Round 9 Review – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Women’s
Round 9 of the PlayStation® 4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s saw Sutherland extend their lead at the top of the table as they racked up another victory, and a host of tough contests across the league.
Nepean look to have gotten away with one when they hosted Bankstown, Inter made life tough for the Tigers, and Sydney Olympic were too strong for the Mariners.
And in the match of the round Sutherland travelled down to Nowra and once again showed their championship qualities in a gutsy win.
Match of the Round
Southern Branch FC vs Sutherland Shire FA, 3pm Sunday May 29th at South Nowra Football Complex
The opening minutes were very scrappy thanks to an intense start from both midfields. Both sides looked for time on the ball but there was just none forthcoming. The first chance of the match was endemic of this, coming from an under hit backpass from Annelotte Birdsall, but luckily for Sutherland the resulting pressure on the attempted finish was enough to force the effort wide of the mark.
Sutherland were the first side to settle into any sort of rhythm and they created the first good chance of the match. Melody Nelson was played in behind the full back by a great ball out of central midfield. She arced her run, opening her body up and with her second touch looked to guide the ball into the far corner but she struck too well and it flew past the far post.
The home side would be the first to trouble the scoreboard though. Springing a quick counter attack Amanda Carney linked up with Amanda Stevenson through the middle, before Stevenson played a quick through ball for the onrushing Samara Weehmeyer. She timed her run perfectly and her pace took her well clear of the nearest defender, leaving her in the centre of the goal and with the easiest of finishes past Bianca Alchi in goals. The ball clipped the post on its way in and Southern Branch had stolen a 1-0 lead.
Southern Branch went up a gear at this point, not allowing Sutherland near the ball in midfield and pressing them high up the park. Southern marked tight to their opponents, initiating contact and giving Sutherland no room at all to breathe in midfield. The away side were forced to play backwards at nearly every opportunity, so while they had the ball the usual danger posed by Sutherland’s quick ball movement was nullified.
They would find a way back into the game just before half time though through Nelson. The tireless Genevieve Nisbet found space to overlap down the right hand side and she delivered a great cross to the back post. Nelson was alone with at least 5 yards either side of her waiting for the ball to drop onto her right boot, and her first time volley was saved well by Melanie Orchard, but she could only palm it straight back to Nelson, who made no mistake on the follow up.
1-1 at half time.
Nelson was a continual danger for Sutherland in attack, and she had a glorious chance to extend the lead in the opening seconds of the half. A horrible pass out of defence from Orchard went straight to her feet, but she hesitated with the chance and ended up weakly passing the ball towards the ‘keeper. Really should have been 2-1.
Sutherland started off the half slightly better than the hosts, but for the most part the opening 15 minutes were scrappy with a lot of loose balls in midfield. Neither side could really get the ball under control and create, mostly relying on the ball to fall their way.
Nelson was replaced after 65 minutes by Jessica Ellis, and she made an immediate impact. The same way she had ripped through Olympic several weeks ago – this time on the left – she took on her fullback at full pace, edging beyond and angling towards goal. She poked a low cross to the near post for Brittany Christie to attack, and in the ensuing scramble the Southern Branch defender essentially fell onto the ball, trapping it with her hand and preventing a chance on goal. A clear cut penalty and the linesman flagged instantly.
Ellis stepped up to the spot and calmly buried the ball into the bottom corner to give Sutherland the advantage going into the final 15 minutes.
Sutherland seemed to grow at this point, with a few extra substitutions giving them the legs to avoid a lot of the pressure being applied by Southern Branch. Toni Vukasin was finally able to find space on the ball in the centre of the park and began dictating the tempo of Sutherland’s play and giving Southern the run around.
Sutherland had a couple of chances to finish things off through Nisbet, who had been pushed into a winger’s role, but the best chance in the final moments fell to Melissa Swinfield. She was played in on goal after a great flick from Wehmeyer, but with the goalkeeper flying off her line she couldn’t quite get her shot on target for the equaliser.
The fulltime whistle would blow moments later with the away side triumphing 2-1 in a hard fought and very even contest.
Sydney Olympic FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC, 2.05pm Sunday May 29th at Peter Moore Park
Sydney Olympic have come out on top at Peter Moore with a relatively straightforward 3-1 victory over Central Coast. A double for Rebecca Browning and one for Guro Furu proved too much for the Mariners in the end. 3 points was the minimum expectation for Oympic in this one, and while a clean sheet would have been ideal it’s job done for the home side.
The Mariners again can’t seem to get it done over 90 minutes. In patches they’ve been competitive, but 8 losses on the bounce tells the main story. They’ve got to find another level to go to if they are any chance of avoiding the wooden spoon now, but it’s going to be difficult when you look at the quality spread across the rest of the league.
Inter Lions SC vs Northern Tigers FC, 3pm Sunday May 29th at Concord Oval
Inter and the Northern Tigers have played out a 1-1 draw at Concord Oval. Alicia Macqueen opened the scoring for the away side, and they would take that lead into the half time break. In the second half Sarah Mandile once again found the back of the net for Inter, allowing them to secure a point from the encounter.
Inter drop down to third place with that result. A little lower than they’ve been used to this season, but they’re still in a really good position as we reach the midway point of the year. After a couple of good wins in a row the Tigers have let the last two slip from reach, and will need to break that streak before it becomes a habit like earlier in the season. The Tigers have the ability, they just have to turn it into points.
Nepean FC vs Bankstown City FC, 3pm Sunday May 29th at Cook Park
Nepean have eked out a 1-0 win against Bankstown in St Marys. Both sides created chances in the first half without converting before Nepean took the lead through an own goal before half time. The second half was just as tight, with both sides coming close. Nepean know how to hold a lead though and it showed as they kept Bankstown at bay, but the home side have Danielle Bartels to thank for holding onto the win after she denied Vida Opoku-Agyemang in the final minutes.
Hardly anything between the two sides as Nepean once again find a way to get a result where they perhaps should have let it slip. Bankstown will feel unlucky to leave empty handed, but Nepean are always a tough side to beat, and they’ll be better for the contest.
Reserve Grade:
Sutherland defeated Southern Branch 1-0, Bankstown fought back to claim a 2-2 draw with Nepean, Northern Tigers defeated the Inter Lions 4-2, and Sydney Olympic had the bye.
-By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s Reporter
