It was just one of those weeks for the offseason Aussies this week. Whilst it wasn’t a bad week by any stretch, with 5 wins shared between the players, there were a couple of draws and losses that could just have easily gone in a more positive direction. Still, there’s plenty to be positive about, so let’s get started.
Starting in Queensland and the SEQWPL, Ellie Papalexiou and Palm Beach came up against a well-organised Peninsula Power team, but managed a 2-1 victory to keep them in touch with the league leaders. Meanwhile, in the Brisbane Premier League, Amy Armistead and Souths United managed a 3-1 win against Mitchelton to move away from the lower teams and within seven points of the mid-table pack.
South of the Tweed, Maddy Cornell and Southern Branch ran Central Coast Mariners Academy all the way to the final whistle in a 3-2 loss against the runaway league leaders. In a fairer world, this is not the kind of performance that would drop a team down a position, but the football world isn’t known for its fairness, and Southern Branch dropped from 4th to 5th.
Alex Huynh and Candace Sciberras were part of the Marconi Stallions side that punched above its weight in a 0-0 draw with 3rd place North West Sydney Koalas, leaving Marconi three points behind 7th placed Illawarra Stingrays but with a game in hand.
Georgia Rowntree was back on the team sheet for Sydney Uni after a prolonged forced stint on the sidelines, but remained on the bench for Sydney Uni’s 1-0 win over second placed Manly United.
Moving to the US, Anastasia McCleary and Issaquah had a two game home stand over the weekend, winning 5-1 over Eugene Timbers, before following that up with a win over Westside Timbers the next day to move back into the lead of WPSL’s Northwest Division. Meanwhile, in the USL W-League, Kahlia Hogg played the final 20 minutes for Colorado Rush, but the side went down 3-1 to LA Blues, who are still yet to drop a point in the Western Conference. This was followed by a 1-0 loss to Bay Area Breeze, a game in which Kahlia played the last 13 minutes. The weekend’s results leave the Rush in 6th place in the Western Conference as the sides turn for home.
Looking forward to this weekend, Amy Armistead and Souths United have a bye this weekend. Staying in Queensland, the SEQWPL split in two for its second phase of competition, and Ellie Papalexiou and Palm Beach will play in the top section, but have a week off this week before starting next week against Redlands.
Moving to NSW, Georgia Rowntree and Sydney Uni take on league leaders Macarthur Rams in NPLNSW1. The Rams have slipped up a couple of times in the last few weeks, but got back on track with a 1-0 win last week, and Sydney Uni will need to be at their best to keep pace with Macarthur. The pairing of Alex Huynh and Candace Sciberras and their Marconi side have a two-game week this week, taking on FNSW Institute tomorrow night at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, before taking on Northbridge at home on Sunday. Meanwhile, in NPLNSW2, Maddy Cornell and Southern Branch take on 3rd placed Inter Lions on Sunday in a match that could see Southern move ahead of the Lions due to a vastly superior goal difference.
Over in the States, Kahlia Hogg and Colorado Rush have a tough matchup against Seattle Sounders Women on Friday night (Seattle time), who currently sit third in the Western Conference. The Rush may be out of playoff contention, but they have the potential to be of major nuisance value to the teams chasing a playoff berth. Meanwhile, in WPSL, Anastasia McCleary and Issaquah will look to make it three wins on the trot as they play Westside Timbers, the same team they hosted in their last start win. A win for Westside would see them jump Issaquah for first place, but a win for Issaquah would see them potentially open up a six point gap at the top, although third placed AC Seattle have a game in hand.
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