Women?s Super League Round 2 Preview

For over half the teams, round two now represents their first chance to get out of the blocks and make a positive start to 2011.
What was left of week one saw Eastern UNSW Lions and Lady Hawks notch up solid opening round wins, and both will be looking to consolidate their positions at the head of the table this week.
The Lions have a difficult task ahead of them however, as they travel to Wilson Park to take on 2010 Grand Finalists APIA Leichardt Tigers.  The Tigers are fresh and raring to go after their week one washout, and will be looking to make an early statement of their intentions in 2011. 
APIA Leichhardt Tigers will have their hands full dealing with a buoyant Lions side fresh from an impressive opening round showing at Nepean.  Danielle Pritchard in particular will be hungry for more goals following her brace in an excellent individual performance.
Pre-season expectations point to a comfortable Tigers victory, but expect the Lions to give them a run for their money in this fixture.
Heading across the harbour, Northbridge will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing opening round defeat to Lady Hawks in which they conceded two second half goals in a closely fought encounter. Their opponents at Northbridge Oval are Sydney Olympic, still yet to play their first game in the WSL and as yet an unknown quantity.
Northbridge let a good opportunity slip on the weekend, and on home turf should provide stiff competition for the new girls of Olympic.  This one could go either way, but some strong pre-season performances and the excitement of their first ever WSL game could give Olympic the edge.  Expect this one to be decided by a single goal.
Staying in the north, another first round loser in Nepean FC will travel to Mills Park to take on the Northern Tigers.  Nepean can take heart from an encouraging opening round performance against a strong UNSW side, and will not fear a young Northern Tigers side playing their first game of the season.
The Tigers’ developmental emphasis has driven them to put forward a very youthful side this year, and although they possess plenty of talent, a lack of experience could prove challenging come the later rounds. However, this particular fixture will be a tight one, and Nepean’s opening round workout could see them take the edge into this matchup.
At the other end of the city, St George kick off their season at home to opening round winners Lady Hawks.  Edd Terry looks to have put together a very competitive Lady Hawks side this season, and their solid round one victory over Northbridge will see them take some early momentum into this fixture.
It hard to know what to expect from St George, with some up-and-down results in pre-season all we have to go by, but they should be competitive on their own turf.  Their young squad has been bolstered in recent weeks by the return of two experienced campaigners in Rani Hayman and Tara Simpson.
It’s hard to go past Lady Hawks in this one, given that they comfortably accounted for St George in the pre-season, while the added incentive of being outright leaders should ensure they get the three points.
Finally we have Gladesville Ravens taking on Springwood at Peel Park. Both sides were washed out in round one and will be treating this like any other opening round fixture – players will be eager to make an early impression on their coaches.
Gladesville didn’t quite fulfill their potential last year, and with a strong squad coming back for 2011 should account for last year?s wooden spooners.  Springwood, with a clean slate, have nothing to lose here and will look to spring the first upset of 2011.  Puns aside, all signs point towards a first up victory for Gladesville.
Round two should see the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders and, barring another intervention from Mother Nature, we should get another exciting week of WSL football.
-By Ryan Cropp