NSW NPL Women’s Wrap – Round 9

With only three rounds of the regular season, things are getting tight at the top! Beyond 90 looks back at the week that was, and finds out: can seven go into four?

Match of the Round: Sydney Olympic vs APIA Leichhardt

Sydney Olympic landed a hammer blow to APIA Leichhardt’s 2020 finals hopes, destroying their star-studded opponents 5-1 in a tense contest at Peter Moore Field in Belmore on Sunday afternoon.

Second-half doubles from midfielder Angelique Hristodoulou and winger Sarah Yatim earned Olympic a convincing win after a header from APIA midfielder Rhianna Pollicina cancelled out Cortnee Vine’s superb opener.

Having dominated both possession and territory throughout the match – registering 17 shots to 3 across the 90 minutes –  Olympic is all but guaranteed a home semi-final, though the result could spell disaster for APIA, with Matt Constantini’s side now sitting in seventh place with only two rounds remaining.

Having welcomed experienced goalkeeper Jada Whyman back into the side, Olympic coach George Beltos was without injured midfielder Taylor Ray, forcing defender Hristodoulou further up the pitch as a central pivot, with Teresa Polias accompanying Mackenzie Hawkesby in more attacking roles.

APIA fielded a mostly unchanged line-up – just as the side has done for the majority of the season thus far – and despite still missing the experienced Liz Ralston after her hamstring injury a month ago, the visitors had a wealth of W-League and national team experience to call upon as they looked to shore up their finals hopes.

That experience was put to the test almost from the opening whistle, with Olympic looking to press APIA whenever they moved the ball into midfield, compressing the space between the back four and central trio, while hanging back in defence far enough so as to negate the constant threat of APIA’s pacy front three.

Olympic’s press of their opponent’s back four almost brought dividends after just seven minutes, as a string of passes found Mackenzie Hawkesby at the top of the APIA box, her shot from about 20 metres fizzing just wide of the upright.

The home side’s energy in defence was matched by its intricacy in offence, with Cortnee Vine almost pulling off the assist of the season, backheeling a pass between two APIA defenders to find Yatim running into the opposition penalty area, though her shot was weak and rolled into the grateful arms of keeper Magus.

Olympic winger Tara Pender was the first into the referee’s little black book, earning herself a caution halfway through the first period for dragging back Yatim as she looked to break through the APIA midfield and spring a counter-attack.

With half an hour played Olympic finally cracked the claret-and-blue defence, as striker Cortnee Vine volleyed home brilliantly at the near post to tuck away Teresa Polias’ left wing cross and give the home side the advantage.

Ten minutes later, the referee was once again reaching for her pocket – this time cautioning Olympic defender Emily Kos for a needless clip on the heels of Rhianna Pollicina, a foul that even the most one-eyed observer would admit was cynical at best.

However, Pollicina earned almost instant revenge, volleying home a second-time shot past the onrushing Whyman after the Olympic keeper weakly palmed away Deborah-Anne de la Harpe’s outswinging corner.

With scores level heading into the second half, Olympic continued to pressure their opponents across the field, with eagerness sometimes crossing the line into recklessness as the home side flew into tackles with vigour to win the ball ahead of the APIA attack.

That recklessness did not go unpunished however, as Olympic skipper Polias was booked following a late crunching tackle on Pollicina, leaving her studs firmly imprinted on the APIA midfielder’s shin, a fact Pollicina was loathed to let the officials forget.

Olympic further extended its lead just after the hour mark, after Hristodoulou won an uncontested bullet header on the six-yard box and smashed Polias’ pinpoint corner beyond the stranded Magus.

Play was stopped after 71 minutes following a huge collision between Bisset and Yatim in midfield, the Olympic winger coming off much the worse for wear, landing awkwardly in a well-timed but vicious challenge that saw Bisset collect both the ball and a heavy knock on the shin for her troubles.

Yatim was in the wars once more nine minutes from full-time as centre-back Alex Huynh carelessly hacked the nippy winger down in the box, handing Olympic a chance to extend their lead again – a chance gleefully taken by the experienced Hristodoulou, smashing her spot kick down the middle to make it 3-1.

Six minutes later and Olympic were in again, this time through Yatim, the winger timing her run to perfection and running onto a raking diagonal pass from Polias to slide the ball home past an onrushing Magus.

And with two minutes of injury time played, Yatim had her second goal for the afternoon and Olympic’s fifth, sweeping the ball home from just inside the box after beating the APIA offside trap thanks to a brilliant vertical through-ball from Hawkesby.

Sydney Olympic 5 (Cortnee Vine 29’ Angelique Hristodoulou 64’ 82’p Sarah Yatim 88’ 90’+2)
APIA Leichhardt 1 (Rhianna Pollicina 41’)

Olympic: Jada Whyman; Emily Kos (yellow card 40’), Jess Frampton, Charlotte McLean, Courtney Nevin; Angelique Hristodoulou, Teresa Polias (yellow card 59’), Mackenzie Hawkesby; Julia Vignes, Cortnee Vine (Gisella Pipino 77’), Sarah Yatim.

APIA: Sophie Magus; Teigen Allen, Alexandra Huynh, Alexandra Tims, Deborah-Anne de la Harpe; Jennifer Bissett, Julia de Angelis (Ashleigh Palombi 52′), Rhianna Pollicina (Amy Dahdah 77’); Tara Pender (yellow card 23’; McGee 84’), Georgia Yeoman-Dale, Princess Ibini.

Around the Grounds
Emerging Jets 0 Northern Tigers 3 (rescheduled – R4)
Blacktown Spartans 2 Football NSW Institute 2
Manly United 6 Bankstown City 1
Emerging Jets 1 Macarthur Rams 3
Northern Tigers 5 Illawarra Stingrays 2
NW Sydney Koalas 0 Sydney University 4

Gallery: Blacktown Spartans v Football NSW Institute