Manly United Women face the Mariners

Manly United face off against NPL2 side the Central Coast Mariners this Sunday afternoon at Cromer Park in a trial match that our girls should be heavily favoured to win. Kick-off is at 3pm.

Manly come into this clash on the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Blacktown Spartans last weekend. For the Mariners, they were a top four side last season in NPL2 and conceded just seven goals in total.

One player who will be confident of breaking down the opposition’s defence is 21-year-old Tegan Biasi. Against the Spartans, she struck in her first goal since coming back from an ACL injury. Given that she scored three goals in the season prior to her injury, there’s absolutely no reason she can’t use the Mariners as another stepping stone to getting back to her best form.

Sophie Nenadovic is another player who will be relied upon heavily for MUFC throughout this period. The 22-year-old defender managed to get her side out of danger on numerous occasions against the Spartans and with every side wanting to beat Manly, her defensive tendencies will be needed against a fast-paced Mariners team.

While the Central Coast may be in NPL2, former Sydney FC W-League coach Dan Barrett is their head coach and is capable of causing Tom Hopley and his girls a few headaches.

Look for Hopley to counteract this by having experienced players such as Caitlyn Jarvie and Emily Minett positioned smartly in the Midfield so that if the Mariners get on the counterattack, they’ll be well placed to track back and help out their teammates in defence.

With all the talent and all the goals Manly United possess, it’s exceedingly difficult to envision the Central Coast beating them.