2022 NSW NPL Women’s Wrap – Round 17

As teams scramble to secure a place in the four team finals series, the stage is set for a dramatic end to the NSW NPL season.

Our featured game took us to Belmore – Sydney Olympic hosted Macarthur Rams in a game which saw one of Australia’s best central midfielders return to playing for the first time since May 2021.

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Sydney Olympic v Macarthur Rams

On Sunday evening at Belmore Sportsground, Olympic recorded their third consecutive win by defeating Macarthur 3-1. Early strikes from Sarah Yatim and Mackenzie Hawkesby, plus a spectacular goal from Georgia Koutzoumis, meant that a Patty Charalambous goal near the end of the first half would end up being mere consolation for the Rams.

Hawkesby was playing her first game for Olympic since returning from the AFF Championships and didn’t take long to make an impact. Less than five minutes had been played when the number 10 stole possession and charged towards goal – her shot was parried, but Yatim followed up and fired the ball home to put Olympic in front.

As Sydney FC fans would know, Hawkesby likes to pull the strings from midfield and her through balls put Macarthur under pressure, with Claudia Cholakian blazing over after receiving a Hawkesby pass in the 11th minute.

Those two linked up for the move that led to Olympic’s second goal, just past the 20 minute mark. Hawkesby exchanged passes with Cholakian and went on a barnstorming run from inside her own half, before being brought down on the edge of the area. The resulting set piece was pinpoint, as Hawkesby curled the ball over the wall and past Sham Khamis’s despairing dive to make it 2-0.

Macarthur had to respond and they did so a minute later. Melissa Caceres used her quick feet to set up Laura Murtagh for a shot that flew wide – Yatim deserves a lot of credit for tracking all the way back from her right wing position to put Murtagh off.

As the first half progressed, the Rams gained more territory and possession, but Olympic were organised without the ball and Claudia Cholakian got through a lot of running, disrupting Macarthur’s attempts to play out from the back.

The Rams persevered and with halftime approaching Caceres somehow threaded the ball through a crowd and found Murtagh in a good crossing position, only for Jada Whyman to catch the ball in front of Charalambous. Then in the 45th minute, the Caceres-Murtagh combination set up a goal. Murtagh raced onto a Caceres pass and when Whyman couldn’t hold the shot, Charalambous was on hand for a simple tap in.

2-1 was the score as the teams headed to the dressing sheds, however Olympic would find a third goal just 22 seconds after the restart. When Cholakian’s cross was cleared to the edge of the area, Koutzoumis sent a first-time strike high into the net, leaving Sham Khamis with no chance.

As they fought to get back into the contest, Macarthur won a few attacking set pieces. On 58 minutes, Charalambous picked out Murtagh for a header which Whyman saved comfortably, but apart from that Olympic looked solid defensively.

This was followed by a period with a lot of substitutions and there was a heart-warming moment in the 70th minute. Olympic midfielder Teresa Polias saw the field in a competitive game for the first time since her maternity leave, a moment made even more special by the presence of Macarthur, her former club.

However, it was a couple of Macarthur substitutes who nearly halved the deficit a minute later, as Kylie Ledbrook sent a teasing ball across the face of goal, just out of Miku Sunaga’s reach.

Olympic made another notable substitution with a quarter of an hour left. Cortnee Vine’s late cameo for the hosts presented a new challenge for the Rams defence, as well as an obvious focal point for Olympic’s passing. Vine used her trademark speed to create a chance in the dying minutes, breezing past two defenders and finding Cholakian with a cross from the left wing, but the header was off target.

This result was vital for an Olympic side who face a congested schedule in August – the scheduling of catchup games means they will play seven games in 21 days, starting with their trip to league leaders Sydney University on Sunday. Meanwhile, Macarthur return home on Sunday to face Illawarra Stingrays.

In the other games, Manly won on their home synthetic turf and the points were shared at JJ Kelly Park, while there were big away victories for Sydney Uni and Northern Tigers.

Sydney Olympic 3 (Yatim 5’, Hawkesby 21’, Koutzoumis 46’)
Macarthur Rams 1 (Charalambous 45’)

Sydney Olympic: Jada Whyman, Megan Grew, Angelique Hristodoulou, Charlotte Mclean, Ebony McCue-Shore (Kiara De Domizio 64’), Georgia Manos (Cortnee Vine 75’), Georgia Koutzoumis (Teresa Polias 70’), Mackenzie Hawkesby, Sarah Yatim, Claudia Cholakian, Gisella Pipino (Bella Voisey-Youldon 70’)

Unused substitutes: Kate Woosnam
Yellow card: Sarah Yatim 55’

Macarthur Rams: Sham Khamis, Isabella Foletta (Chloe Gordon 70’), Holly Williams (Madison McComasky 55’), Alex Huynh (Danielle Bishop 63’), Lauren Keir, Bethany Gordon, Darcey Malone (Kylie Ledbrook 70’), Melissa Caceres (Miku Sunaga 70’), Laura Murtagh, Leena Khamis, Patty Charalambous

Unused substitutes: Brianna Clarke
Yellow card: Lauren Keir 10’, Alex Huynh 20’, Bethany Gordon 66’

Around the Grounds
(Thursday) APIA Leichhardt 2-2 Northern Tigers
Bankstown City 0-3 Sydney University
Blacktown Spartans 0-4 Northern Tigers
Illawarra Stingrays 1-1 NWS Spirit
Manly United 3-1 Emerging Jets
The game between Football NSW Institute and APIA Leichhardt was postponed as 16 Institute players were called up to the AFF U18 Championships.

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