Mixed Fortunes Last Week, Same Goals At Home Again this Week

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APIA Leichhardt First Grade Mens & Womens Match Previews – Weekend of 22-23 Mar 2025

Piecing Things Together – APIA Men’s taking lessons from the good and the bad ahead of WSW

APIA Leichhardt FC Men’s First Grade: Round 6 Match Report v St George FC and Round 7 Preview v Western Sydney Wanderers Youth

Lambert Park in Leichhardt has played host aplenty to start the NPL New South Wales seasons, though fortunes have well and truly varied for the Marronazzuri at home. Six rounds in to the NPL Men’s NSW season, APIA Leichhardt Men’s First Grade will look to Round Seven against the Western Sydney Wanderers academy – their fifth of first seven matches to be played at the famous Marion St venue – to get back to winning ways after a devastating late loss of two points at the hands of St George FC last time out.

APIA was forced to settle for a point in a 3-3 draw against the old ‘Budapest’ on Saturday last weekend. Despite a dominant second-half display, an injury-time equaliser from Troy Danaskos denied the maroon & blue what would be a well-earned victory.

The match started with high intensity, as both teams looked to build on their previous wins. APIA created the first real chance in the 9th minute when Joel Bertolissio’s header was cleared off the line. However, it was St George who struck first, with Bai Antoniou capitalising on a rebound in the 23rd minute.

APIA pushed forward but went into the break trailing. That changed dramatically in the second half as the home side came out firing. Eddie Caspers pounced on a defensive error to equalise in the 47th minute before Jack Stewart converted a penalty five minutes later to put APIA in front. Themba Muata-Marlow added a third in the 56th minute, seizing on a loose ball from a corner.

St George clawed their way back, converting a penalty in the 76th minute through captain Troy Danaskos before he struck again deep into stoppage time to snatch a share of the points.

Reflecting on the match, APIA coach Franco Parisi praised his team’s attacking intent but acknowledged the need to maintain that intensity for the full 90 minutes.

“I thought that was amazing,” Parisi said on the way APIA started the second half of the match. “We’ve come out with intention, where we pressed as a group, scored a goal early on and then a second and a third goal. We just want to bottle up those good moments”

“There’s a lot of good things from the weekend and we keep building on that, so we’re coming into Round 7 and we believe that we’re piecing together everything we’re working on and it’s great.”

Unfortunately, the injury list was added to during the clash with St George as Michael Kouta pulled up with a knee injury – the severity of which is still to be determined, but Parisi additionally praised the adaptable squad and rotation available with talent throughout the team sheet.

“In the space of two weeks we’ve lost two important full-backs [Michael Kouta and Cameron Fong – injured in Rd 5 v Sydney FC], and that allows opportunity for other players to come in.”

“It’s never nice for a player to get injured and it obviously affected both of our matches in certain regards but it opens up the door for someone to start a game, someone to come into the game, into different positions.. so they’re things we’ll keep exploring.

It’s a good group of players and we’ve got 30 games plus. There’s definitely an opening.”

Regarding the injury list which sees Rory Jordan still out with an ankle problem, along with the aforementioned Kouta and Fong, Franco had the following update;

“Kouta – thankfully it’s no surgery and it’ll just be working with our physio and getting himself back in no time. Same with Rory, same with Cameron Fong. We’re just working with every player to get them 100%.”

“The beauty is because it is 30 weeks and we do believe in the squad and the players we have, we’re not needing to rush anyone back. We want to give everyone the opportunity to be 100% physically, mentally, psychologically; in every sense, and sometimes coming back from an injury it’s not easy just to take the field. Not just from a fitness perspective but just ‘Do you feel comfortable with your body? What are your movements? What happens when someone pushes against you?’. So these are things that we want to work on with our players so that their wellbeing comes first.”

APIA will look to return to winning ways in their next clash against Wanderers Youth on Saturday at 6:30pm AEDT. With four wins and a draw in their last five meetings against the Wanderers, APIA will be eager to continue their strong record in this fixture and push further up the NPL Men’s NSW ladder in their next clash on Saturday night.

“[It’s our] third out of four home games in row – we want to continue to remain undefeated in this period.”

Supporters are encouraged to get behind the team as they aim for three crucial points. Tickets to the clash are available at the Lambert Park gates with adult tickets priced at $15, concession $10, and children under 16 able to attend for free. You can save up to $75 across APIA home matches this season by investing in 2025 Season Membership, which is available through http://tinyurl.com/APIAMember2025. For all further information, supporters are encouraged to visit and follow Club social media pages; Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter primarily with more video content available on YouTube and TikTok!

APIA Leichhardt v Western Sydney Wanderers Youth
National Premier League Men’s New South Wales Round 7
Saturday 22 March 2025
Lambert Park, Marion Street, Leichhardt NSW 2040
Kick off: 6:30pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Football NSW YouTube Channel
Join the Conversation: #APLvWSW #NPLMNSW #ForzaAPIA

AVAILABLE SQUAD
APIA Leichhardt FC Men’s First Grade: 1. Anthony BOUZANIS (GK), 2. Seiya KAMBAYASHI, 4. Josh SYMONS, 5. Dredon KELLY, 6. Anthony SPARACINO, 7. Jack STEWART, 8. Joel BERTOLISSIO, 9. Presley ORTIZ, 11. Rory JORDAN, 12. Sebastian BOFFA, 15. Themba MUATA-MARLOW, 16. Sean SYMONS, 17. Jordan SEGRETO, 18. Adrian UCCHINO (C), 20. Alexander PARKES (GK) 22. Eddie CASPERS, 29. Maksim KASALOVIC, 30. Alex DENMEAD, 41. Nick AZZONE, 80. Oliver KALAC (GK), 99. Franco FARINELLA.

OUT: 14. Max COURT (Away at Viareggio Cup), 21. Michael KOUTA (injury, severity TBC), 24. Cameron FONG (injury, severity TBC) 26. Oscar GONZALEZ (injury, out for 8+ wks)

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Attard after three from three to start Season 2025 at Home

APIA Leichhardt FC Women’s First Grade: Round 2 Match Report v Gladesville Ravens and Round 3 Preview v UNSW FC

APIA Leichhardt Women’s Seniors return to Lambert Park this Sunday afternoon for their third consecutive home match, aiming to maintain their perfect start to the season with another victory in front of the Inner West faithful.

With back-to-back wins under their belt, APIA have looked sharp in the opening rounds, and expectations will be high to secure another three points. Christina Kiceec has already proven to be a formidable presence in both the defensive and attacking third, showcasing her talents and ability to finish chances inside the offensive box. Meanwhile, Ash Crofts, who netted a brace in the season opener, will be eager to add to her tally and continue her strong early-season form.

Following their statement victory over Macarthur Rams in the opening weekend’s Grand Final rematch, APIA entered Round 2 full of confidence and hungry for more, while the Ravens sought to bounce back after failing to convert their chances against Sydney Olympic in their opening match.

From the outset, APIA dictated the tempo, applying relentless pressure on the Ravens’ defense. Their persistence paid off in the 36th minute when Christina Kiceec found herself unmarked in the box and confidently nodded home a pinpoint corner to give APIA a well-deserved 1-0 lead.

The second half saw APIA maintain control, and their attacking intent was rewarded once again in the 82nd minute. In a near mirror image of her first goal, Kiceec timed her run perfectly to meet another well-placed cross at the back post, heading in her second goal of the night to put APIA in command at 2-0.

A late defensive lapse allowed Gladesville to pull one back in the 89th minute, as Kaylie Shannon capitalised on a rare opening to beat an onrushing Sophie Magus. However, it proved to be nothing more than a consolation, as APIA saw out the match to claim another three points and continue their impressive early-season form.

“It’s positive.” said Head Coach Brad Attard in reflection in the week following. “Definitely set out with a goal to get six points out of the first two weeks, though I’m actually a bit disappointed to concede, especially concede late as we did on the weekend but I thought definitely a better sculpted performance for 90 minutes than in Round 1.”

“There has to be a big shout out to our support staff I think in really testing conditions such as the 40 degree heat that we had. Everyone banded together – we had ice coming out of left right and centre, aircons on in gyms and had towels and ice buckets so I think it was a real collective performance from support staff through to players. So a really great six point Sunday.”

With momentum firmly on their side, APIA will now shift focus to their next challenge, eager to keep their winning streak alive and further cement themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the competition this year.

UNSW come into this fixture on the back of a mixed start to the campaign. After a commanding victory in round one, they were held to a draw last weekend against Bulls FC Academy. While they face one of the toughest challenges in the competition with a visit to APIA’s fortress at Lambert Park, UNSW have been spoken about highly in pre-season circles. This match presents a significant opportunity for them to prove they can compete at the top level and challenge for silverware.

“We actually spoke tonight about having a similar mentality to last season when you’re moving from Round 2 into Round 3. We want to be realistic. We know we need to be at our best to beat UNSW and tonight [in training] was all about that. It was all about making sure the principles are fine tuned and we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.”

APIA will look to impose themselves from the outset, using their attacking firepower and home advantage to dictate the tempo. With confidence running high, the team will be determined to send a strong message to the rest of the competition with another statement performance. Kick-off is set for Sunday afternoon—be there to support APIA as they chase another crucial three points! 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔 by becoming an APIA Women’s Season Member for 2025 and save big on home game admission across the year! – tinyurl.com/APIAWomensMember2025 For all further information, supporters are encouraged to visit and follow Club social media pages; Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter primarily with more video content available on YouTube and TikTok

APIA Leichhardt v UNSW FC

National Premier League Women’s New South Wales Round 3

Sunday 23 March 2025

Lambert Park, Marion Street, Leichhardt NSW 2040

Kick off: 5:00pm AEDT

Broadcast Live: Football NSW YouTube Channel

Join the Conversation: #APLvUNSW #NPLWNSW #ForzaAPIA

AVAILABLE SQUAD

APIA Leichhardt FC Women’s Seniors: 1. Sophie MAGUS (GK), 3. Tanya BORAZIO, 5. Teal KILBRIDE, 6. Mona WALKER, 7. Charlotte LANCASTER, 8. Hannah McNULTY, 9. Brinley GENTLE, 10. Melissa CACERES, 11. Ashlie CROFTS (C), 12. Lara BOSNICH, 13. Jordan JASNOS, 14. Mia GOLDING, 15. Gisella PIPINO, 16. Estelle FRAGALE, 17. Alicia MEURONEN, 19. Imogen LANE, 20. Zoe PANAGOPOULOS, 21. Kaitlin KIPARIZOV, 22. Violet KEELAN, 23. Mikayla DUONG, 24. Christina KICEEC, 25. Aurelia COLLINS, 27. Alice BOWLES, 28. Beth CRAWFORD, 29. Anabelle GHABACH, 30. Paige CUTHILL (GK), 31. Olivia MITCHELL, 32. Daniela MANDILE, 33. Claudia PICKETT, 34. Emily BRCIC, 35. Maddison AKTILA, 36. Angelina FOLEY

OUT: 4. Jessica SEAMAN (A-League Women’s In-Season)

Article written by Jude “JayDee” Dolan

Images courtesy of Damian Briggs / Pitchside Media Solutions & Mario Andreacchino / Catch The Action Sports Photography

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