NPL NSW Womens 2 Round 10 Preview

After nine rounds of the NPL NSW Womens 2 competition, patterns and breaks are beginning to emerge after weeks of congestion from second to ninth.
In Round 10, two out of form sides, in Southern Branch and Sutherland Shire, will face off against each other, whilst in another crucial match, UNSW Lions will be hoping to reduce Central Coast Mariners’ lead at the top of the table.  

Inter Lions vs Western NSW Mariners; at Concord Oval, Sunday 3pm
Inter Lions’ strong form in the last two games – winning both – has allowed them to open up a five point buffer over Western NSW Mariners, who they will face in Round 10. A 2-0 win over Sutherland Shire, which followed their 1-0 win over Sydney Olympic has allowed Inter Lions to move into second place on the ladder.
In contrast, Western NSW Mariners, who drew 1-1 with Inter Lions in their previous meeting, are on a two game losing streak. Having conceded six goals in those two games – three against UNSW Lions and three against Central Coast Mariners Academy – Western NSW Mariners will need to tighten up their defence if they wish to move back into the top four.

Northern Tigers vs Sydney Olympic; at Mills Park, Sunday 3pm
Northern Tigers came so close to registering a third consecutive win, which would have seen them equal with Sutherland Shire on points, but a last gasp goal for UNSW Lions meant Tigers had to settle on a 3-3 draw.
Nevertheless, it has been an astounding turnaround for the Ku-Ring-Gai side, who went six games without a point before registering seven in three games. Northern Tigers will have another opportunity to put pressure on Sutherland Shire, who sit just two points ahead of them, when they take on Sydney Olympic this week.
The previous meeting of these two sides saw Olympic prevail 1-0 and it was a match where the woodwork was tested by both sides. Sydney Olympic are suffering with a serious of injuries which has left their squad short of numbers, although a 1-0 win over Southern Branch last week came as a relief and allowed them to move into fourth place.

Central Coast Mariners Academy vs UNSW Lions; at Pluim Park, Sunday 3pm
UNSW Lions put in a second half recovery to escape with one point against Northern Tigers. Down 2-0 at half time and being thoroughly outplayed, a last gasp equaliser from Rebecca Browning (which came barely a minute after Northern Tigers spurned a chance in front of an open goal) was crucial in levelling the score at 3-3.
Whilst they sit in third place, UNSW Lions are 10 points behind league leaders Central Coast Mariners Academy, who they will face this week. Central Coast continue to produce good results each week and only with an unexpected slip up against Southern Branch have they not taken all three points.
A 3-1 win over Western NSW Mariners last week has taken Central Coast’s goal tally to 28 goal in just nine games, and they will be confident when facing UNSW Lions after they beat them 3-1 in their previous meeting. 

Southern Branch vs Sutherland Shire FA; at South Nowra Football Complex, Sunday 3pm
After six rounds, Southern Branch sat in second place, five points behind the runaway leaders Central Coast Mariners Academy, a side who they had unexpectedly thrashed 6-2 the week before.
Fast forward three weeks and Southern Branch now sit in sixth spot, 14 points off top spot. This considerable turnaround is a result of three consecutive losses, the latest being a 1-0 loss to Sydney Olympic.
Southern Branch will want to quickly change that downward spiral against Sutherland Shire, although it will be difficult to predict the outcome of this match. Sutherland defeated Southern Branch 3-2 the last time these two sides met but are in seventh spot and are also on a three game losing streak<xml>. </xml>
– Kate Cohen