Women?s Premier League Round 20 Review

The Macarthur side took the field with a couple of their stars having fallen; Kylie Ledbrook and Renee Rollason both being unavailable.
The match started in a steady manner but Macarthur soon lifted their tempo. In the eight minute some neat work by Stephanie Haim saw the ball come to the feet of Leena Khamis who calmly tucked away the opportunity to make it 1-0 to Rams.
Macarthur then set about hemming Marconi inside their own half. A Rams free kick was poorly dealt with by The Stallions defence with Macarthur?s Danielle Brogan eventually grabbing possession of the ball in front of goal. Brogan was then felled by a defender in clumsy fashion but the referee ignored the Macarthur calls for a penalty.
To Marconi?s credit they dug in, attempting to build control through retaining possession. The Rams defence wasn?t looking like bending though with Brogan and Wearing solid at the back.
Khamis and Haim were combining well in the Macarthur attack with some slick touches opening up gaps in the Marconi defence. Meanwhile, Trudy Camilleri was playing a dominant role for the Stallions in the middle of the park as she tried to build a Marconi response.
In the 21^st minute Marconi launched a raid after some strong play by Feliz Urkanci. The defender put Helen Petinos away down the left flank with the youngster firing in a great cross which Evelyn Chronis headed over the cross bar.
Marconi repeated the dose soon after with another burst from Petinos saw Trudy Camilleri picked out in front of goal only to push her shot wide. Marconi had responded to the challenge, giving the competition leaders plenty to think about.
A free kick to Rams followed in the 27^th minute with Stephanie Haim?s kick being well defused by Marconi keeper Karrinda Moodley.
Petinos was creating havoc down the flank for Marconi and it was no surprise when she was involved in The Stallions equaliser. After racing through and cutting back across the by-line Petinos?s centre towards goal was dropped into goal by Rams keeper Trudy Burke. The visitor?s had equalised and it was game on.
Marconi kept coming. Suddenly Macarthur?s defence looked hesitant as Marconi pushed forward. In the 34^th minute Marconi?s Ina Miloseska swivelled her way into the box before slotting away a fine finish to give Marconi a 2-1 lead.
Macarthur?s composure seemed shattered as passes started to go astray, gifting The Stallions possession. Camilleri and Polias combined off a sweet touch from Camilleri only for a loose pass in front of goal bringing the movement to an end.
In the 41^st minute more stylish play from Marconi saw Candace Sciberras and Trudy Camilleri combine for Camilleri to turn, race into the box and score. It was now 3-1 to Marconi.
From the kick off Rams charged forward through Stephanie Haim. The Rams striker almost slotted away the goal but from the resulting corner Macarthur got one back with Elisha Williams getting a vital touch to make it 3-2.
Rans suddenly sprang to life, almost taking advantage of some fumbling in goal by Marconi keeper Moodley to find an equaliser. Marconi held on and led 3-2 into the break.
The second half started briskly with Marconi the side moving straight into attacking mode. An early corner saw Marconi increase the pressure but the visitors were unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
Marconi continued to probe away at the Macarthur defence but a quick break away by The Rams suddenly saw them at the other end of the field where they received a free kick. Stephanie Haim?s kick was on target but a diving Karrinda Mordley saved the day for Marconi.
Macarthur grew in confidence as their attack started to look more potent. The goal wasn?t yet finding the back of the net but The Rams were looking decidedly dangerous.
Marconi weren?t without some moments of their own with Miloseska and Petinos both testing the keeper.
In the 61^st minute The Rams launched forward once more. Leena Khamis came onto the ball which seemed to bobble off her head before falling towards Stephanie Haim who unleashed a blinding shot into the back of the net. Marconi?s lead had now evaporated and Macarthur had become the team in the driver?s seat.
In the 64^th minute Marconi swapped keepers with Bianca Alchi coming into the game for the injured Karrinda Moodley.
In the 66^th minute a bouncing ball inside the Marconi penalty area was latched onto by Laura Donnelly who comfortably placed the ball past the Marconi keeper to take Macarthur to a 4-3 lead.
The game had taken a rather sharp turn inside twenty five minutes with Macarthur finding three unanswered goals as Marconi?s dominance waned.
Elisha Williams and Stephanie Haim then combined to Marconi forward but a loose final pass saw the movement break down.  Trudy Camilleri then surged forward for The Stallions, finding Chronis on the right but her strike went straight to Rams keeper Trudy Burke.
Marconi then replaced goalscorer Miloseska with Rachel Cavanagh.
Trudy Camilleri was still orchestrating the play for Marconi. She continued to torment The Rams defence, looking the most likely source of a Stallions equaliser.
Khamis roamed the edge of the Marconi penalty area, finding an eager StephanieHaim whose chip shot saw Marconi keeper Alchi stretching her fingertips to keep the ball out of goal.
Marconi then broke forward, winning a free kick on the left edge of the box but, once again, the resulting shot was comfortably held by Rams keeper Burke. Macarthur succumbed to the pressure, turning over the ball but Chronis?s shot went over the cross bar.
More substitutions followed; Brooke Starrett taking the place of Elisha Williams for Rams and Kristina Ferreyra coming on for in The Stallions line up.
Macarthur won a corner with Haim?s ball swinging in from the right and looking bound for goal. Marconi keeper Alchi wasn?t going to be beaten though, bringing off another spectacular finger tip save.
Macarthur raced towards goal again with Haim and Khamis working the soft touch to put Khamis through on goal. The Matildas striker looked certain to score but Bianca Alchi pulled off another fantastic save for Marconi, tipping the ball over the cross bar.
Marconi had one last chance but the speculative pass towards Chronis didn?t find its mark, allowing Rams to clear. The final whistle blew soon after to leave Macarthur engineering a great escape to win 4-3.
This had certainly been an entertaining game with both teams committed to attack. Play had gone from end to end with the seven goal tally giving a good indication of the two teams? mindset. Camilleri was superb for Marconi whilst Stephanie Haim was in everything Rams did in attack.
Rams Coach Matt Turvey was caught breathing a sigh of relief after his side?s less than convincing performance.
Marconi Coach Steve Featherstone, on the other hand, would have been thrilled with his side?s effort though frustrated at their inability to take home at least a share of the points.
MACARTHUR RAMS 4 (L.Khamis 8m, E.Williams 41m, S.Haim 61m, L.Donnelly 66m)
MARCONI STALLIONS 3 (H.Petinos 28m, I.Miloseska 34m, T.Camilleri 41m)
Fortress Pluim Park had its walls pierced by the visiting Manly United FC side who scored a 2-0 win over Central Coast Mariners Academy.
Manly took the lead in the 34^th minute through a Louise Neville goal. Central Coast kept Manly scoreless for the rest of the half, starting the second stanza with plenty of hope.
Despite the home side?s best efforts Manly confirmed their win with a second goal at the 74^th minute mark when Tiarn Powell scored.
Central Coast put in another strong effort but, on the day, Manly United FC were that little bit too strong. Manly maintain fourth spot and are within sight of a top three finish.
CENTRAL COAST MARINERS ACADEMY 0
MANLY UNITED FC 2 (L.Neville 31m, T.Powell 74m)
Illawarra Stingrays scored a comfortable 3-0 win at J.J.Kelly Park against derby rivals Sutherland Shire.
Kim Bonilla put the Stingrays ahead in the 38^th minute with the only goal of the first half.
After the break Michelle Carney extended Illawarra?s lead to 2-0 before Bonilla?s second goal four minutes later rounded out the scoring on the day.
Illawarra were never in danger but experienced some difficulty in breaking down a Sutherland Shire side who got a lot of players behind the ball. The win was what Illawarra were after with the three points gladly accepted as they chase yet another title.
Sutherland did their best but were no match for Illawarra on the day in a rather dour affair.
ILLAWARRA STINGRAYS 3 (K.Bonilla 38/54m, M.Carney 50m)
SUTHERLAND SHIRE 0
Out at Blacktown Football Park NWS Koalas continued their recent momentum with a hard fought 3-1 win over Blacktown Spartans.
Koalas striker Emma Stanbury put her team in the lead after 20 minutes with Anna McLean making it 2-0 with her goal 19 minutes later.
With a 2-0 half time lead things looked bright for The Koalas but they were set back on their heels in the 53^rd minute when Blacktown drew closer with a goal from Kathryn Mladineo.
Blacktown?s resurrection was short lived though with Stanbury scoring her second goal for The Koalas three minutes later to kick the visitors away to a winning 3-1 lead.
Blacktown gave a game performance but The Koalas had too much firepower.  A top three finish is not out of the question for NWS either with next week?s round having some matches that could prove pivotal to those hopes.
BLACKTOWN SPARTANS 1 (K.Mladineo 53m)
NWS KOALAS 3 (E.Stanbury 20/56m, A.McLean 39m)
Inter Lions put in a much improved effort at Concord Oval against Sydney University but it still wasn?t enough to escape a 3-0 defeat.
The two sides remained scoreless until three minutes prior to half time when Alesha Clifford put Sydney University in front.
After oranges The Lions tried to raise a comeback but a brace by Jenna Kingsley in the 69^th and 84^th minutes was enough to give Sydney University all three points.
Inter Coach Joe Baldacci will sleep a little easier this week whilst the Sydney University girls keep an eye on the Premiership hopes as they prepare for a blockbuster clash with Illawarra Stingrays next Sunday.
INTER LIONS 0
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY 3 (A.Clifford 42m, J.Kingsley 69/84m)
I have purposely saved the biggest news of the day for last.
At Peel Park Northbridge FC made club history with their first win in the Premier League with a 3-2 win over Gladesville Ravens.
Tiffany Patterson scored her second goal in two matches to put Northbridge in front at the 14 minute mark. This lead was maintained until half time with the exciting growing as Northbridge sensed a win was in the offering.
Those hopes appeared dashed though when Ravens goal wizard Fatma Agar scored in the 65^th and 70^th minutes, giving her side a 2-1 advantage.
Northbridge were not to be denied though. In the 78th minute Rhian Davies squared the match up once more before being on the spot to provide the winner in the 83^rd minute. I can imagine the pandemonium that erupted when the final whistle blew to signal the Northbridge win. Well done ladies!
This will be a bitter disappointment for The Ravens who would have expected a positive result from the day.
There?ll be a big party tonight at Northbridge!
GLADESVILLE RAVENS 2 (F.Agar 65/70m)
NORTHBRIDGE FC 3 (T.Patterson 14, R.Davies 78/83m)
I?ve had a long weekend of football activities myself but I must admit to enjoying finishing that weekend off with an exciting afternoon at Lynwood Park. Macarthur Rams and Marconi Stallions provided spectators with an excellent spectacle. Results elsewhere would lead me to believe that there?d be plenty of happy football fans after their day out today.
See you at the ground next weekend.
-By Ross Anderson