APIA Leichhardt v Macarthur Rams
Macarthur Rams have crushed APIA Leichhardt’s dreams of a first-ever top-flight women’s final with a 2-1 extra-time win at Lambert Park in Leichhardt on Saturday night.
Shae Connors’ goal 15 minutes from full time cancelled out Laura Murtagh’s opener just before the hour mark, before Bethany Gordon’s wondergoal with 10 minutes of extra time remaining sent the Rams through to their first grand final since their championship victory in 2018.
Having done battle last week at the same venue – albeit with several players missing from each side due to potential yellow card suspensions – these two teams were well aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Still missing the experience of midfielder Kylie Ledbrook off the bench, Rams welcomed back Alex Huynh in central defence, shoring up a backline that had conceded two uncharacteristic goals against the same opponent six days prior.
APIA itself welcomed back Matildas winger Princess Ibini, bolstering an already impressive frontline that terrorised Macarthur’s defence the previous week.
As is often the case in knock-out football, both sides were unwilling to compromise and show their wares early, preferring to opt for safe passage than rapid progress.
APIA was the first to chance its arm in front of goal with more than half of the first stanza gone, though left-winger Nicki Flannery snatched at her opportunity outside the box and could only watch as it rose and rose into the famous Lambert Park eucalypts behind the Macarthur goal.
The visitors would have their first real opportunity in attack with four minutes until the break as Patty Charalambous danced inside a phone box on the left flank before finding Laura Murtagh’s leading run at the front post, only for the speedster to miscue her flick and allow APIA stopper Sarah Langman to collect.
Ibini should have opened the scoring for APIA almost immediately after halftime, finding herself on the end of a brilliant byline cutback from Shae Connors, but the Sydney A-League Women’s star was immediately pressured by Charalambous as she waited on her moment and shanked her effort wide of the Rams’ goal.
APIA would be made to pay for their profligacy on the hour mark, though there was little they could do about it; pressing high up the pitch, Macarthur won possession in the APIA defensive corner and with Charalambous finding striker Leena Khamis with her back to goal, the former Matildas stalwart spun on a dime to thread an inch-perfect pass between three APIA defenders to play Murtagh in on goal, side-footing her beyond Langman and into the bottom corner.
Scores were level 14 minutes later through “Jenny-on-the-spot” Connors, finding herself on the end of a floated Deborah-Anne de la Harpe free kick and evading a diving Charalambous at the back post to volley into the far bottom corner.
Moments later Rams came close to again taking the lead as midfielder Gordon sent a tracer bullet of a shot towards to top corner from all of 25 yards, skimming the top of Langman’s crossbar as the APIA goalkeeper stood rooted to the spot in horror.
And with two minutes of the regulation 90 remaining the visitors could have sealed the victory through Melissa Cáceres, whose bamboozling run and one-two pass with Khamis found her inside the APIA penalty area, but Langman again saved her side’s blushes with a world-class save, diving bravely at the winger’s feet to parry.
Tallying 17 shots to APIA’s four by the end of regular time, it seemed a case of not if but when for Macarthur, and their domination continued throughout extra time, forcing their opponents to scramble from a nervy corner right before the change of ends.
APIA again found themselves somehow unable to take the lead again on 108 minutes, with Flannery this time dribbling a first-time effort through a forest of legs before it bounced excruciatingly wide of the far post.
And barely 120 seconds later Gordon made APIA pay cash, sending her defender one way and then the other to find space for a shot before elegantly lobbing Langman from distance to send her side victorious through to its date with destiny.
APIA Leichhardt 1 (Connors 75′)
Macarthur Rams 2 (Murtagh 61′, B Gordon 110′)
APIA Leichhardt: Langman; Torpey, Cicco, Ralston (di Sipio 110′), de la Harpe; Hunter, Hoban, Pollicina; Flannery, Connors, Ibini (Fragale 64′).
Unused subs: Magus, Kiparizov, Tims, Mirković.
Yellow cards: Cicco 76′
Macarthur Rams: S Khamis; Charalambous, Huynh, McComasky, Foletta (Williams 90′); Malone, Sunaga (Duggan 73′), B Gordon; Cáceres (C Gordon 115′), L Khamis (Limon 73′), Murtagh.
Unused subs: Bishop, Clarke.
Yellow cards: Huynh 84, Murtagh 116.
Sydney University v Northern Tigers
Fourth-placed Northern Tigers have achieved one of the greatest upsets in NSW NPL Women’s history. The Tigers knocked off four-time-consecutive Premiers Sydney University 3-0 in the sides’ semi-final at Valentine Sports Park in Glenwood on Sunday evening to qualify for this season’s Championship game.
Two first-half goals from former Sydney and Adelaide United A-League Women’s striker Shadeene Evans secured the Tigers’ progress to the Big Dance, before Evans’s divine assist set Beth Bernardi on her way to score the Tigers’ third, icing the cake early in the second 45.
University looked far from their best in the four weeks leading into the finals series, losing two of its last three games and unable to create enough attacking opportunities while powerless to stop them being created in turn.
Despite their incredible undefeated run continuing from 2021 well into the start of this campaign, Tigers themselves had spent the past month in a state of flux, winning and losing every other game as the club paddled ferociously to keep itself above the Big Blue Line dividing the best from the rest as season’s end approached.
University opened the evening well, causing headaches for a Tigers side well aware of their opponents’ strengths after their encounter the previous week, though Sarah Morgan’s free kick after four minutes was as easy as shelling peas for goalkeeper Morgan Aquino.
Tigers took the lead right on 20 minutes through a brilliant team move as the North Sydney locals turned pressing defence into whip-quick attack with consummate ease; disposessing Emma Ilijoski as University looked to play out from the back, Ashlee Brodigan threaded a glorious vertical pass through five Students defenders towards Evans, who turned and shot in one motion to power her effort across goal and into the bottom corner.
University came close to squaring the ledger with seven minutes of the first half remaining through the most unlikely of sources; with Aquino going walkabout to clear a pass down the right touchline, Ilijoski collected possession and calmly sent an effort sailing towards the Tigers’ open goal, only to watch it bounce agonisingly wide of the near post.
The Students had a second opportunity in as many minutes as they played one pretty pass too many coming out of the back, but having picked out an interception with acres of space, Holly Caspers couldn’t find the target from the top of the Tigers’ box, spooning her shot well wide.
That wastefulness was punished instantly as Tigers blitzed upfield from the goal kick, finding Evans free behind the Students’ defence on the right flank, but with the University defence closing in, Evans cut back on her left side to send Gabrielle Peak on a detour and hit an absolute missile over the diving Newbon into the far top corner to score one of the all-time great NSW NPLW goals.
On a hot streak in the first half and with her Midas’ touch seeming to stick around for the second, Evans helped Tigers to their third goal shortly after the break, dragging Ashley Irwin out of position and flicking the ball to Bernardi, whose stinging half-volley left Newbon shell-shocked as it rippled the net.
Tigers could have – and should have – made it four just after the hour mark, and with Evans again the focal point for the visitors’ attack, Brodigan was left unattended at the far post on a counter-attack, but her reaction told the tale as she shanked her shot onto the practice field beyond.
With stoppage time ticking down University had one last opportunity to trouble the scorers from a wide free kick, but as with the rest of the evening this too would go astray, and despite Tara Baudana’s follow-up effort, Aquino could do little else but fall on the ball and guarantee her side’s progress.
Sydney University 0
Northern Tigers 3 (Evans 21′ 43′, Bernardi 49′)
Sydney University: Newbon; Lechner (M Peak 65′), Irwin, G Peak (Rue 46′), Ilijoski; Martin, Jones, Morgan (Beaufils 46′), Oliverio (Baudana 77′); Badawiya, Caspers.
Unused subs: Dribbus.
Yellow cards: Oliverio 51′
Northern Tigers: Aquino; Green, Steinmetz, Kilbride, Wilson; Gomez, Bart, Bernardi; McNulty, Evans (McMahon 74′), Brodigan.
Unused subs: Cabezas, Fraser, Rickard, Montenegro, Bartels.
Yellow cards: Nil.
