Analytical pieces have a trend of being long so we will rush this one so you can get the idea quickly of what's gone down in the league so far ahead of our GW8 preview tomorrow. We will start with an overall summary from TheNWFL data crew.
Overall Summary
Rivers Angels boast the best attacking record, scoring 18 times in seven games. Remo Stars Ladies and Edo Queens had the best defensive records, conceding just three goals in seven games.
150 goals were recorded this season, making it the largest scoring midseason in recent years and GW5 recorded the lowest goal count with 15 goals. Bolaji Olamide (Remo Stars Ladies) remains the only player to score in all seven games this season. She also leads the goal-scoring chart with nine goals at midseason.
A total of five hat-tricks were recorded, featuring Afesinmi Omon (Adamawa Queens), Mary Lucky (Abia Angels), Mary Moses (Rivers Angels), and Kafayat Bashiru (Remo Stars Ladies). Abia Angels’ Mary Lucky recorded two hat-tricks, the most by any player so far. She found the net three times against Confluence Queens (3-0) and Dannaz Ladies (4-1).
Out of 56 matches, 10 ended in Draws, Home sides won 62.5% of the game,, with the Away teams left with just 11 wins.
Remo Stars Ladies have the most points (19/21), asserting themselves as serious contenders. They also secured the most wins (6)
Now that we have done a summary, you can stop here, however, if you want your mind blown or you just enjoy data discussions, dive into the details with us (it'll be brief as well).
Goal Difference Across the League
Here's how the teams stack up when compared by goal difference across the league.
Minutes Played Per Instance of Goal Difference
With over 630 minutes of football played per team in TheNWFL this season, Edo Queens have not been behind at any point during a game this season. They have also spent the most match minutes being ahead with ~50% of minutes played (same as Rivers Angels)
When are the Teams Scoring?
Sefiat Idris 90+4 winner against Delta in GW1 remains the latest matchwinner and the only goal scored after the 90-minute mark. FC Robo come alive in the last 30 minutes of games; Rivers and RSL settle matters early in the second half but Edo Queens strive to finish things up in the first 60 minutes of their games. Ibom Angels are also another early boomer. Here's a breakdown of when the teams have been scoring this season.
When are the Teams Conceding?
Benue and Confluence Queens often concede very early in either half, with a combined 18 goals conceded in the first 15 minutes of either half. Adamawa Queens defense only often hold the first phase of either half, conceding the most goals in the last 15 minutes of either half when compared across the league. For FC Robo, though the first half isn't exactly great but it's how they start the second halves that's doing the most damage.
Goals Trend
This season has been a goalfest! It's the largest scoring season at midseason but one big story here is that the lowest scoring gameweek this season tallied at 15 Goals. That number is more than 41.46% of those recorded in the last 82 gameweeks in the league. A period stretching about seven seasons. With definitely more goals to come, will the numbers dip or rise even further?
Attack-Versus-Defense
Barring a surprising decline from any of the top teams, the battle in each group for the final spots in the Championship Playoffs would be an interesting one. At the moment, FC Robo and Abia Angels look like they have an edge. Robo are among the Top 5 performing teams so far but like Adamawa Queens, they are quite shaky in defense when compared to the rest of their group, making them look like outliers. Abia Angels also leapfrog the chasing cluster slightly, while Confluence and Benue Queens are too far up in the wrong corners.
PS: Just look at the goal average in Group B! It's higher than the League Average.
Clean Sheets
Last season, Nasarawa Amazons (H7, A4) and Confluence Queens (H6, A5) had the most clean sheets with 11. This season, Nasarawa Amazons are again in the mix but this time so are Bayelsa Queens, a resilient Abia Angels and the unstoppable RSL side from Ikenne.
The plot of clean sheets also tells the story of how the season has been so far. The double peak on Away Games just shows that clean sheets are hard to come by on the road. Most teams don't get it, and only a few have managed 1. The story is slightly better when the teams play at home with some activity around the 2 and 3 clean sheets count. Looking at the season so far, the curve spreads wide, highlighting the disparities in attacking and defensive prowess we've seen all season. Some teams keep very few clean sheets, while others dominate defensively. It would be interesting to see what happens by the end of the regular season.
League Positions Across Gameweeks
Here is a zoom in on some of your favorite The NWFL teams over the years:
- Abia Angels
Abia Angel's rise under Coach Adanna is nothing short of breathtaking. This season, they have shrugged off their opening day disappointment and equaled their best finish in the past three seasons after seven weeks. Their trajectory this season is also similar to that of FC Robo Queens last season and are currrent third in Group A.
Will they make the Championship Playoffs?
- Confluence Queens
Theirs is a story of mixed fortunes. After a 2023/24 season that was a sharp contrast to the 2022/23 campaign, the Kogi-based teams are going to bite the dust this season after a relegation-bound performance in the past seven weeks. The big questions remain: can they stay up?
- Delta Queens
Delta Queens have struggled to reproduce the title-winning form with dips every season since then. They were the biggest beneficiaries of the GW6 shakeup this season and seemingly in a good position but with an average performance similar to that of Naija Ratels, they seem to tighten up defensively but are struggling to convert their chances. As such, their current leap in fortunes looks like a bloated rise that might soon fade off.
- Ekiti Queens
Ekiti Queens recently had the home stadium changed from Ekiti to Ilorin. In the league, the team has only collected points whenever they were playing at home. They have lost all games on the road since gaining promotion. This style didn't work last season and almost got them relegated but so far in this new campaign, it's keeping them up. The question now is: how far can a team go winning points just at home? Also, with a change in home venue, is "home" still a place or would this change have a telling effect?
- Heartland Queens
Heartland Queens struggled two seasons ago when they returned to the top-flight league (2022/23) but last season (2023/24) they had a surprising run and went on to the Championship Playoffs. So far this season, they seem to be mirroring their form two seasons ago and every point they can accrue over the next seven gameweeks would be precious to them.
- Nasarawa Amazons
Every season since the last three seasons, the Amazons have had quite the adventure in the first four weeks of their seasons. Every time they ended in the Top 4 after seven weeks, with this season being their lowest finish.
- Naija Ratels
Ratels are one of the beneficiaries of a GW6 shakeup this season and the team also struggles on the road when playing in the league. A fourth-place finish after seven gameweeks this season is their joint-best finish in the last three (3) seasons.
The Road Ahead
With 56 matches down and 56 to go, teams will be pushing harder in the second stanza as they battle for Super Six Playoff spots. Who will fill up the final spots in each group? How far can Ekiti Queens go if they only pick up points in home games, and what will become of Naija Ratels and Abia Angels. Finally, can struggling teams like Benue Queens and Confluence Queens turn things around? Look out for these and more in our subsequent analytical pieces.
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