Two top five clashes will play out on Saturday night in Round 23 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s (NPLW) Queensland, with both to feature as the Match of the Round this weekend.
Capalaba FC will host Gold Coast United, while Lions can claim the Premiership with just a point against The Gap FC on Saturday night.
The NPLW Matches of the Round can be viewed live and on demand on the FQ Website, FQ Facebook and FQ YouTube channel.
In the first Match of the Round, Gold Coast United will travel to take on third-placed Capalaba.
Only a mere four points separate the two teams with Capalaba on 44 points and Gold Coast United sitting in fifth spot on 40 points.
Capalaba need a win this week if they want to edge closer to the top of the table ahead of finals. Securing the win this weekend will give them the upper hand heading into next week’s game against Moreton Bay, who have the bye this week.
Capalaba haven’t been able to maintain a consistent winning streak since Round 16 and have had a string of wins, losses and draws.
Gold Coast United on the other hand have had a resurgence since the halfway point of the season. They were on a seven game winning streak since Round 15, scoring 37 goals and only conceding five.
Falling to The Gap in a 6-1 loss in Round 21 brought their resurgent run to a halt but with the team’s high scoring ratio, the odds are on their side.
The last time to the two teams met was in Round 10 when Gold Coast United triumphed over Capalaba in a surprising 4-1 win.
MATCH DETAILS
Capalaba FC vs Gold Coast United
Saturday, 3 August, 5:00pm
John Fredericks Park
In the second Match of the Round, The Gap will host Lions FC in the newly-dubbed Rob Askew Cup.
Having previously coached at The Gap for over 20 years and leading the NPLW side to the Premiership last year, Askew will return to his old stomping ground at Walton Bridge Reserve for the first time as Head Coach of Lions.
Askew has had an almost perfect season at the helm of Lions, with his side remaining unbeaten after 22 rounds and recording only two draws in 2019.
The current ladder leaders will be hard to stop and need only one point this weekend to secure the NPLW Premiership.
The Gap meanwhile had won six in a row before last week’s 2-2 draw with Moreton Bay United.
Last time the two sides met, Lions came out on top in a 2-0 win in Round 10 of the NPLW.
MATCH DETAILS
The Gap FC vs Lions FC
Saturday, 3 August, 7:00pm
Walton Bridge Reserve
Another key match:
Souths United vs Brisbane Roar/QAS
Souths currently sit in sixth place on 31 points, just hanging onto a finals appearance. They’ll need a win if they want to stay ahead of seventh-placed Easts on 30 points, another team that’s made a big comeback in the second half of the season and will be fighting for their spot in the top six to book a place in the finals series.
Players to watch:
Deeanna Thompson (Gold Coast United): Thompson has scored six goals across her last five games with a total of 16 to her name for the season so far. She continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the frontline.
Sachiko Tatsuoka (Capalaba FC): Tatsuoka scored two important goals last week against Western Pride, securing Capalaba’s win and earning herself a Team of the Week spot.
Mariel Hecher (Lions FC): Hecher secured two hat-tricks across her last five games bringing her total to 21 goals for the season so far. Her consistent form has earned herself multiple Team of the Week appearances.
Words: Vivien Topalovic
Image: Ian Judd/Lions FC
