Round 12 Review – NPL 2 NSW Women’s

We have a new leader in the National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Womens competition.

Nepean FC have wrestled control from St George FC after their win this weekend. Gladesville Ravens, SD Raiders FC, Northbridge Bulls FC and Marconi Stallions were also winners in another five furious fixtures across Sunday.

Gladesville Ravens 3 defeated UNSW FC 2

Gladesville Ravens soared high to a 3-2 success against a determined UNSW FC side on Sunday afternoon at Christie Park.

The Ravens flew out of the blocks with a daytime fixture at Christie Park. They had a 3-1 lead going into the half-time whistle after some stunning goals. Lara Brewis got the performance off to a cracking start with a stunner. Keiko Tanaka and Anja Seeto also found the back of the net in a blistering first half from the home side.

UNSW FC had perfect symmetry in their performance. The students scored with their last kick of both the first half and the second half in a brave effort. Eve Hess scored her third goal of the season while Cassandra Christopher’s goal was her first of the season.

Today was a vital win for the Ravens in their season. Following their close loss to Northbridge and the bye, it puts them in seventh spot and six points from the top five. UNSW FC are one spot behind in eighth and face an uphill task to make the top five.

Inter Lions 1 defeated by SD Raiders FC 5

That was much more like it, as SD Raiders FC swept aside Inter Lions 5-1 in a dominant display at Majors Bay Reserve on Sunday afternoon.

SD Raiders FC looked much more like the side that were high flying in the first half of the season as they completed the season sweep against Inter Lions. Young star Ella Abdul Massih continued her goal scoring form with a pair of goals to make it six for the season.

Alongside her, Kiara Coscia also got herself a brace in the success. The other scorer was Sarah Mandile who took her tally to nine goals for the season. SD Raiders FC coach Anthony McFadden was delighted his side “tried to find pockets to progress” and their second half was a much better representation of the side.

Inter Lions couldn’t capitalise on their chances in this defeat. Their only goal came from Katelyn Pickett who opened her account for the season. The Lions still remain at the bottom of the ladder but can take some positives from this game.

Central Coast Mariners 0 defeated by Northbridge Bulls FC 2

The Northbridge Bulls charged into the top two after a comfortable 2-nil win against Central Coast Mariners on Sunday afternoon at Pluim Park.

Today’s result makes three wins in a row for last year’s Champions. The Bulls have started to find their rhythm after a slow start to the season. It was a day for the name Hannah. Both Beard and Brewer found the back of the net this afternoon.

Northbridge Bulls have now moved into second spot on the National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Womens competition ladder and two points behind leaders Nepean FC. Coach Joe Haywood will be pleased in the progress from the side since his takeover in the Ravens game.

Central Coast Mariners were unable to replicate their success from last week but gave a good account of themselves against one of the top sides in the competition. Coach Dan Barrett was “proud of his side” for their performance and lamented conceding off two set pieces.

South East Phoenix FC 2 defeated by Nepean FC 3

The road trip almost turned into a nightmare as Nepean FC survived a scare against South East Phoenix FC 3-2 in a pulsating contest at South Nowra Football Complex.

For over an hour, South East Phoenix FC were on the verge of a huge win against one of the heavyweight sides in the National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Womens competition. Bronte Trew gave them a 2-nil half-time lead with her brace.

Nepean FC had to dig deep to get a result on the south coast. Ellen Berios was the first to find the back of the net quickly followed by Aisling Davidson and midfield maestro Annie Halls to complete the turnaround and make for a happier trip back to Sydney for Allan Tasses and his side.

Further good news for Nepean FC greeted them on their trip back with results helping them to move to the top of the ladder ahead of Northbridge Bulls and St George FC. South East Phoenix FC will be pleased they went blow for blow with the new leaders to kickstart the second half of their campaign.

St George FC 1 defeated by Marconi Stallions 4

Marconi Stallions galloped home in a 4-1 romp against St George FC in a top five clash down at St George Stadium on Sunday night.

This was the performance Marconi Stallions had threatened to display after they had some composure issues in recent weeks. The Stallions put together a complete performance from back to front to knock over St George FC.

Ceyda Cambaz strutted her stuff and led the way with a brace for the Stallions including the opener as the two sides went into the break at 1-1. Defender Samantha Huynh has been a solid performer all season and got on the scoresheet as a reward alongside Emma Voloder.

St George FC suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season and fell to third position after the disappointing result. They were right in the contest at half-time with Sunny Lucien equalising but a quiet second half was due to a superb defensive effort from Marconi.

Sutherland Shire FA had the bye

By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)