The Western Sydney Wanderers NPL Women’s side continued their strong run of form with a composed 2-0 victory over NWS Spirit at Christie Park on Saturday afternoon, strengthening their position inside the top four heading towards the NPL NSW Women’s finals.
Fresh from their emphatic 9-1 win over Western City Rangers, the Red & Black carried their confidence into another professional display, taking their chances when it mattered and producing another disciplined defensive performance.
The Wanderers made a positive start to the contest and nearly opened the scoring inside the opening 10 minutes when Annabella Keep drove forward before unleashing a powerful effort from distance that flashed just wide of the target.
Allyssa Ng Saad continued to trouble the Spirit defence with her movement, making a brilliant run through the middle in the 13th minute before the opportunity slipped away at the crucial moment.
The breakthrough arrived midway through the first half. A well-delivered corner found Savannah Murray, who rose highest to power a superb header into the back of the net and hand the Wanderers a deserved 1-0 lead.
Spirit responded by enjoying more possession after falling behind but struggled to create clear-cut chances against a well-organised Wanderers defence.
The visitors looked to extend their advantage before the break through Miriam Zumaya, who closed down the goalkeeper in an attempt to force an error, while Nikki Fazzari produced an exciting run following a short corner routine but was unable to pick out the final pass.
Holding a narrow advantage at half-time, the Wanderers continued to press after the restart. Milly Bennett and Fazzari both tried their luck from outside the penalty area as the Red & Black searched for a second goal.
Their persistence was rewarded just after the hour mark when a dangerous cross into the penalty area found Mia Nataly, whose slightest of touches was enough to guide the ball into the net and double the Wanderers’ advantage.
Nataly almost grabbed her second minutes later after another dangerous delivery into the box but was unable to bring the ball under control as the Wanderers continued to threaten.
Despite Spirit pushing to find a way back into the contest, the Wanderers remained composed defensively and limited the hosts to very few genuine opportunities.
The final whistle confirmed another impressive away performance for the Wanderers, who secured consecutive victories and another clean sheet as they continue to build momentum heading into the finals series.
