A massive weekend of women’s football awaits as the NPL Finals Series kicks off and Olympic FC look to secure promotion in the final round of the FQPL.
For the second consecutive season, Lions FC, Gold Coast United and Capalaba FC have qualified for the NPL Women’s Finals Series.
Joining those three powerhouse clubs is Eastern Suburbs, who last played finals football in 2019.
In the FQPL, Olympic have all but secured promotion to the NPL for next season after their draw with Western Pride last weekend.
Olympic, who are three points clear at the top of the ladder, need a win or a draw to secure their spot in the top-flight in 2022.
Mathematically, Western Pride can still achieve promotion, though they would need to beat Mitchelton FC by a significant margin and hope Olympic lose.
Meanwhile, in the NPL Men’s competition, newly-crowned Premiers Peninsula Power play Gold Coast United, Lions FC are up against Moreton Bay United, and Sunshine Coast Wanderers take on Magpies Crusaders United.
Fans can watch all First Grade NPL and FQPL matches LIVE on NPL.TV, free for Australian residents.
Feature matches:
Lions FC v Eastern Suburbs
Eastern Suburbs will play their biggest game in two years on Saturday night as they meet reigning Premiers Lions FC at Lions Stadium.
Easts will enter the Semi Final as underdogs, having beaten Lions just once since the Richlands-based club joined the NPL in 2018.
But Easts have been one of the best stories of the year, turning around a poor start to the season to qualify for the Finals.
Easts are also one of just two teams to take points off Lions this season, earning a 2-2 draw a fortnight ago.
They will come up against a confident Lions side who are just two wins away from taking out a historic treble of NPL Premiership, Championship and Kappa Women’s Super Cup.
Match Details
Saturday 16 October, 7:00pm
Lions Stadium, Richlands
Gold Coast United v Capalaba FC
Gold Coast United host Capalaba FC on Sunday afternoon at Coplicks Family Sports Park as both sides look to qualify for their first NPL Women’s Grand Final.
Gold Coast and Capalaba have emerged as powerhouse sides in the NPL over the past few seasons but both teams have been eliminated in the past two Finals Series.
Not much has separated the two sides this season, with one win apiece in their two previous outings.
Although Gold Coast have a slight edge over the course of the season, the last time these two sides played Capalaba won 2-1 after Amber Simms slotted the winning goal.
Fans can expect a close, hard-fought encounter between two sides that boast some of Queensland’s best female players.
Match Details
Sunday 17 October, 4:00pm
Coplicks Family Sports Park, Tallebudgera
Key players:
Shea Connors (Lions FC): The league’s Golden Boot turned provider with a sublime assist in last weekend’s win over Capalaba.
Amy Chapman (Capalaba FC): The midfielder’s big-game experience will come in handy this weekend for Capalaba.
Cassandra Zaffina (Gold Coast United): The experienced shot-stopper has been in fine form as Gold Coast look to qualify for their first NPL Women’s Grand Final.
Sofie Persson (Easts): The Swedish striker has scored four goals in seven games since joining Easts and will come up against one of her old clubs this weekend.
Click here for the NPL Semi Finals Schedule.
Click here for the FQPL Round 5 Schedule.
Image: Ian R Judd – AQUA [PD] / Lions FC.
