Our National Premier League Football teams experienced mixed results over the weekend, with the women’s side toughing out another win to regain outright top spot, while the men received a defeat at the hands of the Rydalmere Lions but still remain in playoff contention.
The women’s team is rolling at the moment having won 6 of their first 8 games, with an away loss to the Blacktown Spartans and a 0-0 draw to the Marconi Stallions as their only blemishes on the season. The team is still riding the momentum of last year’s National Premier League title and has shown no signs of complacency thus far.
The Illawarra Stingrays felt the wrath of our women on the weekend. In a match that lived up to the expectation of a tight and physical encounter, it was only a Rachel Soutar gem that separated the two sides.
From a free-kick about 20 yards out, Soutar floated a ball over the wall and passed the goalie as she netted her first goal of the season, giving the Students a 1-0 victory. As we come to roughly the halfway point of the season, the women are sitting in a perfect position to distance themselves from the rest of the competition at the top of the ladder and put their best foot forward in their push for another successful finals campaign.
Our men’s team unfortunately did not experience the same success, going down 3-0 to the second placed Rydalmere Lions at home. The Lions were the aggressor, as they sprung the Students early. The Lions’ physical play earnt them three yellow cards for the game, nevertheless they found the right balance as they also put three unanswered goals on our boys.
The men, however, have a great chance to bounce back this weekend as they face a Gladesville Ryde Magic team that sits a game behind them on the standings. The men will take on the Magic at Magdala Park this Sunday at 4:30 pm, while the women will face a tough Macarthur Rams outfit at home (Sydney University Football Ground) on Sunday at 3pm.