Round 22 Review – NPL Men’s NSW

Let’s take a look back at all the action from Round 22 of the National Premier Leagues NSW competition.

WSW 2 v Sydney Olympic 1 @ Wanderers Football Park
Western Sydney Wanderers ended a four-game winless run with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Sydney Olympic at Wanderers Football Park, in a match that delivered early goals, end-to-end chances and late drama.
The hosts struck first through Alaat Abdul-Rahman before Sydney Olympic quickly responded via Sebastian Kukucka, assisted by Panos Armenakas, to level the contest at 1-1. Lachlan Sattout restored the Wanderers’ lead in the second half, and despite sustained Olympic pressure and several big late chances including efforts from Bailey Callaghan and Adam Bugarija, goalkeeper Lucas Sinnott produced crucial saves to secure all three points for the young Wanderers side.

UNSW FC 3 v Sydney FC 2 @ The Village Green
UNSW FC ended a four-game losing streak with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Sydney FC at The Village Green in a lively contest full of momentum swings.
Alexander Malfara and Lachlan Campbell gave UNSW an early advantage before Sydney FC hit back through Zac Fowler, who also later added a stoppage-time goal, while Sean Woods appeared to seal the game for UNSW in the 83rd minute.
Despite a late strike from Taye Hedley, Sydney FC fell just short as UNSW held on for a crucial three points.

Manly United 1 v SD Raiders FC 0 @ Cromer Park
Manly United extended their unbeaten run to four games with a narrow 1-0 win over SD Raiders at Cromer Park, with Samuel Griffiths’ 64th-minute header proving decisive.
SD Raiders created several early chances and hit the crossbar through Evans, while Manly also threatened through Griffiths and Burgess in a tight first half.
The breakthrough arrived midway through the second half, and despite late pressure from the Raiders, Manly’s defence held firm to secure a valuable clean-sheet victory.

Sutherland Sharks 3 v APIA Leichhardt FC 2 @ Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks claimed a famous 3-2 victory over APIA Leichhardt, ending a decade-long winless run against their opponents in a thrilling encounter at Seymour Shaw Park.
Nicolaou opened the scoring before Presley Ortiz struck twice for APIA, with Bonilla’s stunning long-range effort and van Amerongen’s late finish ultimately sealing the win for the Sharks.
Despite strong resistance and a late push from APIA, Sutherland held on to secure a third straight win and a major boost to their finals push.

Wollongong Wolves 3 v St George City 3 @ Macedonia Park
Wollongong Wolves produced a spirited second-half comeback to rescue a dramatic 3-3 draw against St George City FA at Macedonia Park, ending a run of five straight defeats.
After falling 2-0 behind through goals from Malik Amin and Louis Khoury in a dominant first-half display from the visitors, the Wolves fought back through Hugo Cornish and captain Lachlan Scott before Yuto Fujita struck twice, including a stunning solo effort to put them ahead.
However, St George City responded again late through Theph Theph from a corner to level the scores at 3-3, with both sides pushing for a winner in an entertaining finale that ultimately saw the points shared.

Marconi 2 v St George FC 0 @ Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions maintained their place at the top of the table with a composed 2-0 win over St George FC at The Palace, scoring both goals in the second half through Franco Maya and Jack Armson.
After a cagey and goalless first half, Marconi broke the deadlock when Maya unleashed a stunning long-range strike after a clearance fell to him outside the box, before Armson doubled the advantage from close range following a fine assist from James Bayliss.
St George had chances through Nikola Skataric but were unable to convert, as Marconi’s control and efficiency in the second half proved decisive in extending their unbeaten run since Round 9.

Blacktown City 0 v Sydney United 58 0 @ Landen Stadium
Blacktown City and Sydney United 58 played out a tense and physical 0-0 draw at Landen Stadium, with both sides unable to break the deadlock despite creating limited chances in a tightly contested affair.
Sydney United 58 controlled possession for periods, while Blacktown finished the stronger side and went closest through Maksim Jez’s powerful volley that forced a strong save from Adam Pavlesic.
A late opportunity for Travis Major was also denied as Blacktown pushed in the closing stages, but neither side could find a breakthrough, with the result seeing Blacktown edge out of the relegation zone while United remain in the top-half hunt.

Rockdale Ilinden 1 v NWS Spirit FC 1 @ Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale Ilinden and NWS Spirit FC have shared the points with a 1-1 draw at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Rockdale opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a delightful Lochlan Constable finish, after being played through by James Temelkovski.
Spirit produced an equaliser in the second half, with Sam Armson producing a strong finish after finding himself in a one-on-one.
Both sides pushed as the match drew on, but neither could find the go-ahead goal.