PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 Round 2 Preview

The PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 competition kicked off over the weekend with some interesting results headlining Round 1.

No draws were recorded on the first day of the season with five teams sitting in equal first place with three points.

Match of the round:

North West Sydney Koala’s v Football NSW Institute @ELS Hall Park

What a game we have in prospect on Sunday afternoon at ELS Hall Park with the North West Sydney Koala’s welcoming Champions Football NSW Institute.

The Koala’s recovered from their disappointing Preseason Cup defeat against the Stingrays to come away with a strong 3-1 victory down the coast in round 1. Helen Petinos already showed her new employers what a star she will be for her club, scoring a brace. Petinos, along with Hannah Beard, Heidi Makrillos and Amy Dahdah could prove to be the difference with this strong attack.

The Institute gave new coach Sally Wolifson the perfect start at the helm as they defeated the Central Coast 7-1. Scoring machine Princess Ibini-Isei picked up a hat-trick and will spear head the quality young side.

With 10 goals scored between the two in first game of the season, it seems that we may be in for quite the goal feast.

Emerging Jets v Macarthur Rams @Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility

The Emerging Jets will play their first home game of the season at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility against the Macarthur Rams on Sunday.

The Jets showed they won’t be pushovers this season, going down by the odd goal against Manly United. The young team showed promise and will face a mountain of a task this week against last season’s Premier Macarthur.

It was the perfect return for Kylie Ledbrook in Rams colours as she managed to score a brace in their 3-0 victory. With ‘the brains’ Renee Rollason playing in behind the strikers and Hayley Crawford sitting in centre defence, the Rams look to be a force in 2015.

Blacktown Spartans v Sydney University @Blacktown Football Park

At Blacktown Football Park it’s a battle between two teams that lost their first round games as the Blacktown Spartans take on Sydney University.

The Spartans showed much promise throughout the Preseason Cup and looked as they could be a force in this season’s competition. They fell short in round one but nevertheless, there are still 17 rounds remaining.

Uni will be expected to be pushing for the top of the table, their first round loss came as a shock to many but Heather Garriock will make sure her team lifts their heads immediately. Missing the likes of Elizabeth Grey and Amy Harrison had its effect on the girls in yellow.

Central Coast v Manly United @Pluim Park

Att Pluim Park, newly promoted Central Coast host their first match of 2015 at home against Manly United.

It was a disappointing return for Central Coast to the top flight as they went down 7-1 to the Institute. They’ll look for an immediate response this weekend but it won’t be an easy task against Manly who are known to play an attractive brand of football.

Manly started the season under new coach Gwynne Berry in perfect fashion, recording a win over a plucky Emerging Jets side. Victory away to the Coast will be the perfect start to the season for the Northern Beaches based side.

North Shore Mariners v Illawarra Stingrays

At Northbridge Oval, the North Shore Mariners will host Preseason Cup Champions, Illawarra Stingrays.

The North Shore Mariners secured an unexpected victory over Sydney University on Sunday. Although it was a surprise for some, coach Larry Bates said he was happy sneaking under the radar. His team will face another massive test this week and victory here would really show their intent.

The Stingrays couldn’t convert their Preseason Cup form into the first round of the season as they went down to the Koala’s 3-1 at home. Michele Carney scored the ‘Ray’s’ only goal and she’ll be someone the away side look to to make a difference.

– by Nikola Pozder, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s 1 Reporter