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

Capital Football vs WaiBOP Football
Memorial Park, Wellington
Saturday 13 October, 1pm
#NWL #CAvWB

Referee: L Robinson
Assistant Referees: C Bremner, H Osborne
Fourth Official: B Buchanan

Squads

Capital Football: 1. Courtney Norman (GK), 2. Sarah Alder, 4. Danielle Ohlsson, 5. Molly Woodhead, 6. Jemma Robertson, 7. Kelsi Rutene, 8. Katie Barrott, 9. Emma Main, 10. Sarah Gregorius, 11. Kennedy Bryant, 12. Charlotte Wilford-Carroll, 13. Danielle Turton, 14. Asha Strom, 15. Anna Green, 16. Meisha Boone, 18. Ronisa Lipi (GK)
Coach: Emma Evans

WaiBOP Football: 1. Georgia Candy (GK), 3. Kate Williams, 4. Olivia Hooper, 5. Chloe Henderson, 7. Emma Cawte, 9. Helen Talbot, 10. Ella Golding, 12. Kelli Brown, 13. Tiana Hill, 15. Grace Cox, 16. Grace Wisnewski, 19. Ashley Weld, 20. Chelsea Elliott, 22. Lauren Henry, 24. Shae Brady

Coach: Michael Mayne

Lowdown

Three points here are a must for Capital as they have a pair of byes over the Labour weekend double header, meaning all the leading sides are likely to pull away from them on the table. Capital will want their tally to be as high as possible going into that weekend so they don’t have too much ground to make up and will be confident of securing a victory against a side that is yet to register a point. Last week’s 1-1 draw at defending champions Auckland was a pleasing outcome for Emma Evans’ team but they have claimed only one win so far and a failure to add another victory by the half-way point of the season would be seen as a major disappointment. WaiBOP suffered their third successive loss of the campaign last week but coach Michael Mayne would have been delighted to see his side find the net three times after not scoring in either of their opening games. It’s now clear that a shot at the title is beyond them but WaiBOP have an excellent chance to pick up some points over Labour weekend with a double header against Central – the only other side yet to get off the mark – and will want to go into those clashes on the back of a positive performance.

Quotes

Emma Evans (Capital coach): “We had some fantastic build-up play last week and the team are starting to find their feet with the intended style of play. The combinations we are looking for are becoming more natural for the players and we must now shift this focus to converting the opportunities we are creating for ourselves in the final third.”

Michael Mayne (WaiBOP coach): “I was really pleased with the three goals and some of the other chances we created. But letting in six is not ideal so for us the big focus is trying to stop that leak and be a little bit more resilient and tougher in our back third. At the moment, we really need to focus on stopping teams having opportunities like they are.”

Northern Lights vs Canterbury United Pride
McFetridge Park, Auckland
Sunday 14 October, 1pm
#NWL #NLvCU

Referee: S Jones
Assistant Referees: W Roberts, J Lee
Fourth Official: B Baker 

Squads

Northern Lights: 1. Anna Leat (GK), 2. Claudia Bunge, 3. Kate Loye, 4. Aneka Mittendorff, 5. Saskia Vosper, 6. Nicole Stratford, 7. Malia Steinmetz, 8. Dayna Stevens, 9. Samantha Tawharu, 10. Maggie Jenkins, 11. Jane Barnett, 12. Liz Savage, 14. Arabella Maynard, 16. Rose Luxton, 17. Vegas McCaroll, 18. Emily Couchman (GK)
Coach: Gemma Lewis

Canterbury United Pride: 1. Victoria Esson (GK), 2. Marisa Van Der Meer, 4. Arna Roberts, 5. Annabel Gilchrist, 6. Chloe Jones, 7. Gabrielle Rennie, 8. Tahlia Herman-Watt, 9. Jayda Stewart, 10. Annalie Longo, 11. Macey Fraser, 12. Amelia Abbott, 13. Whitney Hepburn, 15. Monique Barker, 17. Cody Taylor, 20. Kate Taylor, 22. Una Foyle (GK)

Coach: Alana Gunn

Lowdown

This is undoubtedly the match of the round and could well be a dress rehearsal for the final – although Auckland, Southern and even Capital would all have something to say about that. Canterbury are the only side with an unblemished record after starting with three straight wins but had the bye last weekend so have seen their lead slashed to two points. A win could take the Lights to the top of the table and would also land an early psychological blow in what is likely to be a fascinating fight for the title. After flying under the radar somewhat in the opening weeks, Northern underlined their title credentials in fine style over the weekend, sweeping aside Central 7-0 for their second victory of the campaign. The net is not likely to bulge anywhere near as often against a Canterbury side that is yet to concede a goal but Northern certainly possess the attacking talent to spoil that record and will take heart from the fact that the Pride have so far only faced the competition’s three lowest-placed sides. This weekend will be a good indication of whether Canterbury are truly the real deal or have benefited from being handed a kind start to the season.

Quotes

Gemma Lewis (Northern coach): “We’re in a positive space after coming off the back of a win but we know this weekend is going to be much more of a challenge. But game-by-game we’ve been improving so we’re just going to try to keep going in that direction. The Pride are coming off the bye and there’s positives and negatives to that. Obviously the players get a bit of a break but, at the same time, it can halt a bit of momentum.”

Alana Gunn (Canterbury coach): “The bye was really good actually, we took advantage of the time to have a rest. I think both teams are in a very even state and we’re very much looking forward to a big match. Northern are going to be really organised, they’re going to know their roles and responsibilities. And they’re at home so I think they’re going to be really up for it.”

Central Football vs Auckland Football
Massey University, Palmerston North
Sunday 14 October, 1pm
#NWL #CEvAF

Referee: N Browning
Assistant Referees: H Simons, D Crawford
Fourth Official: A Turner

Squads

Central Football: 1. Aoife Gallagher-Forbes (GK), 2. Kate Watson, 3. Jenna Barry, 4. Mackenzie Barry, 5. Maggie Pedersen, 6. Sophie Crewe, 7. Lydia Bamford, 8. Florence MacIntyre, 9. Charlotte Lancaster, 10. Anna Robson, 11. Aimee Atkins, 12. Tyler Wood, 13. Freya Partridge-Moore, 14. Jana Niedermayr, 15. Casey Ralph, 16. Jessica Mason
Coach: Barry Scullion

Auckland Football: 16. Nadia Olla (GK), 4. Rebekah Van Dort, 5. Nicole Mettam, 6. Stephanie Skilton, 7. Britney Cunningham-Lee, 9. Jade Parris, 10. Paige Satchell, 12. Sarah Morton, 13. Kathryn-Anne Gow, 14. Bianca Stiles, 15. Leah Mettam, 18. Emma Phelps, 19. Lucy Carter, 20. Grace Jale, 22. Genevieve Ryan, 23. Kim Nottingham
Coach: Tracy Wrigley

Lowdown

Given the contrasting records of these sides, Auckland will be massive favourites here and all that appears to be decided is the margin of their likely victory. Central were not able to stem the tide on their trip to Northern last week, conceding another seven goals to take their tally to 25 from just four games. They have also not scored themselves since the opening day, when Sophie Crewe found the net with a stunning volley. The main aim against Auckland will therefore be to prove more difficult to break down while making the most of any opportunities that may arise at the other end. The continued absence of striker Michaela Boxall is a blow in that regard as both her ability and experience would be hugely valuable to Central. With the prospect of Canterbury and Northern dropping points in their top-of-the-table clash, this is a good opportunity for Auckland to put themselves right in the title mix and they could be leading the way by Sunday evening.

Quotes

Donald Piper (Central assistant coach): “I think the squad has come together well and the attitudes have been really positive, the vibe continues to be really good. We’re under no illusions about the strength of the Auckland squad but it’s another opportunity for the girls to learn and pit themselves against another very, very good squad.”

Liam Martin (Auckland assistant coach): “I thought there were patches where we played well last week but realistically it wasn’t the standard we want. We have to step it up from this weekend because we have three games in a row that are going to be tough games. We have a decent idea of what to expect from Central from looking at the footage but we have to go out there and perform otherwise anything can happen.”

BYE – Southern United

Article added: Friday 12 October 2018