NPLW fans have been treated to some surprises and stand-out performances in the opening month and a half, who will walk away with the three points this week?
Box Hill United v FC Bulleen Lions
7:30 pm, Friday 28 April, Wembley Park
Who can recover from their Round 6 defeat?
Box Hill remains in the bottom two, following its fourth consecutive loss of the season.
In Round 6, Box Hill succumbed to South Melbourne 1-0 with the reigning NPLW Golden Boot winner Danielle Wise scoring the only goal.
Bulleen will need to keep an eye on Box Hill forward Asuka Doi as she was once again her side's best in defeat, her creativity was a highlight throughout the match, although she was unable to add to her five-goal tally for the season. Anais Josefski was also lively last week and will once again be a threat against Bulleen.
Bulleen Lions fell to seventh on the NPLW ladder, after going down to Bayside United 2-0.
The Lions were overwhelmed by Bayside's attack, as the home side piled on 13 shots on target to two. The weight of numbers proved too much with Bayside able to break down Bulleen with two goals in the last ten minutes of play.
Caitlin O'Bryan tried her heart out in defense, and will need to be at her best again if she is going to contain the in-form Box Hill attackers.
Box Hill may have only won one game so far in 2023, but have the equal-third best attack with 11 goals, however, its defence is a concern as they rank last for goals against with 17.
Bulleen claimed a massive 5-0 victory against Box Hill in Round 16 last season, Lia Privitelli was the Lions' best with two goals.
Preston Lions v FV Emerging
8:15 pm, Friday 28 April, B.T. Connor Reserve
Can Preston continue its impressive run?
The Preston Lions remain the top two following a 1-1 draw with Heidelberg in Round 6.
Preston only conceded its third goal of the season last week, making them by far the best defence in the league and a tough task for the young Emerging side.
The Lions will be hoping midfielder Georgia Henderson can control the midfield as she did last week against Heidelberg, as she provided her side a presence all game in the middle of the park.
Emerging's defence will have its hands full this week as the ever-reliable Melinda Camilleri scored her second goal in two weeks and third for the season against the Bergers last week and will create plenty of headaches for Emerging up front alongside Rachel Stirton.
Alamein handed FV Emerging its first defeat in a month last week, ending a three-game unbeaten run.
Forward Alana Cortellino has been on fire lately, scoring two weeks in a row, earning a TOTW nomination. Ehva Gutszmit and Anika Dovaston have been in good form of late and will need to be switched on if they are going to overcome Preston's midfield led by Miri Nishimura.
Emerging plays a free-flowing brand of football and has gotten into a habit of getting into a shoot-out, averaging 5.2 goals scored across its five matches thus far. If Emerging can break the Preston defence, we will have a game on our hands.
Calder United v Heidelberg United
3:00 pm, Saturday 29 April, Keilor Park Recreation Reserve
Can the Bergers continue its momentum?
Heidelberg remained in touch with the top of the table after coming away with a point against Preston.
Nicole Blackett will once again look to control the midfield battle, as she did against the Lions, while Steph Galea scored her fifth goal of the season last week and will look to add a sixth against Calder.
Calder United remains in ninth position on the ladder, despite an impressive showing against the ladder-leading Eagles.
Alexis Mitchell played her best game for the season through the midfield, the U.S. import was named in the TOTW for her efforts.
Keiwa Hidea also scored her first goal of the season, a reward for her input this season.
Calder United defeated Heidelberg 2-1 when they last met with Alana Cerne and Emma Robers finding the back of the net.
Southern United v Boroondara Eagles
5:45 pm, Saturday 29 April, Selandra Recreation Reserve
Can Southern pull off an almighty upset?
Southern United remain winless after six rounds, but after the bye last week they may be refreshed and ready to cause an upset.
After a scoreless opening two rounds, Kiera Meyers opened her sides account for the season with a nice strike in Round 3, with their only other goal for the season coming in Round 5 with a long-range free-kick.
Southern will need to find another outlet to goal if they are to claim a point this week, but scoring won't be the biggest concern as the Eagles have scored 16 goals (NPLW #1), while they are ranked second-last for goals against.
Boroondara claimed its fourth victory of the season last week against a spirited Calder United outfit.
Kurea Okino continued continues to dominate the league and doesn't look like slowing down with another two goals last week, to take her to 12 for the season, while Mawa Sumaoro also got on the scoresheet against Calder and will look to add to her tally.
Rebecca Lim was her reliable best in the defence, keeping out the dangerous Calder forwards, while Hayley Geurts was her side's best through the midfield.
The last time these sides faced off was in the 2022 VPLW Semi-Final with Boroondara running away 3-1 winners.
South Melbourne v Alamein
1:30 pm, Sunday 30 April, Lakeside Stadium
Which dangerous attack will prevail?
Following a two-week stretch without a win, Alamein was back on the winners list with a comfortable victory over FV Emerging.
Midfielder Sidney Allen has had an outstanding season to date and will once again lead the midfield against the seasoned South Melbourne outfit.
Chinatisu Shidara was a rock in defence last week but will be up against it this week as she faces the challenge of containing Danielle Wise and Tayla Christensen.
Sarah O'Donoghue played her best game of the season through midfield last week, scoring a phenomenal goal from outside the box, and will look to partner up with Allen to form a formidable partnership.
South will need to put in work to stop Rebecca Saber who has been in good scoring form, while Elaina Vatcky has also looked dangerous.
South Melbourne moved into the top four after clinching the three points against Box Hill.
2022 NPLW Golden Boot winner Danielle Wise proved the difference in the one-goal victory, scoring her second goal for the season with a tidy finish into the bottom corner.
With Box Hill continuing to push for the equaliser, it was defenders Brianne Reed and Kiara Hronopoulos who stood up in South's time of need, earning their place in the TOTW.
The two sides couldn't be split the last time they met with their 2022 Round 17 match ending in a 2-2 draw