The stakes have never been higher as the National Premier Leagues Women’s (NPLW) Queensland Finals Series race goes down to the wire, and three sides continue to battle for the last Finals Series spot in the final round of competition.
Eastern Suburbs, Souths United, and Logan Lightning all remain within reach of finishing sixth to book their place in the NPLW Queensland Finals Series with just one round remaining.
Eastern Suburbs will host Capalaba FC in the Round 26 Match of the Round, which can be viewed live and on demand on the FQ website, FQ Facebook and FQ YouTube.
It will be a massive game for Easts who will need a win this round to remain in sixth spot and bound for finals football.
While Souths United and Logan Lightning both remain on Easts’ tail, just one and two points behind respectively, the side has been in hot form, recording eight straight wins, excluding a bye two matches ago.
Easts haven’t conceded a goal in their last four games and will look to extend this run coming into this weekend’s final round match.
Capalaba meanwhile may be in fifth spot, but their recent form has been scattered, recording only one win, two losses, one draw and one bye in their last five.
This weekend’s match will be the most important one for Eastern Suburbs all year – can they secure a win to hold onto their Finals Series spot?
Last time the two sides met, Capalaba recorded a 3-1 win in their Round 13 clash thanks to a Sachiko Tatsuoka double.
MATCH DETAILS
Eastern Suburbs v Capalaba FC
Friday, 30 August, 8:30pm
Heath Park
Other key matches:
Souths United v Mitchelton FC:
Souths, currently sitting in seventh spot just one point behind Easts, are still a chance at making a Finals Series appearance with a win this weekend. Prior to a 0-0 draw with Logan Lightning last round, Souths recorded two straight wins following a number of losses, including a 3-0 win over Sunshine Coast Wanderers in Round 24 and a 6-0 win against Brisbane Roar/QAS in Round 23. The side haven’t conceded a goal in three games, and have scored nine in their last three. Mitchelton meanwhile have had some mixed results recently and won’t be making a finals appearance.
Logan Lightning v SWQ Thunder:
Logan Lighting, currently in 8th spot, are on a good run of form having recorded four wins and one draw in their last five matches. Three of those wins were high-scoring matches for the Logan side, including a 7-1 win over Brisbane Roar/QAS in their catch-up match on the weekend, an 8-1 win against Western Pride in Round 23 and a 7-1 win over Sunshine Coast Wanderers in Round 22. SWQ Thunder meanwhile have won their last two matches, both against Sunshine Coast Wanderers, but will face a tough task coming up against a Logan Lightning side with the Finals Series in their sights.
Players to watch:
Georgina Amos (Eastern Suburbs): Amos has been a consistent force for Easts this season and scored a hat-trick in last weekend’s catch up match victory.
Ayesha Norrie (Souths United): The Souths midfielder has made an impact for her side, especially at the back-end of the season, scoring in Souths’ last two wins.
Shea Connors (Logan Lightning): Logan’s leading goal scorer has netted 23 goals in just 14 matches, bagging a hat-trick in her side’s 7-1 win on the weekend.
Image: Albert Perez/Eastern Suburbs