Women?s Super League Round 15 Review

Feature Match: Gladesville Ravens vs APIA Leichardt Tigers
Gladesville Ravens have deposed APIA Leichardt from top spot with a resilient 1-0 win at Magdala Park.
Clinging to an early goal, the Ravens withstood a barrage of APIA attacks to complete a home and away double against the Tigers and maintain their miraculous unbeaten streak.
The goal came courtesy of marauding winger Ally Crosbie, who managed to find the back of the net from the touchline for the second week running ? this time with a little help from Alyssa Hardie.
The match got off to a somewhat disjointed start, with both sides eager to stamp their authority on the game but neither finding any fluency or rhythm. A brazen long range lob from Amanda Bowering went narrowly wide in the fourth minute, signaling Gladesville?s intentions.
The Ravens were struggling to deal with APIA?s high pressing game, frequently turning the ball over in dangerous central positions.  The departure of influential midfielder Fati Agar midway through the first half didn?t help Gladesville?s cause.
The home side were content to sit back in defence and let APIA come at them, looking to win the ball in their own half and break quickly.  The game?s only goal came from such a situation. The ball was turned over in midfield and played wide to an overlapping Ally Crosbie, who swung in a swerving cross that baffled Tigers goalkeeper Karinda Moodley and was bundled home by Alyssa Hardie.
Gladesville had clearly made an attempt to limit the supply to APIA striker Aysha Adalis.  The league?s top scorer look frustrated at times, limited to a few long-range efforts, one of which shaved the crossbar.
In one of the game?s more controversial moments, Adalis was adjudged to have been pulled down on the edge of the box after jumping on a poor Gladesville pass out of defence. With both benches on their feet, the striker sent the subsequent free kick straight down the throat of the keeper.
The Ravens halftime adjustments increased their fluency in attack. Liz Talarico in particular put in a gutbusting performance in midfield, having a hand in nearly every attacking move and providing defensive muscle when required.
APIA launched attack after attack in the final ten minutes but could not find a way through the Gladesville attack. As the Tigers? hopes faded with the light, the tension on the sidelines was palpable.  The final whistle brought about jubilant scenes amongst the Gladesville players and supporters.
A relieved Paul Wade acknowledged that his side got out of jail and was critical of his team?s inability to keep possession.
?I?m very happy with the result, though I thought we won ugly today,? he said.
?We were taken to the cleaners in the second half.  The number of chances they had thankfully they missed.?
?The result looks good on paper but we?ve got a lot of work to do before Wednesday night?s game.?
Tigers coach Tarek Madani was frustrated at his side?s inability to convert numerous chances into goals.
?They?re a very, very good side, but we didn?t deserve to lose,? he said.
?We created chances but we couldn?t score. They defended the whole game and they got the result.?
?We can beat them, and we will.?
Gladesville Ravens 1 (Hardie ?24)
APIA Leichardt Tigers 0
at Magdala Park
Parramatta Lady Hawks have moved within two points of APIA and cemented a finals place with a 2-1 win over Nepean FC at Melita Stadium.  First half goals to Kathryn Potts and Tamara Kunz were enough to take all three points, though Wood got a goal back for Nepean in the second period.
Nepean hold onto fifth spot despite the defeat, with a big Round 16 match against Sydney Olympic approaching. Lady Hawks face an even tougher task, travelling to Wilson Park to take on a recently defeated APIA Leichardt.
Parramatta Lady Hawks 2 (Potts ?17, Kunz ?41)
Nepean FC 1 (Wood ?58)
at Melita Stadium
Northbridge have emerged victorious in the second and deciding derby match against Northern Tigers. Lewis grabbed an impressive hattrick for the home side while Gaby Dal Pozzo scored yet again in an evenly contested match.
The newcomers will revel in a home and away defeat of their closest rivals, winning 4-2 over two legs. The result puts them within two points of fifth placed Nepean with two games in hand, and they?ll fancy themselves to overcome this gap in the final few rounds.
Northbridge 3 (Lewis x 3)
Northern Tigers 1 (Dal Pozzo)
at Northbridge Oval
Sydney Olympic have finally opened the floodgates, putting six past Springwood United in their Round 15 clash at Valentine Sports Park.  The ?home? side had five different scorers, while Springwood were not to be outdone, grabbing two goals of their own.
Olympic have now scored eleven goals in three games and might fancy themselves an outside chance of grabbing fourth spot. With both Nepean and UNSW faltering of late, Enzo Calabria will send his side out to take maximum points in every fixture, starting next weekend at Cook Park.
Sydney Olympic 6 (Hammoud, Rodopoulos, Tsoupis (2), Pearson, Halaska)
Springwood United 2 (Trovato, Axisa)
at Valentine Sports Park
Eastern UNSW Lions vs St George FC WASHED OUT 
-By Ryan Cropp