Two red cards and a composed stoppage-time equaliser: NPLW NNSW

It was the second time in three outings that Magic had found a goal in stoppage time - Lilly-Jane Babic sealed a 3-2 win over New Lambton in round one.

The equaliser, in the 96^th minute, came after trailing 1-0 at half-time then going a player down eight minutes into the second half following Adriana Konjarski's send-off for two yellow card offences.

McNabb, who is headed to the United States in July to play college football with the University of North Carolina at Asheville, stepped up to take the spot kick after being fouled in the penalty area by Azzurri's Chloe Cattley and confidently placed the ball into the bottom left corner to seal a 1-1 draw.

"We were pushing and pushing to get the equaliser and chances were coming one after another but we weren't taking them," Nikfarjam said.

"I kept looking at my watch and we were in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Mercy went down.

"It takes a lot of courage at that moment, when your team is 1-0 down to take the ball and then kick it so calm into the back of the net."

Playing in their third game in six days, Azzurri took a 1-0 lead in the 30^th minute after Ella Joyce's strike from the top of the box took a deflection past a wrong-footed Magic shot-stopper Imogene Tomasone.

Konjarski, the back-to-back NPLW Northern NSW leading goalscorer, was issued her marching orders in the 53^rd minute after copping a second yellow when she appeared to question the referee following a tangle between Babic and Azzurri's Lori Depczynski in the penalty area.

"We played nearly 45 minutes with one less player," Nikfarjam said. "The girls displayed the true character of a winning team, the true character of people who don't give up. They fought all the way to the final whistle."

Azzurri coach Heath Whyte rued his side's failure to capitalise on having the lead and an extra player but was overall pleased to take four points from a gruelling opening week to their 2024 campaign.

"We stood up, we had a cracking game and I'm proud of them," Whyte said.

"We're a young team. We're in a year of rebuild and we're only three games in and already we've put a couple of teams on notice that probably expected to roll us quite comfortably."

The goals were shared around as Adamstown posted their first win of the season, beating Mid Coast 5-0 at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night.

Rosebud led 2-0 at the break after Mid Coast conceded an own goal then Tori Johnson scored from long range. Eva Donnelly, Tanya Jones and Danielle McSeveny also got on the scoresheet.

On Sunday, Newcastle Olympic seized the outright lead with a third straight victory. They beat New Lambton 6-1 win at Alder Park while Maitland routed Warners Bay 9-0 at John Street Oval.

New Lambton, who led 1-0 after Tara Andrews scored in the 14^th minute and were locked 1-1 at the break, finished the game with 10 players after centre-back Hannah Bourke was sent off in the 84^th minute after a second yellow card offence.

Both yellow cards were issued for challenges on Olympic players.

Jemma House scored from the penalty spot in the 45^th minute to lock the score at 1-1 after teammate Elodie Dagg had a spot kick denied by Golden Eagles shot-stopper Ally Boertje in the 31^st minute following a handball in the box.

The second penalty was awarded after Bourke knocked Danielle Nicol flying with a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge.

Dagg did, however, get on the scoresheet in the second half before House completed a match brace. Kiera Bainsfair also scored too and Brooke Summers found the back of the net late.

Bronte Peel produced a five-goal haul for the Magpies at John Street Oval. Sophie Stapleford scored a double, including a penalty, in her first appearance of the season. Georgia Amess and Alesha Clifford also netted goals.