The Macarthur Rams have boosted their chances of defending their National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW title after a 3-0 victory over the Blacktown Spartans on Sunday.
After 21 rounds, the Rams are running second on the ladder with 41 points, just four off the pace.
The Spartans had discovered some positive form of late, and nearly came away with a result against APIA Leichhardt last time out.
Having surprised the Rams earlier in the season, the home side will have known the importance of being prepared to face a resurgent Macarthur team looking to push APIA for first place.
The Rams had trouble breaking down the Spartans initially, with the home side staying resilient in the face of Macarthur’s attacks.
A piece of individual brilliance would unlock the match for the Rams four minutes from the break.
Maya Lobo collected and held onto the ball with minimal space to manoeuvre on the edge of the box and unleash a sensational curling strike into the top corner.
Kelli Brown then doubled her side’s lead just a few minutes later with a confident strike into the bottom left corner after being put through by Melissa Caceres.
The second half carried on the positive momentum for the Rams, as Miku Sunaga added a goal of her own after Brown kept the ball in following a Caceres strike hitting the post and played in the Rams No. 14 for a well-taken strike into the bottom right corner.
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The Bulls FC Academy come away with a 2-1 win over the Illawarra Stingrays in their visit to Macedonia Park on Sunday.
After a challenging fightback saw them earn a late draw against the Emerging Jets last weekend, the Stingrays entered this fixture knowing they needed to be at their best to take on a Bulls side that possesses plenty of quality.
The Bulls were clicking early on and found the opener in the fifth minute through Avaani Prakash, who will be commended by her coach for chasing the ball down and fashioning a chance after Sophie Emery’s attempted clearance was blocked by the Bulls’ midfield maestro and subsequently put away in an open net.
Bulls top goal scorer Amber Luchtmeijer continued her fine form in this match, earning a goal late in the first half after she picked up Briana Woodall’s brilliant ball in behind and instinctively chipped it over the outrushing goalie.
The Stingrays secured a consolation in the 90th minute when Hayley Taylor-Young took her chance to volley a Bulls clearance past a sea of defenders.
