The ninth match week of the National Women’s League takes place this weekend, find out what’s in store with the official preview. All three matches are set to take place on Sunday with Northern Lights hosting Capital, Auckland welcoming Southern United and Central travelling to Canterbury United Pride. WaiBOP sit out the action with the bye.

Northern Lights vs Capital Football
McFetridge Park, Auckland
Sunday 11 November, 1pm
#NWL #NLvCA

Referee: M Archer
Assistant Referees: C Dickson-Hards, W Roberts
Fourth Official: B Baker

Squads

Northern Lights: 1. Lily Alfeld (GK), 2. Claudia Bunge, 3. Kate Loye, 4. Emma Turnbull, 5. Saskia Vosper, 6. Nicole Stratford, 7. Malia Steinmetz, 8. Milly McWhirter, 9. Ava Pritchard, 10. Jane Barnett, 11. Talisha Green, 12. Liz Savage, 14. Greer MacIntosh, 15. Vegas McCaroll, 16. Niamh Quann, 18. Emily Couchman (GK)
Coach: Gemma Lewis

Capital Football: 1. Courtney Norman (GK), 2. Molly Woodhead, 3. Zoe Barrott, 4. Danielle Turton, 5. Sarah Alder, 6. Charlotte Wilford-Carroll, 7. Danielle Ohlsson, 8. Anna McPhie, 9. Emma Main, 10. Sarah Gregorius, 11. Kennedy Bryant, 12. Tory Schiltgen, 13. Jemma Robertson, 14. Asha Strom, 15. Anna Green, 16. Meisha Boone
Coach: Emma Evans

Lowdown

Both these sides are very much in the running for the final, making this the match of the week. Northern are currently the closest challengers to first-placed Canterbury and have a four-point lead over Capital but have played one more game than this weekend’s opponents. A win to the away side would leave Northern with Capital breathing right down their necks while Auckland would potentially be level on points – and both of Northern’s rivals would crucially still have a game in hand. But a defeat for Capital would leave their titles hopes hanging by a very thin thread so there is huge pressure on both sides in this encounter. Based on results so far, the Lights will go in as favourites but the continued absence of coach Gemma Lewis and a hefty chunk of players due to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is a big boost to Capital, as is the form of Sarah Gregorius and Anna Green. The Football Ferns pair both scored twice last weekend and Gregorius is now the league’s golden boot leader with seven strikes. This is the last Capital will see of them for some time though as they are about to depart with the Football Ferns to the OFC Women’s Nations Cup.

Quotes

Shane Verma (Northern Lights assistant coach): “The feeling is really positive, the girls were really happy to go down to Southern in those conditions and come away with a win, especially in that second half where we really had to battle for it. It was a test we hadn’t really been put under this season. We’ll have to keep Sarah Gregorius and Anna Green quiet but we also need to be mindful that they have nine other players on the pitch that can cause damage as well so we have to pay respect to all of them and stick to our game plan most importantly.”

Emma Evans (Capital coach): “If we reflect on our last game against Northern, we conceded three goals from corners and that’s definitely an area we’ve looked to tidy up. But our defensive organisation as a whole is something we have also been looking at. We know that in possession, and especially in the final third, Northern can be extremely dangerous. We need to be disciplined with our shape and in our one-v-one situations, and make sure we are dominant across the park.”

Auckland Football vs Southern United
McLennan Park, Auckland
Sunday 11 November, 2pm
#NWL #AFvSU

Referee: N Browning
Assistant Referees: B Kroonenberg, D Neville
Fourth Official: W McNeely

Squads

Auckland Football: 16. Corina Brown (GK), 3. Liz Anton, 4. Rebekah Van Dort, 5. Nicole Mettam, 6. Stephanie Skilton, 8. Tessa Leong, 9. Jade Parris, 10. Paige Satchell, 11. Sam Muirhead, 12. Sarah Morton, 13. Kathryn-Anne Gow, 14. Bianca Stiles, 15. Leah Mettam, 19. Lucy Carter, 20. Grace Jale, 25. Nadia Olla (GK)
Coach: Tracy Wrigley

Southern United: 16. Jordan Woodward (GK), 5. Mikayla Gray, 6. Britney-Lee Nicholson, 7. Shontelle Smith, 8. Ruby Anderson, 9. Chelsea Whittaker, 10. Kirsty Hayr, 11. Kelsey Kennard, 12. Renee Bacon, 14. Lara Wall, 15. Emily Morison, 17. Tahlia Roome, 19. Mikaela Hunt, 23. Georgia Brown, 24. Jade Middleditch (GK)
Coach: Ignacio Sande

Lowdown

With Canterbury seeming certain of claiming a place in the final, Auckland appear to be fighting it out with Northern and Capital for the right to join them. Those sides are set to face each other across town on the same afternoon, giving Auckland an excellent opportunity to greatly improve their prospects with a win over Southern. The visitors’ own title hopes were dealt what was surely a fatal blow with a loss to Northern last weekend so their main motivation now will be to finish as high as possible. This is the last of a tough run of fixtures for Southern, who had to play leaders Canterbury twice over Labour weekend and were then handed consecutive clashes with the other three members of the top four. But they have the chance to put their feet up next weekend with the bye so can afford to devote every ounce of energy to upsetting Auckland. And they have a score to settle with the defending champions after being knocked out by them in last season’s play-offs.

Quotes

Tracy Wrigley (Auckland coach): “I think we were fortunate to get the three points last time against Southern, a draw would have been a fair indication of the game I think. They’ve been unlucky, nobody has put lots of points on them and they’ve come pretty close in plenty of games, including last weekend. We certainly think they’re a team that can take points off teams if you drop your guard.”

Kirsty Hayr (Southern United): “Last weekend was a positive step forward so I think we’re just going to continue on from that. It’s going to be a really tough game against Auckland because they’re near the top of the table but it’s been really positive this week so hopefully we can get some points this weekend. We’ve had a tough few weeks so the girls have been pretty exhausted but we did some team bonding and are looking to make a fresh start.”

Canterbury United Pride vs Central Football 
English Park, Christchurch
Sunday 11 November, 2.30pm
#NWL #CUvCE

Referee: L Robinson
Assistant Referees: C Bremner, R Clink
Fourth Official: M Killick

Squads

Canterbury United Pride: 1. Victoria Esson (GK), 3. Rebecca Lake, 4. Arna Roberts, 5. Annabel Gilchrist, 6. Chloe Jones, 10. Annalie Longo, 11. Hannah Wong, 13. Whitney Hepburn, 14. Jasmine Donald, 15. Monique Barker, 16. Mel Cameron, 17. Cody Taylor, 18. Rebecca Gillett, 19. Ellena Firth, 20. Kate Taylor, 22. Una Foyle (GK)
Coach: Alana Gunn

Central Football: 1. Amelia Simmers (GK), 2. Kate Watson, 3. Jenna Barry, 4. Jana Niedermayr, 5. Maggie Pedersen, 6. Sophie Crewe, 7. Lydia Bamford, 8. Florence MacIntyre, 10. Anna Robson, 11. Casey Ralph, 13. Freya Partridge-Moore, 14. Jendi Frank, 15. Charlotte Lancaster, 16. Aimee Atkins, 17. Tyler Wood, 20. Carina Flannagan (GK)
Coach: Barry Scullion

Lowdown

A glance at the table suggests this is a mismatch of significant proportions. Canterbury are in the box set to claim the minor premiership while Central have just three points to their name and are battling to avoid the wooden spoon. Anything other than a convincing Canterbury win would therefore be the upset of the season, especially with Central having already conceded nearly 40 goals. Central would have hoped to be taking on the title favourites on the back of a better result than they managed last weekend, which brought a 5-0 defeat to neighbours Capital. They also continue to be without defensive lynchpin Mackenzie Barry, who is in Uruguay for the U-17 World Cup. Canterbury bounced back from their first defeat of the season to sweep aside WaiBOP 3-1 and will be looking to further prove that normal service has resumed. They are set to be weakened significantly though as Annalie Longo and Victoria Esson will be jetting off to New Caledonia with the Football Ferns after this match and won’t be available again until late in the competition.

Quotes

Alana Gunn (Canterbury United coach): “It’s going to be good to be at home because it feels like a long time since we’ve been back. We have to be mindful that we’re into the second half of the season now so everyone is improving a lot. So having beaten Central quite well in the first round, we can’t expect to just turn up and be able to do that again. We’ll have to bring our A-game to take away the points.”

Donald Piper (Central assistant coach): “The game against the Pride will be another difficult challenge for the squad. We totally understand the quality they possess and they’ve been at the top of the women’s game for quite some time now. Going down to English Park is always a very difficult proposition and we expect a torrid time. But, as always, our girls are up for the challenge and testing ourselves against the best is something we always look forward to.”

BYE – WaiBOP Football

Article added: Friday 09 November 2018