2022 NSW NPL Women’s Wrap – Round 7

Football NSW Institute 1 Northern Tigers 2

Northern Tigers climbed to second spot on the NPL Women’s NSW ladder on Sunday, continuing their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win over Football NSW Institute at Valentine Sports Park.

Substitute winger Annalise Brewster secured all three points for Jake Stephenson’s team 10 minutes from time after Claudia Bunge’s thundering header cancelled out a brilliant team goal finished by Isabella Chidiac.

Institute started much the brighter on a grey and dreary day in Blacktown, going close to opening the scoring after just 75 seconds through Shay Hollman, stretching at the back post to reach Chidiac’s curling free kick but coming up short.

Football NSW would make that early pressure toll after seven minutes as Erin Gordon picked Hannah McNulty’s pocket in midfield and found Anabelle Ghabach peeling away on the right flank, her cutback cross picking out Chidiac with acres of space to volley a top-class finish into the far post.

Tigers pulled a goal back six minutes later through Bunge, whose free header turned Abbey Green’s pinpoint cross goalward, and while the Football Ferns defender would be pleased with her finish, Institute would be less so with their set-piece defending, allowing an Olympian and A-League Women’s champion a free header in the six-yard box and being made to pay cash.

Chidiac almost had her second for the afternoon – and a contender for NPL NSW Women’s goal of the season – at the 18 minute mark, sending a direct free kick looping under the Tigers crossbar, only for goalkeeper Morgan Aquino to backpedal at speed and tip it over the bar.

With the sides even at the break, McNulty almost atoned for her first-half sins with a delightful close-range half volley just before the hour mark, but it wasn’t to be as Institute keeper Tahlia Franco saved smartly low to her left to deny Tigers the lead.

It wouldn’t be until 12 minutes from time that the visitors would find the winner, and it was again a moment to forget from the Institute defence; with FNSW defender Megan Mifsud and Tigers winger Ashlee Brodigan pretzeled in a tackle on the right wing, Josie Wilson took matters into her own hands, pinching possession before measuring a perfect cross between the two centre-backs, leaving silent assassin Brewster to ghost between her markers to slot home for her first-ever senior NPL Women’s goal.

Institute would go close to earning a point with five minutes to play through substitute striker Sienna Saveska but it wasn’t to be, her header spooning wide of Aquino’s goal and Tigers holding on for their fourth win in six matches.

Football NSW Institute 1 (Chidiac 7’)
Northern Tigers 2 (Bunge 13’ Brewster 78’)

Football NSW Institute: Tahlia Franco; Megan Mifsud, Erin Gordon (Jynaya Dos Santos 60’), Alexia Apostolakis, Ella Abdul Massih (Libby Morris 79’); Maya Fernandez, Isabella Chidiac (Gemma Ferris 60’), Shay Hollman (Mary Stanić-Floody 46’); Amy Chessari, Daniella Naeimi (Sienna Saveska 60’), Annabelle Ghabach.
Unused subs: Aimee Hall
Yellow Cards: None

Northern Tigers: Morgan Aquino; Ariella Cabezas, Ella Tonkin, Claudia Bunge, Josie Wilson; Isabel Gomez, Beth Bernardi (Malia Steinmetz 54’), Hannah McNulty; Abbey Green (Annalise Brewster 72’), Shadeene Evans (Tess Rickard 86’), Ashlee Brodigan.
Unused subs: Teal Kilbride, Sabine Montenegro, Danielle Bartels
Yellow Cards: Shadeene Evans 15’

Around the Grounds
Bankstown City 1 NWS Spirit 2 at Jensen Park
Blacktown Spartans 5 Emerging Jets 1 at Blacktown Football Park
Manly United 2 APIA Leichhardt 2 at Cromer Park
Macarthur Rams 1 Illawarra Stingrays 1 at Lynwood Park
(Tuesday catchup game) Northern Tigers 0 Blacktown Spartans 0 at North Turramurra Recreation Area