharks   0
The final game of the round saw Penrith Nepean United play host to Sydney University.
The University girls would have started hot favourites for this game but Penrith Nepean forgot to read the script, giving the visitors a tough day at the office.
No details of this game have been supplied to your reporter; the match finished in a 1-1 stalemate but I am unable to advise the names of the respective teams? goal scorers. Suffice to say that this was a fine result for Penrith Nepean, picking up only their second competition point of the season. Something of a stumble for Sydney University in their quest for a final berth but they have the chance to redeem themselves next weekend when they lay out the welcome mate for the Illawarra Stingrays. That should be a match worth going to see. 
Penrith Nepean United 1
Sydney University         1
Next weekend offers some tantalising clashes with some of the competition big guns doing battle. The race for the finals is heating up but the injury lists and congested schedules due to washed out games offer significant hurdles for various teams to jump. The upcoming weeks will certainly test the mettle of all the contenders as they vie for the title in the Arrive Alive Women?s Premier League.
-Ross Anderson