Perth RedStar will aim to take a step towards defending their NPLWA – Women’s Top Four Cup when they welcome Perth SC to RedStar Arena on Sunday.
These two sides met at this stage of the competition last year with Carla Bennett’s goal giving RedStar a 1-0 win and it should be close again if this season’s meetings are anything to go by.
RedStar won the last meeting 4-2 after two earlier draws between the teams in the league. The Azzurri, however, prevailed in the Hyundai Women’s State Cup quarter-final back in June, while the pair fought out a thrilling Night Series final in March which saw Perth claim their first piece of silverware in the NPL – Women’s era with victory on penalties.
The winners will go straight through to the Top Four Cup final, to be played at the State Football Centre on Saturday 16 September, while the losers will host the winners of Sunday's other semi-final between Fremantle City and Hyundai NTC in midweek.
NTC will be looking to build on last week's 6-1 State Cup final win over Murdoch University Melville when they go to Hilton Park. Both teams will be without key players, with Freo's Tash Rigby and Georgia Cassidy, Grace Johnston and Tanika Lala from NTC having joined Perth Glory's A-League squad.
This fixture is a repeat of last year’s semi-final which NTC won 2-0. Fremantle, though, will be confident having last month beaten champions RedStar in the final round of the league season, while they also edged NTC 4-3 in the penultimate week of the campaign.
Both of Sunday's semi-finals will be shown live and free on Streamer: https://streamer.com.au/
Fixtures
Sunday 10 September
NPLWA - Women's Top Four Cup
First Team (both 3pm)
Perth RedStar v Perth SC (RedStar Arena)
Fremantle City v Hyundai NTC (Hilton Park)
U21s
Friday 8 September
Hyundai NTC v Fremantle City (E&D Litis Stadium, 6.45pm)
Sunday 10 September
Balcatta Etna v Perth RedStar (RedStar Arena, 1pm)