Match of the Round
Maitland FC v Newcastle Olympic
Cooks Square Park, Sunday 4pm
Newcastle Olympic coach Jacob Jones says his side needs to be switched on for the entire 90 minutes when they travel to Cooks Square Park on Sunday afternoon.
Olympic enter the match on the back of a 5-1 midweek loss to Charlestown Azzurri in their rescheduled round 16 clash.
It marked their seventh consecutive defeat, during which they have conceded 33 goals and scored just five.
Olympic have won three matches, drawn one and lost 10 this season, including 9-1 and 5-0 defeats to Maitland.
Now Jones wants his side to remain focused and make the game as difficult as possible for the Magpies.
“Against Maitland you can’t switch off. The second time we played them they scored all their goals in two five-minute periods,” Jones said.
“It’s just important to keep concentration the entire 90 minutes.
“We also can’t show too much respect and let them dictate the game. We need to make it difficult for them to play.”
Olympic have endured an inconsistent campaign after changing head coach midway through the season when Neil Owens stepped down, and they have been unable to string together consecutive wins.
Their best run of results came in rounds eight and nine, when they drew 1-1 with Lake Macquarie City FC before defeating Charlestown Azzurri 3-0.
Jones said his main focus is seeing his side remain united and rewarded for their efforts before the end of the season.
“I just want to see a team who is united and together. It’s been a long hard season and there’s been a lot of disruptions,” Jones said.
“I’m proud of the girls and the effort they continue to put in. I’m hoping they can be rewarded with a result before the end of the season for their hard work.”
Olympic will be without shot stopper Isabella Aquilina as she serves a six-match suspension.
Maitland enter the match at the opposite end of the table, sitting on top having lost just once this season.
Their only defeat came before their Women's State Cup triumph, and they have since responded with a 6-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri and a 3-1 victory over Lake Macquarie City.
Coach Ben Horgan has been pleased with his side's recent form and the way they have adjusted back to league football following the Women's State Cup campaign.
“Everyone is feeling positive, it has been a big few weeks with some very good performances,” Horgan said.
“The form has been really impressive. It wasn’t easy to get back into the weekly routine after such a heavy [Women’s] State Cup schedule, so credit to the players who have been able to refocus on the league and pick up some important results.”
A win on Sunday would move Maitland a step closer to the premiership. The Magpies sit six points clear of New Lambton FC, who still have a game in hand, while Maitland also boast a superior goal difference.
Despite that, Horgan insists his side's attention remains firmly on Olympic.
“I don’t think that anybody is thinking about the premiership yet. They’re all too experienced and they will know that we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” Horgan said.
“Our focus needs to be solely on playing well against Olympic this weekend.
“Olympic set up a bit differently against us in the [Women’s] State Cup to those two earlier league games, and I expect they’ll have something different again planned for this weekend.
“We’ll need to make sure we’re switched on and ready to deal with whatever they throw at us.”
Maitland will welcome Ceanna Frost and Natalia O'Driscoll back into the squad this weekend.
Broadmeadow Magic v New Lambton FC
Magic Park, Friday 8pm
New Lambton FC coach Craig Atkins is expecting a fast start when his side returns to Cardiff Motor Group NPL Women's NNSW action against Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park on Friday night.
The Golden Eagles will take the field for the first time in almost a month, having last played in their round 16 2-1 victory over Maitland FC.
Since then, they have endured the washout weekend, the Women's State Cup break, a postponed fixture and the bye.
New Lambton return to face a Broadmeadow side they have already defeated twice this season, recording 5-1 and 3-2 victories.
Despite those results, Atkins expects another stern test against an in-form Magic outfit.
"Magic are always a tough opponent and they are in good form, especially after a solid win last weekend," Atkins said.
"They are well organised and work really hard for each other so it will be a good battle on Friday night.
"Everyone will need to be switched on from the first whistle as I'm expecting a very quick start to the game.
"We will need to be very organised and disciplined for the 90 minutes."
New Lambton sit second on the table with 11 wins, one draw and two defeats this season, and Atkins is eager for his side to carry the momentum from their impressive victory over the previously unbeaten Maitland into the closing rounds.
"The confidence in the playing group is definitely high. It was a great performance against Maitland, but the girls know that there is still a lot of hard work left in the season and then in the finals series," Atkins said.
"It's very important to keep picking up points each week to try and continue the momentum that we had before the break and then take that into the finals."
New Lambton will be without Kim Trappett (away).
Broadmeadow enter the clash looking to cement their place in the top four. They currently sit one point clear of fifth-placed Adamstown Rosebud JFC, who have the bye in round 19.
But Adamstown still have a game in hand after their round 17 fixture against New Lambton was postponed. With the Buds still to make up that match, Magic know three points are vital to strengthen their grip on a top-four spot.
They will take confidence into the contest after a commanding 6-0 victory over Newcastle Olympic in round 18, with four different players finding the back of the net.
Coach Jason Konjarski will be hoping his side can continue their strong recent form and claim their first win of the season against a side they are yet to defeat.
Charlestown Azzurri v Lake Macquarie City FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 3pm
Lake Macquarie City FC will look to return to winning ways when they travel to Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday afternoon to take on Charlestown Azzurri.
Azzurri have claimed just three wins this season, with two coming against their round 19 opponents. The Blues recorded a 3-0 victory in round five before backing it up with a 2-0 win in the rescheduled round 12 fixture.
They will now be aiming to complete a season sweep of Lakes, but to do so they must rediscover the form that saw them take five points from three matches before a three-game losing streak. That run came to an end on Wednesday night with a 5-1 victory over Newcastle Olympic in their rescheduled round 16 fixture.
During those three defeats, the Blues conceded 17 goals while scoring just twice. But both of those goals came in the final 10 minutes of their round 18 loss to Adamstown Rosebud JFC, offering coach Alicia Ferguson encouragement that her side's attack was beginning to click.
Those signs were reinforced on Wednesday night as the Blues found the net five times against Olympic, giving Ferguson hope they can carry that attacking momentum into this weekend's clash.
Lake Macquarie City will be determined to claim all three points as they head into the final stages of their season, with the bye awaiting them in round 21.
Lakes enter the match following a 3-1 defeat to Maitland FC, with their lone goal coming in stoppage time. They have scored more than one goal only once in their past seven matches, a 2-1 victory over Newcastle Olympic in round 15.
Coach Gabrielle Blanch will be hoping her side can rediscover their attacking touch and avoid being swept by Azzurri this season.
A positive result would also give Lakes confidence heading into their final fixture of the regular season after a difficult run in front of goal.
Bye - Adamstown Rosebud JFC