By Kieran Yap 27/6/26
Above: Maggie Jenkins. Photo: Essendon Royals.
A top of the table clash did not go as expected, Preston Lions are quietly in-form, Keilor get an important win and Bulleen go clear in first.
Round 14 of Victoria’s NPLW kicked off on Friday night when Preston Lions defeated Heidelberg United 2-0. The home side started their new signing Fiorina Iaria in attack. The winger arrives from Melbourne Victory as one of the state’s in-form players and had a strong debut for Preston.
It took around a minute for the home side to take the lead. A short corner routine did not go exactly as planned, but the ball eventually fell to Valentine Pursey who’s volley from close range left Mia Bailey with little chance.
Pursey turned supplier in the second half. Some strong work on the right wing created space for the shot and Hollie Massey arrived to force the ball home at the near post.
The scoreline accurately reflected a strong performance from the improving Preston Lions. The game was on their terms for much of the evening, and their press made life difficult for Heidelberg to gain any momentum.
Iaria looks to have adjusted instantly to new colors and teammates. She was lively and creative on the wings, she was a menace throughout, but Pursey was the standout performer of this match with a goal and an assist to her name.
Both teams have difficult tasks next weekend. Heidelberg will host Melbourne Victory, while Preston travel to face South Melbourne.
Saturday saw Melbourne Victory and Bulleen Lions face off at the Home of The Matildas. The visitors were looking for revenge for a round one defeat against Victory, while also needing to win to guarantee that the ended the weekend in first place.
What followed was a tight, fairly tactical battle as Jeff Hopkins and Caitlin Friend faced off in opposing dugouts. Bulleen were expected to press aggressively, but did not overly pressure the Victory defenders, instead opting to have numbers in midfield and make life difficult for a Victory side missing Poppy O’Keeffe.
Victory’s best chances game through counter-attacks, and despite being on the wrong side of some off-side calls, they created some good chances. Bulleen were more clinical when it counted and had more success from the bench to decide the game.
Ash Jordan and Alana Cortellino were introduced at the break to great effect. Cortellino’s cross fell to Jordan who lashed it home without hesitation in the 67th minute.
Sarah Cain’s driving run set up Bulleen’s second, with Cortellino and Maja Markovski waiting for the cross and Markovski finally bundling the ball over the line in the 86th minute of play.
It was a cruel loss for Victory, and especially Chloe Mckenzie who made some excellent saves through the game. With Sienna Techera and O’Keeffe likely to return next week, they will be stronger against Heidelberg.
Bulleen’s 2-0 win, combined with other results, sees them go two points clear at the top of the table. It was their fifth win in a row, and they could not be better placed to face a dangerous Avondale next weekend.
Sloane Young’s early strike got Avondale FC off to the best possible start against Alamein FC in an attacking and at times physical contest, the newly promoted Avondale ended the day as 4-0 winners.
Hannah Wilkinson’s initial shot was blocked, but she was able to regain the ball and cross perfectly for Young to carefully volley from six yards.
Injury delays for Miranda Templeman, Isabella Accardo and Cameron Barriero interrupted the first half, but luckily all three were able to continue.
That was especially lucky for Avondale, and Barreiro supplied the cross for Young’s second after half time.
Beattie Goad added a third in the 68th minute. running onto a defensive error, to round Templeman and finish from a very tight angle.
Elisse Kellond-Knight returned off the bench to add a late fourth goal. The Matildas legend might not the the most obvious name to be on the end of a breakaway counter-attack, but she did not waste the chance. Finishing off the move started by Sidney Allen’s long ball with all the composure expected from a player of her reputation.
Keilor Park secured a valuable three points with a 2-1 win against Spring Hills FC.
Abby Holmes opened the scoring for Keilor park from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, but Spring Hills equalised through Nao Kawasaki’s instinctive, curling strike.
New recruit Grace Johnston secured the points for Keilor Park with a very well taken goal. She chested down a high cross and finished confidently into the bottom corner with the space her touch allowed her.
The Perth Glory star will add experience, pace and end product to the industrious Keilor Park, and could not have wished for a better start to her NPLW season.
South Melbourne were made to earn their 2-0 win against bottom placed Bentleigh Greens. It looked like the home side were headed for a big win when Raquel Derales scored with a 14th minute header. Meisha Westland’s quick feet and excellent cross created the opportunity, and Derales only had to flick the ball towards goal to score.
Clancy Westaway scored her first NPLW goal of the season to double the advantage in the 28th minute. Alana Cerne’s long pass unlocked the Bentleigh defence for Emily Collier to drive into the box. After assessing her options, she cut the ball back to the meet the well-timed run of Westaway, and the finish found the net through a crowd of defenders.
To Bentleigh’s credit, they did not crumble defensively as they have in other games this season. Although South Melbourne continued to attack, and this was essentially a solid win from the home side, it was nota belting, and while the result does nothing to help Bentleigh, they will be happy with an improved defensive performance.
South keep getting stronger this season, and nobody will want to play them in finals. The new signings look to have adapted immediately at Lakeside, and they now have depth and experience across all lines.
Sunday’s game saw Boroondara Eagles keep in touch with the title race with a 3-0 win over Melbourne City.
Coco Parker’s through ball bisected the City defence for Sarah Brunner to run on and give her side a 21st minute lead.
Parker scored one for herself after the break, scoring with a close range header following an Eagles corner kick.
Substitute Geneieve Fontes saved the best for last with a 90th minute goal. Her first longe range effort crashed off the bar, but she followed up the chance herself to make it 3-0 on the rebound.
The win means that Boroondara are only three points off top place, and keeps them just ahead of a chasing and in-form South Melbourne.
Essendon Royals vs Box Hill United, it’s hard to say what happened here. It would have taken a brave fan to confidently predict any result from this match up, but nobody would have ever guessed that it might end 7-1 to the Royals.
Box Hill have been the pace-setters for the first half of the season, both in results and in their exciting style of play.
All three big guns started in their visit to face the rapidly rising Royals, who themselves started with A-League champions Grace Maher on the bench. Everything pointed to a classic match.
Essendon will say it was, Box Hill will want to move past this quickly. The home side were up 4-0 by half time. Bronte Peel scored in the 11th minute, and Margaret Janekins had three by the break.
Akeisha Sandu’s corner was whipped in for Peel to meet with a glancing, perfectly angled header, before Jenkin’s hatrick effectively ended the contest.
The first was an opportunist strike from a poor clearance, but the finish was 18 yards was well placed.
The second, was a seven pass move from deep in defence that cut Box Hill to pieces, Sandu’s low cross put the ball on a platter for Jenkins to finish.
For the hatrick, Sandu’s delivery caused havoc once again from the corner. Box Hill were only able to half-clear and Kelli McGroarty hooked the ball to the back post where Jenkins was on hand to finish.
Peel’s driving run delivered the fifth. Keeley Segavcic saved the initial shot, but McGroarty reacted fasted to turn the ball in on the rebound.
The American star had a brace in the 67 minute. Sandhu’s corners were an unsolvable problem for Box Hill, and it was another perfect delivery to the head of McGroarty.
The seventh goal was unfortunate. In a real show of forc, Essendon brought on Maher while 5-0 up, and the star midfielder ruthlessly punished a defensive turnover to finish from point blank range.
Sydney Minarik scored a consolation for Box Hill, but they were beaten early in a game where nothing went right for them, while everything worked for The Royals, in no small part due to Akeisha Sandu’s delivery from both set pieces and open play.
This result probably says more about Essendon than Box Hill. It is likely that this is an aberration for the defending champs, an outlier in a strong season and they will likely respond with force against Bentleigh next weekend. On the other side of this game, Essendon seem to only be growing in strength, Sandhu is one of the recruits of the season who is nearly the complete footballer for The Royals, dependable defensively and devastating in the attacking third.
New Zealand international Jenkins is a genuine gun, McGroarty looks like a potential A-League level striker and the prospect of Maher combining with Bella Sewards is frankly terrifying for opposition midfielders.
Everything went right for Essendon on this day. The rest of the season will not be perfect, but this was a statement win, that they are ready to take that extra step in 2026.
In appreciation of Grace Johnston.
Keilor Park have secured a genuine star in Grace Johnston. The Perth Glory fullback is a real coup for the determined, but inconsistent side. Keilor’s ladder position is not down to lack of effort or even organization. They always put in a strong effort and can test teams physically and tactically, but have needed a game breaker, particularly in close contests.
Johnston can be that player.
Deployed across both flanks and only for 45 minutes, Johnston was the standout player, and scored the match winner on debut for her new club. Her acceleration caused some distress to Spring Hill’s defence, and her close control made her a threat when she drifted inside.
The winning goal was pure class, and even though she was subbed out at half time, she did enough to earn a spot in the NPLW Team of the Week.
Johnston plays much deeper for Glory, but was used almost exclusively as an attacker in this match, often waiting on the shoulder of Spring Hill’s fullbacks.
Her positional change and impact recalls Kaitlyn Torpey at Preston Lions in 2024, where she evolved from a fullback to a versatile, attacking weapon.
Johnston can also bring the best out of Abbey Holmes. The striker’s holdup play and ability to attack crosses should work well with Johnston’s wing play, and the pair showed positive signs of a good rapport in the limited time they had.
If Johnston can play to her potential, she can not only help Keilor avoid a relegation battle, but change their ambitions as a top six aspirant.
So far, Keilor Park has been a side that can be hard to beat, with Johnston, they can be hard to stop.
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