NPL NSW Womens 2 Round 9 Review

In Round Nine of NPL NSW Womens 2, Central Coast Mariners extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points, whilst Northern Tigers shortened the gap at the bottom of the table. A crucial win for Sydney Olympic also saw them move into fourth place, Inter Lions two spots above them in second. In our Match of the Round for week nine Northern Tigers took on UNSW Lions at Mills Park.
Northern Tigers and UNSW played out an enthralling 3-3 draw in a match where Tigers twice took the lead but were pegged back as UNSW scored a 89th minute equaliser.
At the cold and wet Mills Park in Asquith, Northern Tigers got off a flying start, causing constant problems down the right. Speedy Emily Diaz, playing on the right wing, was able to burst into the box after just two minutes and evade a challenge before getting away a shot on goal.
UNSW Lions seemed unable to deal with her pace, which was a frequent attacking outlet for Tigers. With the defensive line troubled by Diaz’s pace, UNSW goalkeeper Danielle Bartels came off her line in the sixth minute to try to sweep a ball clear but mistimed her kick horribly which allowed Diaz to latch onto the ball and finish from an acute and into the far corner of the goal.
UNSW could not wake up from their slow start and could have been down 3-0 within ten minutes from the same play. Northern Tigers’ midfielders were enjoying the space afforded to them by UNSW and were able to get their heads up and feed in passes to, predominately, Diaz on the right wing.
After a short delay for an injury, with Caitlin Aquilina twisting her knee as she ran down the left wing, Northern Tigers continued to have the better of play. Their constant pressing didn’t allow UNSW players time on the ball and when they forced turnovers they broke with pace on the counter attack. It was a familiar attack in the 20th minute which saw Northern Tigers double their lead, with Diaz running onto a pass in behind and using her pace to run clear of the chasing defence. Her finish, low and hard across the goalkeeper nestled in the bottom corner to give Tigers a deserved 2-0 lead.
After a dominant first half display, Tigers nearly gave UNSW Lions a way back into the match just as half time approached. A quick throw in caught Tigers’ central defenders too far apart and Alexandra Smith ran onto the throw in and fired a shot straight at the goalkeeper from close range.
That late chance, a rare one for UNSW, gave them renewed confidence as they came out for the second half, creating a good opportunity almost immediately after the restart. A misjudgement from Ella Gibson allowed right winger Rachelle Godman to run in behind, but she shot too early and the ball trickled comfortably wide of the post.
In the 58th minute, UNSW Lions grabbed a goal back, reward for their quick start to the second half. After forcing a turnover in midfield, Shani Lauf played it to Paige Hayward who spread the play to Godman. After a run up the right wing Godman’s cross into the box was initially cleared but Hayward, running late into the box from midfield, laid the ball off to Smith who finished into the bottom corner.
UNSW continued their revival, and soon after they threatened again. Godman broke down the right win and cut the ball back to Smith, who scuffed her shot when free on the penalty spot. But Godman, who proved to be UNSW’s most prominent attacking weapon in the second half, levelled the score at 2-2 in the 26th minute with a spectacular finish from outside of the box.
Northern Tigers, shocked into action took the lead again in the 33rd minute, with Diaz completing her hat trick, albeit with a slice of luck. After winning a 50/50 challenge on the sideline, Diaz regained possession and her mishit cross fooled the goalkeeper. Diaz had an opportunity to make it 4-2 in the dying stages of the match, getting to a through ball before the advancing keeper. With an open goal, she skyed her shot from the edge of the box.
That miss proved to be crucial and just a minute later, in the 89th minute, UNSW equalised from a corner. After UNSW’s initial shot was cleared off the goal line, the ball fell to Browning who emphatically smashed the ball into the net from five metres out.
Both sides piled forward in stoppage time in search of a winner but the referee blew to signal the end of an enthralling, high scoring match.
Sutherland Shire FA vs Inter Lions, at Harrie Denning Centre
Goals from Christina Ferreyra and Erica Toscano helped Inter Lions defeat Sutherland Shire FA 2-0.
Sydney Olympic vs Southern Branch, at Peter Moore Park
Sydney Olympic moved back into the top four with a 1-0 over Southern Branch at Peter Moore Park.
Western NSW Mariners vs Central Coast Mariners Academy, at Proctor Park
Central Coast Mariners Academy travelled to Bathurst and secured all three points, winning 3-1.
Reserve Grade Results:
With the score level at 1-1, late goals from Liana Baker and Kate Jones helped Northern Tigers beat UNSW Lions 3-1. Elsewhere, Inter Lions defeated Sutherland Shire FA 2-1 to maintain a healthy lead at the top of the Reserves’ table, Western NSW Mariners beat Central Coast Mariners Academy 3-1 and Sydney Olympic and Southern Branch played out a 1-1 draw.

– Kate Cohen