The first weekend of spring was accompanied by a dramatic set of NSW NPL games. There was so much action for fans to choose from, but with the league leaders playing the competition’s most prolific attack, in a game which saw the return of a Matildas favourite, we were always headed to Sydney’s Inner West for our featured match.

Match of the Round: Sydney University v Football NSW Institute

2019 Treble winners Sydney University hosted the precocious talent of Football NSW Institute on a gorgeous sunny afternoon at historic Arlington Oval. Aideen Keane opened the scoring for Institute, but Uni would win 4-1 thanks to a Bianca Galic double, plus goals from Kendall Fletcher and Michelle Heyman.

Sydney Uni’s unbeaten run stood at 27 games going into the weekend, however they did fail to win last time out, drawing 0-0 with Blacktown Spartans. Fletcher lined up as part of a fluid front four which also included Julie-Ann Russell, Teigan Collister and Demi Koulizakis. As announced during the week, Heyman made her return to playing and was named on the bench.

Institute had scored 15 times in their last two outings, defeating Bankstown City 9-0 and Macarthur Rams 6-1. For context, eight of the twelve teams in the division have not reached the 15 goal mark for the entire season. The league’s second and third highest scorers (Bryleeh Henry and Keane respectively) joined Charlie Rule in attack, making for a front three with 16 goals between them heading into this clash.

Despite the weather being warmer than we’ve been used to in recent weeks, the contest started with an impressive tempo. Both sides were looking to press their opponents high up the park and Collister nearly caught Institute goalkeeper Brianna Edwards in possession on seven minutes, with the ball rebounding for a goal kick. Other than that, chances in the initial phases of play were non-existent as the teams battled for control.

However, with Institute in such free-scoring form penalty box action was never going to be too far away. That’s exactly what we saw on the quarter hour as Rule cleverly made just enough space to clip a ball into the middle, where Keane was waiting to head the visitors into the lead. This goal had a lot of significance: it was the first time Sydney Uni had conceded since Round 1.

The kids in sky blue were buzzing. Institute’s midfield trio of Darcey Malone, Isabel Gomez and Sarah Hunter were circulating the ball well, and a few minutes later more pressing forced Uni goalkeeper Courtney Newbon to play the ball straight at Gomez, who couldn’t keep her shot down.

As we saw in Round 4 against APIA and the 2019 Major Semi Final, Sydney Uni love scoring set piece goals at Arlington Oval. Their 24th minute equaliser also came via the dead ball, as Galic broke free of the marking to head Fletcher’s pinpoint corner kick past Edwards.

Institute weren’t deterred and came straight back at their opponents. Sarah Hunter almost threaded a ball through for Rule, but Tori Tumeth’s perfectly-timed challenge prevented the Junior Matilda from getting a shot away.

From about the half hour mark onwards, Sydney Uni’s possession game began to flow and they gradually started to take control, pushing Institute back. Collister had switched flanks and on 40 minutes made a thrilling run down the left wing, beating two defenders, exchanging passes with Koulizakis and firing over the crossbar. The switch paid off a few minutes later as Collister played the ball to Fletcher, who rolled a low shot past Edwards to give Uni a 2-1 halftime lead.

Institute coach Jaime Gomez brought midfielder Scarlet Thomas on at halftime, with Isabel Gomez moving into central defence. This change didn’t disrupt their usual passing game, and Hunter once again showed her eye for a pass eight minutes after the restart by releasing Keane down the left side, but with Henry free in the middle Keane couldn’t beat Newbon with her cross. Newbon was called on again in the 57th minute, saving after Henry had found Rule in space.

Uni weathered the mini-storm and took a firm grip on proceedings just past the hour. Galic hadn’t scored in her first 61 games for the Students, however another header from another Fletcher corner meant she had now scored twice in 61 minutes.

Thanks for reading! While you’re here, check out our gallery of the Round 8 game between Blacktown Spartans and Northern Tigers. Photos courtesy Kellie Lemon (Instagram – @klzphotography)

With a 3-1 lead and 25 minutes remaining, Sydney Uni coach Alex Epakis had the rare privilege of being able to bring on a player with 20 goals for the Matildas. Heyman entered the fray and unsurprisingly made an impact within minutes – Collister skipped past a challenge and drew an excellent save from Edwards after Heyman’s flick on fell kindly for her.

Fletcher then displayed her versatility after Taren King was subbed, replacing the Uni skipper in central defence on 74 minutes so Brianna Oliverio could take up an attacking role. Oliverio’s first involvement of the match was massive: she set up Heyman, who made space with a scintillating turn and slid a low shot into the bottom corner.

Institute brought on three players in the final 15 minutes, including Concord University recruit Jayme Millard, but were unable to seriously threaten the Uni defence in the closing stages. The 4-1 scoreline is however somewhat harsh on an Institute side that were great value. Their quality on the ball and willingness to fight for possession mean prospects are good, both for the remainder of this season and future seasons.

This result, combined with Sydney Olympic’s 3-2 defeat to NWS Koalas, sees Sydney Uni extend their lead at the top to four points. Victories for both APIA Leichhardt and Manly United mean Institute drop from fourth to sixth, however they are only one point outside the top four and three points off second place.

Next up for Sydney Uni is a Sunday evening away game against NWS Koalas, while Institute travel to Blacktown Spartans in a match that may prove critical in deciding who makes this year’s four team finals series.

Sydney University 4 (Bianca Galic 24’ 61’, Kendall Fletcher 43’, Michelle Heyman 74’)
Football NSW Institute 1 (Aideen Keane 15’)

Sydney University: Courtney Newbon, Annabel Martin (Tiana Jaber 63’), Tori Tumeth, Taren King (Brianna Oliverio 74’), Rachael Soutar (Gabrielle Peak 65’), Clare Wheeler, Bianca Galic (Sarah Morgan 76’), Kendall Fletcher, Teigan Collister, Demi Koulizakis (Michelle Heyman 65’), Julie-Ann Russell

Football NSW Institute: Brianna Edwards, Claudia Valletta (Cushla Rue 84’), Jessika Nash, Holly Williams (Scarlet Thomas 46’), Jamilla Rankin, Darcey Malone, Sarah Hunter, Isabel Gomez, Bryleeh Henry, Charlie Rule (Isabella Volkanovski 76’), Aideen Keane (Jayme Millard 76’)
Unused substitute: Chloe Lincoln
Yellow cards: Aideen Keane 32’, Sarah Hunter 67’

Around the Grounds
Bankstown City 1 Emerging Jets 2
Blacktown Spartans 1 Northern Tigers 2
Illawarra Stingrays 0 Manly United 3
North West Sydney Koalas 3 Sydney Olympic 2
APIA Leichhardt 3 Macarthur Rams 0

Table

View the NSW NPL fixtures here, and read more Beyond 90 NSW NPL articles here.