PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 2 Round 20 Review

The race for the last two finals places is still alive even after the conclusion of Round 20. Two catch up fixtures from earlier in the season also shaped the table this week, as Nepean and Inter hosted Marconi and Southern Branch respectively at Valentine Sports Park.
The Round 20 fixtures saw Sydney Olympic held at home by the Northern Tigers, Sutherland pick up a regulation victory over the UNSW Lions, and at Marconi stadium Inter managed to take a point from the high flying Stallions. In the match of the round Nepean and Southern Branch battled away to a gripping 1-1 draw in Sydney’s West.

Midweek Fixtures:
Nepean FC v Marconi Stallions FC, 8pm Friday 7^th August at Valentine Sports Park No. 2
Marconi proved far too strong for Nepean in their round 16 catch up fixture. The 4-0 win takes Marconi passed the 50 point mark, an outstanding achievement over a 21 round season. The upset was always a long shot here for the young Nepean side, which still have a big few weeks with other fixtures to make up.

Inter Lions v Southern Branch, 3.30pm Saturday 8^th August at Valentine Sports Park No. 2
Southern Branch’s unbelievable run was finally brought to an end at the hands of the Inter Lions, who ran out 2-1 winners, with Maria Kalogeropoulos striking the winning goal for the Lions. This fixture was postponed from round 17 after the injury to Southern branch midfielder Kalinda Wills.

Round 20:
Nepean FC v Southern Branch FC, 3pm Sunday 9^th August at Cook Park
Nepean fought back from 1-0 down to secure a late point in a tough and willing 1-1 draw with Southern Branch.
Southern Branch took the lead almost immediately thanks to a set piece. A free kick from the left was swung into the box, and was headed back across goal into the path of Wrylka Colburn, who beat Nepean goalkeeper Bridget Brien to the ball and gave herself an easy tap in at the far post.
Following the opening goal, half chances were the order of the day as both teams struggled to create clear cut goal scoring opportunities.
Both sides also traded crunching tackles in midfield. The game followed that pattern for much of the first half, as both sides looked to assert some kind of dominance over the contest.
On 20 minutes a huge scramble in the Nepean box was somehow cleared before Southern Branch could take a 2-0 lead. Several Nepean players put their bodies on the line in an effort to clear the danger, and the ball was eventually hoofed away from trouble.
It was clear Nepean missed usual skipper Desiree Vassallo, as their back 4 never looked as settled as it has throughout the season.
A yellow card was issued to Sarah Hickling in the 35^th minute after she lunged in on Nepean defender Hollie Wilson. The tackle typified the frenetic pace of the match, which resulted in a few mistakes as players tried to rush their passes and played with little composure.
The second half started very open, but quickly died down as both teams looked to be struggling after the pace of the first stanza.
Nepean in particular looked tired during this period. This was their second game in 48 hours after their match on Friday night against Marconi. Playing on the artificial surface of Valentine Park, and playing the league’s two best sides in a matter of days certainly looked to have taken its toll on the red and whites.
Nepean had a golden chance through Natalie Lawrie to even the scores in the 65^th minute. A corner was whipped in towards the near post and Lawrie attacked it hard, but her powerful header couldn’t be directed on target. On this occasion at least, Southern Branch were lucky.
Amazingly, both teams lifted a gear in the final 20 minutes as the game became even more frenzied than it had been in the first half. Nepean especially found another level as they began flying into tackles and scrapping hard for every loose ball.
A few more fouls also crept into the game because of this, as both sides gave everything they had in the tank to get the desired result.
Nepean were finally able to rescue a point in the 85^th minute. Another set piece and this time Natalie Lawrie was able to bury the header. The exact same play as earlier, just from the opposite side, and once again no one tracked the run of Lawrie. She made no mistake this time and drilled her header passed the despairing Amanda Carney in the Southern Branch goal.
Both sides kept pushing after the equaliser, with Southern Branch making the most of the play. But it was too little too late as the score finished 1-1.
After trailing for so long, Nepean will be happy with the point from the match, but they still need some results from their final two games to secure a finals place. The draw sees Southern Branch wrap up second spot, and set up a showdown with Marconi in the first week of the finals.

Sydney Olympic FC v Northern Tigers FC, 3pm Sunday 9^th August at Peter Moore Park
Sydney Olympic were held to a 3-3 draw at home by the Northern Tigers. Tigers took a shock 3-1 lead into half time thanks to goals from Ella Gibson, Jessie Wharepouri and Emma Watkins, but Olympic came back to salvage a point courtesy of Sigrid Manty, and Ayse Adalis who claimed a brace.
The draw ends any hopes the Tigers had of finals football, so they’ll be playing for pride in their final match of the season. Olympic now need something out of their upcoming catch up game with Nepean if they are to take the advantage into their ‘winner takes all’ final game of the season against Inter.

Sutherland Shire FA v UNSW Lions, 3pm Sunday 9^th August at Seymour Shaw
Sutherland defeated UNSW 2-0 in a regulation win at Seymour Shaw. Sutherland were not quite as dominant as their previous encounter at the venue with the Lions, but goals to Rochelle Borromeo and Brittany Spink were enough to see them past the visitors.
The season can’t end quickly enough for UNSW, who will look to rebuild all across the park for next season. It would take something terrible to push Sutherland out of the finals now, but they still need a performance next weekend to guarantee themselves a chance of silverware.

Marconi Stallions FC v Inter Lions SC, 3pm Sunday 9^th August at Marconi Stadium
The shock of the weekend came at Marconi, as Inter held the Stallions to a 0-0 draw. Inter become only the third side to take points off of Marconi all season, and the draw lifts them a point ahead of Sydney Olympic and into fourth spot.
The result caps off a huge weekend for the Lions after they took 3 points from Southern Branch on Saturday. Not a bad weekend at all for the concord based side, and they now have the chance to seal a finals berth if they can defeat Olympic next weekend at home. Marconi will be annoyed at dropping points, but after their comprehensive win on Friday night there shouldn’t be too many amongst the Stallions camp despondent at their weekend’s efforts.

Reserve Grade:
A lone second half goal was enough for Southern Branch to overcome a spirited Nepean side at Cook Park. Marconi comfortable dealt with Inter Lions 3-0, while the Northern Tigers ran out 2-0 winners over Sydney Olympic. In the final match of the round, UNSW Lions defeated Sutherland 1-0.
By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s 2 Reporter