Womens Super League Round 18 Preview

After the many highs, the many lows and over 300 goals scored, it all comes down to this. A battle for top spot, a scuffle for fourth on the ladder and those sides who will be disappointed that they didn?t perform as well as they probably could have.
Western NSW Mariners, Sydney Olympic, Southern Districts, Southern Branch and St. George FC all play host to football in Round 18 of the competition as each home team want to end the season on a high.
MATCH OF THE ROUND: Western NSW Mariners v Eastern UNSW Lions
Alec Lamberton Field, 3pm kick off
Tainted as the battle of the compass when the West meets the East in Bathurst this Sunday, top of the table side UNSW Lions only need a point to secure the minor premiership ahead of the finals series.
Western NSW entered the competition with a very young squad, the average age being just 20. During the season we?ve seen Bathurst become a location that oppositions have not enjoyed making the trek out to. This is down to the great leadership of head coaches Adrian Cox and Wayne Clarke. Last weekend saw the Mariners narrowly lose out to Southern Districts in a thrilling 2-1 fixture at Proctor Park. Against UNSW Lions this weekend, expect the Mariners to push hard to end off the season in style.
Eastern UNSW Lions may have pulled the Mariners apart in a 6-1 thumping at David Phillips Field back in Round 9 of the competition but looking forward to this weekend, a point might be all the Lions need but there is nothing the girls in yellow want more than a convincing win. With Ayse ?goal a game? Adalis in some good form in attack and Amanda ?the enforcer? Watson between the posts, anything less than a win is not acceptable.
Sydney Olympic v Nepean FC
Blick Oval, 3pm kick off
Olympic sit nervously outside the top four of the competition knowing that if they can get a win against Nepean FC and hope that Southern Districts fail to get past Northern Tigers, finals football is still a possibility. One thing that has let Olympic down this season has been their lack of ability to finish off games across the 90 minutes. Instead, Olympic have clocked up six draws this season. If Olympic get into their groove early on in the game, this could be the fixture which shows off Olympic?s ability to perform when called upon.
Four wins and three draws and 23 goals scored. These are the favourable stats that sit next to Nepean FC?s name on the Super League ladder. On the football field, it is the club?s ability to play a good pass and move game, which has won plenty of fans over this season. Unfortunately the team never really reached their full potential this season. When these two sides last met it was Olympic who claimed victory in a tightly fought 2-1 result. Looking towards this weekend and Nepean have every opportunity to get the win they desperately deserve.
Southern Districts v Northern Tigers
Ernie Smith Reserve, 3pm kick off
The Emeralds welcome Northern Tigers to Moorebank on Sunday with nothing less than three points in their sights. The physically and mentally strong Districts squad have gotten stronger and stronger as the season has progressed after what was a bumpy start. Having not lost a game since Round 13, the Emeralds have shown why they are the dark knights to take out the finals series if they do in fact manage to sneak their way into the top four.
Northern Tigers? football has been enjoyable to watch this season thanks to the high emphasis head coach Eric Daly has placed on national curriculum 4-3-3 style of play. This brand of football has given players like Grace ?ninja? Ha, Tarni Black and Rashna Krishna to express themselves openly and freely across the field of play. The Tigers ran away 2-1 winners when these two sides met back in Round 9 of the competition. Looking towards Round 18 and expect both sides to be playing a tight fixture, keeping their trump cards close to their chest ahead of the finals.
Southern Branch v Parramatta Lady Hawks
Ison Park, 3pm kick off
Southern Branch walked away last weekend knowing that they had the mental strength to take on and beat Eastern UNSW Lions at Ison Park. Against the Lady Hawks, Branch will no doubt use this as a warm-up fixture to practice some new tactics and sure up any cracks they see across the park. Their stand out player this season has been Chantelle Nahokau who has the ability to move the ball out of defence and into attack with ease, linking up flawlessly with the midfield and occasionally stretching her legs as far as the forward line. Close down the line of distribution and you?ll close down Branch?s main threat. 
Just a few weeks ago, the Lady Hawks looked to be comfortably in the top three teams in the competition. Sitting sixth on the ladder and potentially looking like they will miss the finals, the Lady Hawks will be disappointed to have suffered so many injuries at the worst part of the season. With quality players across the whole field and some fantastic coaches, the Lady Hawks will not hope that they can beat Branch by four goals or more and that both Olympic and Districts lose their games to get their foot in the door.
St. George FC v APIA Leichhardt Tigers
St. George Stadium, 3pm kick off
For the girls in red and white, a win against APIA Tigers is exactly what the Saints need to finish off the season in style. A 1-0 win over Nepean FC in St. Mary?s last weekend saw Jess Carosi get her name on the scoresheet after what has been a strong season for her. Despite sitting in seventh on the ladder, St. George shown glimmers of hope all season of their true footballing ability. If the club is able to hold onto their core group of player, next season will be a very different year for the Saints.
APIA Tigers no doubt will be exhausted come this Sunday after what has been a pressure filled week. Tuesday night the Tigers took on Parramatta Lady Hawks whilst Thursday night saw they fight it out against Sydney Olympic. The plan will be simple for APIA, play simple football and try and survive the 90 minutes. Bottom place is a long way away from where the club were this time last season, but having to overcome so many speed bumps along the way, the girls can still be proud of their performances to date. When these sides last met, this was a four-goal spectacle split 2-2. This weekend, expect more goals and more excitement at St. George Stadium come Sunday afternoon.

-By Peter Nowakowski