Women?s Super League Round 17 Review

With the competition drawing to a close and third and fourth places on the ladder still up for grabs, this was the round that Northern Tigers, Sydney Olympic, Southern Districts and Parramatta Lady Hawks all needed to get a win to have a chance at a finals series.
MATCH OF THE ROUND: Southern Branch 2 ? 1 Eastern UNSW Lions
First taking on second – the battle for the minor premiership. Kicking off at Ison Park, Southern Branch played host to Eastern UNSW Lions in what was guaranteed to be a feisty and physical affair.
The home side got the ball moving at five minutes past three despite there not being a full quota of official referees on hand to oversee proceedings. On a more positive note, thanks to the recent downpour in South Nowra, a rainbow could be seen shining across the pitch, proof of Mature Nature?s love of the round ball game.
10 minutes into the game and both sides had seen a fair share of possession and shots on goal, UNSW leading the balls in the penalty area stat, Branch more interested in shots on target.
Just a quarter of an hour into the game and the travelling side found themselves in front through golden boot hopeful, Ayse Adalis. Thanks to some fantastic follow up football from the Lions and some less than convincing clearing of the ball from the home side, Adalis pounced on a loose ball, slotting it into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
Southern Branch went looking for an instant reply but thanks to some outstanding goalkeeping from arguably the best goalkeeper in the competition, Amanda Watson, UNSW Lions maintained their lead.
The stand out player of the opening half hour was easily UNSW?s Rebecca Browning who dominated the midfield, linking the defence and attack almost flawlessly. It is her tireless efforts to win the ball and continue to challenge for possession, which has won plenty of fans throughout the season.
With just five minutes left to play before the half time motivational team talks, Branch found a lifeline. After some fairly ugly defending and unconvincing shots on goal, Southern Branch?s striker, S. Frank, found herself in space with an empty net to put the ball into. A scrappy goal but a goal nonetheless.
After the restart, the match continued much the same as it did in the first half with some strong challenges, solid opportunities and superb goalkeeping.
The 52^nd minute was filled with controversy as UNSW Lions went on the attack through Ayse Adalis. The on-rushing Branch goalkeeper came out to collect the ball, taking down Adalis in the process. As Adalis went to stand up to try and get the ball back, the Branch keeper grabbed hold of Adalis? leg to make her trip. The spectators in the grandstand and all eleven Lions players shouted for a penalty and a send off, the referee however deemed the challenge fair and waved play on.
Just after the hour mark, who else but Ayse Adalis was played into space by one of her teammates giving her the time and space to line up a shot. Adalis attempted the audacious chip over the Branch keeper however a Premier League-esque finger tip save over the goal denied the Lions a second and potential winning goal.
The game was not over by any means and in the 82^nd minute, Southern Branch scored what became the winning goal of this contest. A perfectly weighted corner sent into the box gave Ange Graham the opportunity to out-jump her defender and head the ball into the back of the net. A stunning strike to secure all three points for the girls in Nowra.
With Southern Branch taking on the Lady Hawks in the final round of the competition, they will be hoping that Eastern UNSW fail to get a single point against Western NSW Mariners so that the girls in blue can steal first place and the minor premiership.
Nepean FC 0 ? 1 St. George FC
Building up to this game the key player who had the ability to be that game changer was always going to be the attacking midfielder come striker, Jess Carosi for the Saints. Despite a goalless first half, the Saints looked the stronger of the two sides and in the 69^th minute, it was the impact player herself who got her name on the scoresheet. A fine strike to cap off what has been a good season for Carosi. Despite her efforts, Melissa Toumbelekis was unable to replicate last weekend?s fantastic strike, Mother Nature not favouring the Saints as prominently in Round 17.
Northern Tigers 1 ? 0 Sydney Olympic
After a mid-week fixture against APIA Tigers, Northern Tigers showed no signs of fatigue as they went on to defeat Sydney Olympic at Mills Park. With the strength of Ellana Balicki maintaining her spot between the midfield and the attack, Tigers were always going to be pushing hard into the final third to get a shot on goal. Sydney Olympic?s defence is renowned for being one of the strongest in the competition but were pulled apart at a crucial moment of the game. An Olympic defender unfortunately putting the ball into the back of her own net to give the win to the Tigers who remain on track to finish third and potentially claim the 2012 Club Championship.
Western NSW Mariners 1 ? 2 Southern Districts
Taking place in the cool breeze that sweeps over Proctor Park, Western NSW Mariners fought hard for the 90 minutes in search of a winning goal after they took the lead early on in the game. In the 15^th minute, K. Collingridge scored her fifth goal in two days putting the home side in front. Not long before the break it was Southern Districts? time to dominate possession with Willow Shorrocks scoring a cracking goal to level the game at 1-1. With 25 minutes left to play on the club, J. Mussett found an opening and secured the win for the Emeralds as they stay within reaching distance of a spot in the finals.
Western NSW Mariners also played host to a Round 12 catch up fixture on Saturday afternoon as they welcomed Nepean FC to Bathurst. A 1-1 draw between the two sides in reserve grade showed just close in terms of quality they really are. In first grade however, Western NSW Mariners really put on a show as they ran away 6-0 winners. Four goals to K. Collingridge and a double to J. Rae was enough to get a much needed three points.
RESERVE GRADE:
Tackling the elements of South Nowra, Southern Branch pushed and pushed in the hope of a result over Eastern UNSW Lions. The opening half was a physical affair with two UNSW girls forced to take an early shower thanks to injury. Before the break, Branch found themselves 1-0 in front thanks to an uncharacteristic mix up in the defensive line of the Lions. With the final whistle moments away, UNSW found themselves an equaliser through Lisa Mitchell. A draw was a fair result at Ison Park since neither side were able to really challenge in the final third in search of a winner.
Nepean FC managed to get a much needed 2-1 win over St. George FC at Cooks Park. Northern Tigers and Sydney Olympic shared the points in a 1-1 draw at Mills Park. Western NSW Mariners claimed themselves a 2-1 win over Southern Districts at Proctor Park. APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Parramatta Lady Hawks was washed out with a replay set to take place in the next few days. 
-By Peter Nowakowski