Round 3 Preview – Football NSW League One Women’s
Round 3 of the Football NSW League One Womens takes centre stage with Sydney copping a deluge of wild weather hoping not to derail the match ups for Sunday.
We have eight exciting and intriguing contests to play out including our Match of the Round between UNSW FC and Gladesville Ravens.
Match of the Round: UNSW FC vs Gladesville Ravens, Sunday 6 March, 3pm, Seymour Shaw
This week’s Match of the Round takes us to Seymour Shaw where UNSW FC host Gladesville Ravens in an intriguing match-up taking place Sunday afternoon.
The Ravens had their wings clipped in a close 1-0 loss to Hills United FC despite hitting everything but the back of the net. UNSW FC were forced into a rest weekend with the deluge of rain which hit the east coast of Australia in the last few weeks.
Gladesville Ravens built a solid squad for the 2022 season, and it has shown in their two games thus far with the side creating a lot of chances and goals. Down the other end, they have Chilean goalkeeper Romina Parraguirre to help them keep out the goals. Their defence will be tested against a spirited UNSW FC side.
Fresh from a week off, UNSW FC will be ready to cram in another fixture to their calendar. The students gave themselves a good start with their win against Flame in Round 1. Hannah Charak got a brace in the result and will be one to watch in this Match of the Round.
Camden Tigers FC vs St George FC, Sunday 6 March, 3pm, Lynwood Park
Sunday shapes up as an early litmus test as Camden Tigers FC take on St George FC in a mouthwatering clash at Lynwood Park.
Camden Tigers produced the result of the weekend with their late, late show to claw back a 3-3 draw against fellow newcomers South Coast Flame FC. St George FC huffed and puffed but were unable to blow the house down against Marconi Stallions in a scoreless 0-0 draw.
The Saints weren’t their usual selves in front of net in last week’s Match of the Round and coach Mark Cupitt will have them doing shooting practice all week. That might spell bad news for Camden if Jordan Baker is marching on goal this weekend. Give Baker a sniff and she will certainly deliver.
Coming into the weekend, Camden Tigers will be riding the momentum which got them a point and made it four points in their first fortnight. The Tigers have shown some impressive all-round scoring already this season through Mel Parlato, Ashlee Taff and Kristy Rohrer which will keep St George FC on their toes.
Sutherland Shire FA vs Blacktown City FC, Sunday 6 March, 3pm, Harrie Denning Centre -LATEST NEWS: WASHED OUT moved to be played on the 9th of March at 7:50pm @ Harrie Dennin Centre
Sutherland Shire FA will hope to get themselves off the mark against a youthful Blacktown City FC side at Harrie Denning Centre.
Another side that was victim of the rain was Sutherland Shire FA with their clash against UNSW FC washed out on the weekend. Blacktown City FC took derby honours against local rivals Mt Druitt Town Rangers 3-0 to record their maiden win.
Blacktown City FC have quickly found their mojo in the League One Womens competition. They have been spirited in both games and it paid off by scoring three first-half goals. Kaylie Shannon was one of the goal scorers for Blacktown City FC as they look to make it back-to-back wins.
The hosts will be ready to get back into action after their weekend off. Sutherland Shire FA have their third home game in the first month of the season and aim to get their home form back on track. It will be a tough contest between two young and spirited teams.
Nepean FC vs South Coast Flame FC, Sunday 6 March, 3pm, Jamison Park
Nepean FC get back to action taking on South Coast Flame FC who make the trip to Jamison Park on Sunday afternoon for this contest.
For most of the contest, it looked like South Coast Flame FC were cruising at 3-0 before three late goals from Camden Tigers forced them to share the points. Nepean FC had the weekend off after their clash was washed out.
Nepean FC have stewed on their opening weekend defeat for two weeks now, so they will be primed and raring to get back into action. Coach Albert Di Sciascio will have the side ready to hopefully take their first points and get their season up and running.
Both games thus far have been exciting for South Coast Flame FC. Five goals in the first and six in the second game means expect goals from this fixture. Jessica Cruickshank fired home a brace last week and be ready to add to her tally against Nepean FC.
Marconi Stallions vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers, Sunday 6 March, 3pm, Marconi Stadium WASHED OUT
Two sides looking to find their momentum in Marconi Stallions and Mt Druitt Town Rangers clash at Marconi Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Stallions got themselves a well-earned point in their 0-0 draw in the Match of the Round against St George FC to keep their momentum going. Mt Druitt Town Rangers were blown away in the first half by Blacktown City FC, 3-0 in their contest.
Marconi Stallions are building well into this new season. A good first up win followed by a solid point against one of the contenders in League One Womens. They have the firepower up-front but their backline deserves some plaudits including Samantha Huynh which are hard to break down and might prove the difference against the Rangers.
For the Rangers, they have had a tough initiation to the League One Womens competition, but they have shown in patches signs of positive play. If the Rangers can put together a full performance against a tough Marconi side, they might pull off the upset.
South East Phoenix FC vs Inter Lions, Sunday 6 March, 3:15pm, South Nowra Football Complex WASHED OUT
Hosting their first home game of the season, South East Phoenix FC welcome Inter Lions to South Nowra Football Complex on Sunday afternoon.
These two sides will hope to register their first points of the season after both suffering losses last weekend. South East Phoenix FC were defeated 6-2 by Northbridge Bulls FC while Inter Lions lost late to SD Raiders FC 2-1.
It has been a long time between winning songs for Inter Lions. Sunday afternoon might represent their best chance to snap that streak on the South Coast. Coach Michael Cunningham has remained positive about the side and getting something this weekend go a long way to helping that.
South East Phoenix FC might have no points but have shown plenty of promise in both their losses thus far in the League One Womens season. They have found two consistent goal scorers in Maddie Carter and Amanda Carney who netted in both games thus far and Inter Lions need to be weary of in an interesting contest.
Northbridge Bulls FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC, Sunday 6 March, 3:30pm, Valentine Sports Park Field #2
Northbridge Bulls FC aim to continue their run when they take on the Central Coast Mariners at Valentine Sports Park Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls were on parade in their 6-2 success against South East Phoenix FC last weekend at Valentine Sports Park. For Central Coast, they were another victim of the huge rainfalls across the state last weekend with their game vs Nepean FC called off.
Central Coast Mariners laid an early marker with their performance against the Rangers including some impressive performances from Candice Phelan and Rachel Glendenning. Now, they hope to back it up against heavyweights Northbridge Bulls FC.
After their misfire in the first week, the Bulls resembled their usual selves and hit their opponents for six. Tamires Souza has been the highlight in her two appearances but livewire Rita Boateng, who caused defenses issues last season got herself off the mark and will be hungry for more goals this weekend.
Hills United FC vs SD Raiders FC, Sunday 6 March, 3:45pm, Bella Vista Public School
Two of the early pacesetters cap off Round 3 when Hills United FC take on SD Raiders FC at Bella Vista Public School on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides kept the good times rolling with a win last weekend. Hills United FC dug deep and won a tense game against Gladesville Ravens 1-0. SD Raiders FC were also in a tense clash and triumphed 2-1 against Inter Lions.
Hills United FC coach Alan Tasses will hope to have some troops back this week after missing some of the regular starters in the win against Ravens. Hills United FC did bolster their squad with Alix Roberts who will add some extra firepower alongside Stefanie Trovato and Annie Halls throughout the season.
For SD Raiders FC, it has been a stellar start for them. Two tight wins is a good platform for them to launch from to make the finals this season. Having a talented custodian in Natasha Pentecost alongside Sarah Mandile and Trudy Camelleri make them a tough prospect to crack.
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
