SA NPLW Wrap Round 17

Match of the Round: FOOTBALL SA NTC v WEST ADELAIDE:

Round 17 of NPLW action kicked off on Friday night with the game of the round as finals hopefuls NTC took on the might of first-placed West.

NTC’s barren run of results continued last weekend as they were defeated 2-0 by last-placed Fulham United. Their previous four matches have yielded only one point and the finals race is out of their control thanks to Metro’s game in hand.

Last time out, the ladder leaders kept up the pace as they eased to a 3-0 win over Comets, with Nicole Tilley’s incredible cross-turned-shot from near the corner flag icing the contest early in the second half.

Things started along expected lines as Georgia Macri put West ahead after just eight minutes. Macri ran clean through the centre with not a defender in sight and slotted comfortably past NTC keeper Libby Davy.

However, back came NTC and they levelled after 24 minutes when Lily Barber swept home from Anastasia Willoughby’s pinpoint left wing cross.

West hit the front once more when a cross-field ball from Zoe Haralampopoulos found Nicole Tilley on the right and she smashed home with 63 minutes played.

All three points looked to be going the way of the league leaders, but two minutes into stoppage time a corner from the left eventually found its way through to Abby Middleton, who hit a first-time effort from within the six yard box into the net. It was a great point for NTC and the result left West sweating on Salisbury Inter’s result to see how badly it impacted their lead at the top.

ADELAIDE CITY v ADELAIDE COMETS:

Also on Friday night at the same venue, last season’s minor premiers and Cup winners Adelaide City found themselves desperately needing a win to cement a top four place after recording just one win in their last five.

City fell to a 2-0 home defeat against fellow high-flyers Salisbury Inter last weekend. This put a massive dent in City’s top two aspirations as the gap to second place increased to nine points, with Inter holding a valuable game in hand.

A 3-0 defeat to West last week meant that Comets were unable to gain any ground on their fellow finals challengers NTC and Metro, while Uni inched a point closer after their draw to now sit just two points behind Comets.

In the end, the outcome of a 0-0 draw did neither side any favours, but Comets will be frustrated for missing a penalty on 51 minutes when Valeria Guajardo’s spot-kick was comfortably saved by City keeper Kendall Jenner.

FULHAM UNITED v ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY:

The bottom two went head to head on Saturday at Adelaide Shores Football Centre, but these were two sides in good recent form.

In the previous round, Fulham notched their second victory in the space of three weeks courtesy of a 2-0 triumph over NTC, with Fiona Worts’ sizzling strike that crashed into the roof of the net capping a memorable performance.

Uni picked up a point in their 1-1 draw against Metro last weekend, with Margarita Fitzharris’ inch-perfect strike between the keeper’s legs helping extend their unbeaten league run to four matches.

A win for Fulham would see them claw to just two points behind their opponents, while three points in the opposite direction would give Uni a real crack at leapfrogging Comets.

In the end, Fulham continued their outstanding recent form as they clinched yet another win – after going so long without one this season.

Fiona Worts was on the scoresheet once more for United as she was played in by Natasha Vella after 26 minutes to fire home.

Vella doubled Fulham’s lead with 25 minutes to go when a free-kick was recycled across the box and found her in acres of space to sweep home.

Uni pulled a goal back on 79 minutes when Tanaye Morris climbed highest to nod home a corner kick which came in from the right.

It was from another corner, with eight minutes left, which saw Fulham clinch the three points as Hannah Doyle scrambled the ball into the net for 3-1. The Black and Whites, who waited many months for their first win, are now ironically one of the most in-form teams in the SA NPLW.

METRO UNITED v SALISBURY INTER:

The final game of Round 17 promised to be an exciting one between two very recent rivals who are both looking to cement top four positions.

Last week, Laura Stockdale’s unbelievable long-distance strike from near the byline wasn’t enough to drag Metro to victory against Uni, and Metro missed the chance to move into outright fourth with a game in hand.

Meanwhile, Inter put some much-needed breathing room between themselves and third-placed City with a valuable 2-0 win. Second half strikes from Cote Rojas and Erin Hood sealed a big three points, keeping Inter within five points of West Adelaide.

Inter knew that after West Adelaide’s draw with Football SA NTC, they could cut the deficit to three points while also having a game in hand on the league leaders. In the end, they suffered nothing but frustration.

Metro took the lead just before the 20 minute mark when Vanessa Reed’s ball from the left in low sunlight ended up in the net.

In first half stoppage time, Chanel Todino doubled United’s lead when she had all the time required to guide the ball into the right-hand side of the net after a cross came in from the right flank.

The 2-0 win for Metro United served as some consolation for their recent Cup Final defeat to Inter and it also pushed them back into the top four. The Blue and Blacks knew that they had missed a major chance to finish the regular season on top of the table as they fell to only their second defeat in 2021.

TABLE: