With the autumnal hues of May finally saturating Sydney and surrounds, the NSW NPL Women’s competition is hurtling along at a rate of knots. Join Beyond90 as we look back on another enthralling contest from the Premier State’s premiership.
Northern Tigers vs Emerging Jets
A brilliant long-distance free kick from New Zealand youth international Te Reremoana Walker wasn’t enough to earn a point for the Emerging Jets as the Novocastrian side went down 4-1 to Northern Tigers at North Turramurra on Sunday afternoon.
A brace from Lauren Allan, scoring against her W-League employers, and goals from Shadeene Evans and Winonah Heatley were enough to secure the points for the home side under grey skies on Sydney’s north shore.
Tigers started brightly, with both Daisy Arrowsmith and Hannah McNulty going close to opening the scoring in the first 20 minutes following good service from the right flank through Evans and right-back Josie Wilson.
Allan would eventually break the early deadlock though, running onto a pinpoint vertical pass from Isobel Gomez to slide in and beat Jets keeper Tiahna Robertson to the ball, redirecting it inside the far post to open the scoring after 23 minutes.
That lead would last for barely a quarter-hour, as Walker took advantage of an attacking free-kick – awarded after Wilson rugby-tackled Chloe Wandalouw to win possession – to whip her shot over the head of the sprawling Brianna Edwards to draw the sides level.
Despite Walker’s long-range effort, Tigers re-took the lead only four minutes later, with Evans winning a header in a tightly-packed penalty area, leaping like a salmon above the sardines to nod past a bemused Robertson.
With half-time having been and gone, Tigers looked to strengthen their grip on all three points, and looked to have sealed the win via another perfect Gomez through-ball, this time for the overly-generous Arrowsmith to race through and square a pass to Allan for her second.
And ten minutes from full-time Tigers made sure of the result, through perhaps an unlikely source, as Winonah Heatley rose highest to meet a back-post corner, and although Robertson did her darnedest to keep the ball out, she could only watch as the ball crossed the line for the Tigers’ fourth.
Northern Tigers 4 (Lauren Allan 24′ 51′ Shadeene Evans 41′ Winonah Heatley 80′)
Emerging Jets 1 (Te Reremoana Walker 38′)
Around the Grounds
Football NSW Institute 1 Sydney University 2
Macarthur Rams 2 Manly United 1
Sydney Olympic 1 Illawarra Stingrays 1
NW Sydney Koalas 2 Blacktown Spartans 2
APIA Leichhardt 3 Bankstown City 0
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macarthur Rams Womens | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| 2 | Illawarra Stingrays | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 11 |
| 3 | APIA Leichhardt | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 4 | Northern Tigers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | Football NSW Institute | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 6 | Manly United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| 7 | NW Sydney Koalas | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 6 |
| 8 | Sydney Olympic | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 9 | Blacktown Spartans | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 5 |
| 10 | Sydney University | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 |
| 11 | Bankstown City | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 13 | -11 | 1 |
| 12 | Emerging Jets | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 16 | -14 | 0 |
