Bulls FC Academy 1 University of New South Wales FC 1 : 4-2 on penalties
By Texi Smith 15/9/26
Above: Bulls FC lift the trophy. Photo: Texi Smith
Bulls FC Academy clinched the 2026 NSW NPL Women’s championship on Sunday but only after University of New South Wales FC had taken the grand final to penalties with a dramatic last-gasp extra-time equaliser.
A world-class free-kick from A-League star Sarah Hunter looked to have secured the premiers’ second straight championship title only for a Demi Koulizakis header to delay the celebrations with seconds remaining on the clock. The tie was ultimately concluded with spot kicks, Bulls imperious from 12 yards, Ashley Hughes making two saves to confirm the win and restart the celebrations at Jubliee Stadium.
A beautiful sunny spring Sunday welcomed the two teams to south Sydney, a decent turnout in the only open stand making plenty of noise as the players entered the field, the Bulls inflatable mascot not surviving the line-up, but the players looking primed for action. A-League quality was sprinkled throughout both squads, Hunter joined by Janaya Dos Santos and a host of Bulls players with experience at the top level, while UNSW boasted Abby Lemon, Poppy Channing, Lexie Moreno and Angelique Hristodoulou among their team of stars.
The pace of Daniella Naeimi was going to be a feature today, starting on the right but switching sides to the Bulls’ left to run at the UNSW defence, but with Aya Yamahata and Channing looking comfortable in the centre of defence, the students were not letting anything past. Dos Santos freed Naeimi on the left who cut in to curl a shot just over, but the first half, played in a strong breeze, was punctuated by stoppages for injury. Gemma Ferris expressed her annoyance at the distance of the wall from a free kick on the right for the Bulls, taking the ball back a yard to make the ten, but the shot was too cute and easily saved by Erin Naylor. An exciting half ended with Dos Santos turning sweetly in the box to fire well wide, the Bulls knowing that they had dominated the first 45 minutes but had lacked the killer touch.
The second half was in its infancy when Alexia Karrys-Stahl got away with a high foot on Liz Barwick-Grey to romp down the right for UNSW, and her cross was perfect for Ava Collins, but she completely missed her kick when the crowd expected the net to bulge. Seconds later, Collins was played in for a one-on-one with Hughes, the Bulls keeper happy to smother the shot that was too close to her. Hughes had to be smart to stop Chloe Smith dancing around her to score, grabbing the ball from between the striker’s feet accompanying cries for a penalty in the process. The game had swung with the wind advantage, and Moreno went close when trying an audacious Olimpico free kick from near the corner flag.
Bulls started to change the momentum, Claudia Valetta taking far too long with a shooting opportunity when well placed in the area, and a corner was then headed into the turf by Ferris, the ball bouncing onto the bar, Jade Guichon trying the overhead kick but blazing over. Guichon then made headway up the right to cross for substitute Gracie Bishop to skew a shot wide at the far post. The game had changed complexion; Hunter ran at the defence and offloaded to Guichon but the cross was overhit, Dos Santos showed good skill to cut inside, her dangerous cross unable to find a teammate, and it was Dos Santos again who stepped inside to curl in an effort after good approach work, but the shot lacked conviction. When Valetta again took a split-second too long, the rebound fell invitingly for Petria Phillips to fire just wide. The four additional minutes couldn’t deliver the goal, despite substitute Olivia Vanderlaan beating Yamahata and firing a shot across goal in the final move of regulation time.
There was a hint of tiredness as extra time wore on – UNSW wasting a corner into the side netting, and the referee having to intervene to untangle Bishop and UNSW’s Skye Casacchia, whose laces were tangled in a coming-together. The Bulls pushed, Dos Santos turning well to shoot, the resulting corner dealt with well by Nayler with the sun in her eyes. The game was open, flowing and exciting now, and when Jennifer Kokoris lifted in a dangerous cross shot that Bulls keeper Hughes saved, she had no idea that her next contribution would be to concede the free kick that would lead to the opening goal. It looked too far out, surely Hunter wouldn’t try her luck from here, but she connected perfectly with the ball and the shot flew past Nayler into the top left-hand corner of the goal for a world-class grand final strike. The manner of the celebration made some fans think that this was golden goal, but we still had another half of extra time to come.
Karrys-Stahl tried to emulate Hunter from a free kick in a similar position, the shot flying handsomely over the bar, and Daniela Naccari couldn’t throw a boot at a cross to divert the ball in. Karrys-Stahl had already hit a corner disappointingly into the side-netting, but this time goalkeeper Nayler was up for the corner kick. The cross was perfect, Nayler was there, but it was Demi Koulizakis who got the head to it, and she sent the ball past Hughes with 119 minutes on the clock. What drama, such emotion on the field and on the bench, but more was to come as UNSW won another corner within seconds. Nayler wasn’t game to come up for this one, but in an almighty scramble in the Bulls’ penalty area, a suggestion of a handball and a last-ditch goal-line clearance kept the score at 1-1 and the game was destined to be settled on penalties.
While penalties are often considered a lottery, this shoot-out was only going to have one winner. With the impending men’s grand final, and warm-ups taking place behind the goal, the Sydney United players were invited to vacate the area, a win for women’s football! The supreme confidence of the Bulls, with Hunter powering in the first penalty, wasn’t matched by Yamahata who placed her shot too close to Hughes who saved well. Two more superb penalties from the Bulls sandwiched a drilled penalty by Channing that just crept in, and by the time Naccari stepped up, she knew she had to score to save the game. Her short run up and placed shot offered a simple save for Hughes and the celebrations could now resume for the Bulls, taking out the Championship grand final in dramatic fashion. The celebrations were lengthy as the trophy was hoisted, and the wins continued as the celebrations totally overshadowed the entrance of the men’s teams for the second game of the double-header.
Congratulations to Bulls FC Academy for securing a second straight premiership and championship double, but they did it the hard way today, taken right to the end by a spirited UNSW team. NPL Women’s football in NSW is over for 2026, and with a number of these players in A-League action, we should expect the quality of the women’s game to be on the surge. Special mention to Liz Barwick-Grey for a commanding performance at the heart of the Bulls defence, and also to Aya Yamahata of UNSW who will be disappointed to have missed her spot kick in an otherwise flawless display.
Bulls FC Academy : Hughes, Phillips, Ferris, Barwick-Grey, Valletta, Souza , Naeimi Meli, Jynaya Dos Santos, Hunter , Guichon Substitutes: Vanderlaan, Hawkins, Bishop, Simonsen, Franklin, Surjan, Harpur.
Goals: Hunter 105’
UNSW FC : Nayler, Karrys-Stahl, Puxty, Yamahata, Channing, Koulizakis, Moreno, Smith, Collins, Lemon, Hristodoulou. Substitutes: Singh, Casacchia, Hammond, Kokoris, Burton, Naccari Vais, Kokoris, Naccari.
Goals: Koulizakis 120’
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