Bulls FC Academy entered Round 24 of the NPLW hoping to widen the gap between themselves and their Premiership rivals, but they would have to get past an in-form Manly United side in an away encounter.
The Bulls took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Elizabeth Barwick-Grey drifted away from her defender and buried a thumping header after meeting a brilliant free-kick into the box.
Barwick-Grey’s goal ultimately proved enough for the visitors to claim all three points in a 1-0 victory and move back to the top of the table two points above UNSW.
It sets up the Macarthur FC academy team to defend their title from last year.
Bulls play fifth placed Northern Tigers in Round 25, and bottom dwelling Western Rangers in the final round 26, followed by finals.
Also playing away were Macarthur Rams, taking on the Northern Tigers at the North Turramurra Recreation Area on Saturday.
A terrific header from Amalia Plummer sent the Rams 1-0 up in the 34th minute with their first shot on goal, leaving the Tigers with a real challenge to overcome the visitors’ resilience.
With time running out, the Tigers were awarded a penalty after Emily Visser was brought down inside the box.
Lily McMahon stepped up and dispatched the resulting spot-kick into the bottom-left corner, securing a late 1-1 draw.
The Rams are running ninth in the 14-team competition and are unlikely to play finals footy this season.
But it is a much better effort than last season, and it sets them up for some success in 2027.
Macarthur finish the season with matches against Western City Rangers in Round 25 (Lynwood Park this coming Sunday), and the Illawarra Stingrays in Dapto a week later in the final round.
