NPL NSW Womens 2 Round 8 Preview
The NPL NSW Women’s 2 has now passed the one third mark, with each teams having played each other for the first time.
UNSW Lions vs Western NSW Mariners; at David Phillips Field, Sunday 3pm
The tight battle for top four spots continue as the weeks go on and this week will see another crucial matchup between two sides who are trying to pull away from the pack. UNSW Lions, who have endured a difficult start to the season, struggling to find the back of the net with any real consistency, have climbed to just outside the top four on goal for – with their 2-0 over Southern Branch taking them to 10 points. Sitting three places but just one point ahead are Western NSW Mariners, UNSW Lions’ opponents for Round 8. They climbed to second spot with their 3-1 win against Sutherland Shire, also helped by UNSW’s win over Southern Branch. This sets up an intriguing tie between two sides who know each other well – facing off in the 2013 Women’s State League Grand Final, where UNSW Lions prevailed.
Central Coast Mariners Academy vs Sutherland Shire FA; at Pluim Park, Sunday 3pm
Central Coast Mariners Academy have continued their dominance at the top of the NPL NSW Women’s 2 table, opening up a seven point gap between first and second place. A comfortable 3-1 victory over Sydney Olympic continues their good form – where they have only dropped points in one match all season – and they will be looking to reproduce their performance from the first game of the season which saw them defeat Sutherland Shire 3-1. Sutherland Shire have struggled for consistency, winning three, drawing zero and losing four. The latest of those losses came at the hands of Western NSW Mariners, a match which also ended 3-1. Their recent form – loss, win, loss, win – makes Sutherland Shire unpredictable, but they will be the underdogs going into the match against the comfortable league leaders on Sunday.
Inter Lions vs Sydney Olympic; at Concord Oval, Sunday 3pm
It was only just over two weeks ago that Inter Lions and Sydney Olympic faced off against each other, in a rescheduled Round One fixture. The match, which was initially called off due to rain, was replayed in a midweek fixture which saw Inter Lions win 2-1. That clash should still be fresh in the minds of players and coaches. Even fresher in the minds though will be both sides’ defeats on the weekend – with Inter Lions handing Northern Tigers their first points of the season, losing 2-1 and Sydney Olympic falling 3-0 to frontrunners Central Coast Mariners Academy.
Southern Branch FC vs Northern Tigers; at South Nowra Football Complex, Sunday 3pm
When these two sides met in Round 1, Southern Branch came away with a resounding 6-0 win. That loss from Northern Tigers proved to be difficult to overcome, as they struggled for goals and points in the opening stages of the season. But finally, with the two sides due to face each other again, Northern Tigers have picked up their first win of the season – defeating Inter Lions 2-1 last week. That win will do wonders for Tigers’ confidence, but despite that, they still remain at the bottom of the table, seven points behind this week’s opponents Southern Branch. Southern, who fell 2-0 to UNSW Lions in their latest match will have to regroup, especially after one of their players suffered a suspected broken ankle.
-By Kate Cohen
