With another season of the W-League signed, sealed, and delivered, attention turns wholeheartedly to each state’s NPL Women’s competition. Join Beyond90 as we continue the trend and take a look back at this week’s match of the round.
Blacktown Spartans v Macarthur Rams
Honours remained even in Rooty Hill as Blacktown Spartans and Macarthur Rams played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at Blacktown Football Park on Sunday afternoon.
Veteran Rams defender Renee Rollason salvaged a point for the visitors after goals either side of half-time to Lily Bardsley and Annie Daczko cancelled out Patty Charalambous’ early opener.
Despite missing the finals last season, Macarthur were the faster side out of the blocks, and would have had the opener inside seven minutes if not for Rollason misguiding her header from Kylie Ledbrook’s deep free-kick.
The visitors did break the deadlock five minutes later through Charalambous, and while the former Perth Glory winger’s name is the one on the scoresheet, it was Laura Murtagh’s quick thinking and pinpoint square pass to find her colleague that made the goal possible.
Macarthur could – and should – have had a second goal 10 minutes from half time, if not for Blacktown keeper Brianna Clarke’s quick thinking, rushing out to the edge of her area to block the advancing Leena Khamis from chipping over her to score.
Clarke was again in the thick of things for Spartans’ equaliser, denying the elder Khamis once again before releasing a quick overarm clearance to midfielder Rosie Galea, who drove from her own half and found Lily Bardsley snaking between the central defenders, leaving the striker only the task of slotting under keeper Sham Khamis to even the ledger.
Blacktown found its second goal just after the hour mark, and how! Having robbed Jasmine Limon of possession in midfield, Dazcko unleashed a dipping shot from all of 30 metres to send the ball sailing over Khamis and put her side ahead.
Rams wouldn’t give up their grip on the match though, and after a run of attacking possessions and set plays they crafted a second goal through their skipper Rollason, climbing between four Spartans defenders to head home a perfectly-weighted Charalambous free-kick with 12 minutes to play.
And Rollason could have stolen all three points for Macarthur if not for the steelwork, rising amongst a pack of orange-and-black jerseys to flick another Charalambous free-kick goalwards, only to watch agonisingly as it skimmed over the crossbar to safety.
Blacktown Spartans 2 (Lily Bardsley 42′, Annie Daczko 62′)
Macarthur Rams 2 (Patty Charalambous 12′, Renee Rollason 78′)
Around the Grounds
Bankstown City 1 NWS Koalas 1
Emerging Jets 0 FNSW Institute 4
Illawarra Stingrays 3 Northern Tigers 2
Manly United 1 APIA Leichhardt 2
Sydney University v Sydney Olympic – postponed
