They had to wait until round five of the 2026 NPLW season, but Macarthur Rams have finally bagged their first victory of the season.
It wasn’t quite an Easter miracle, but it was in front of their fans at Lynwood Park that the Rams women defeated Hills United 1-0 on Sunday.
Indeed the local side started the game cautiously, with focus on defence, to ensure the visitors didn’t get on the scoresheet first.
And despite an even first half with chances for both sides, it was the Rams who in fact took the lead in the match.
Sakura Nojima’s clever pass found Tea Mucenski in the box.
The Rams forward controlled the ball beautifully and struck it on the half-volley and into the back of the opposition’s net – to the delight of the home crowd at Lynwood Park.
The visitors tried hard to get an equalized, but to no avail.
This game, after all, belonged to the Rams, who could finally celebrate a win this season.
xxxxx
Across town, the reigning NSW NPLW champions, Bulls FC Academy, went on a 4-0 romp over Sydney Olympic at Northbridge Oval.
Both teams were looking to hit their stride with the season well under way by this point.
The Bulls set the trajectory of the match in the 28th minute when they seized on Olympic’s dawdling possession in midfield and Olivia Vanderlaan unleashed a rocket from distance to make it 1-0.
Daniella Naeimi made herself a handful for the Olympic defence to setup Jasmine Meli for a brilliant first-time strike in the 36th minute that curled into the opposite corner.
Vanderlaan’s improvised finish kept the momentum rolling for the Bulls in the second half, having been squared the ball in a tight area in the box and flicking it up before volleying confidently for 3-0.
A cross lifted to the back post allowed Vanderlaan to head home for 4-0 and an incredible hat-trick, giving the Bulls all three points in the process.