McMahon Stadium will be rocking on Saturday evening as Calgary Wild host Montreal Roses to wrap up the opening weekend of the 2026 NSL season.
In five meetings last season, this fixture was defined by defensive dominance, with every match ending in a clean sheet. Roses claimed three wins by scores of 2-0, 2-0, and 5-0, while Wild FC earned two victories of 1-0 and 2-0.
Allie Hess is set to face her former club for the first time since joining Wild FC, having made regular appearances for Roses last season while scoring twice and logging over 1,800 minutes.
Wild FC enter the new campaign with changes on the touchline, as head coach Lydia Bedford departed after just one season. Interim boss Sinéad McSharry now takes charge. After a difficult inaugural campaign in 2025 that saw the club miss the playoffs, score just 1.04 goals per match, and concede 42, the Owls will be hoping for improvement. New goalkeeper Katelin Talbert, who brings experience from the United States and Europe, is expected to help shore up the defence, while Calgary native Mya Jones adds further intrigue after previously featuring with Calgary Foothills and San Diego Wave.
The Roses arrive following a good 2025 season that saw them finish fourth with a 10-6-9 record before falling to AFC Toronto in the playoff semifinals. Edmonton native Tanya Boychuk, who led the team with eight goals, returns as a key figure after earning national team call-ups with Ukraine, while new signing Lisa Pechersky adds further quality after playing a role in Vancouver Rise’s championship-winning campaign.
Projected XIs
Calgary Wild FC (4-3-3): Katelin Talbert; Talia White, Tilly James, Meikayla Moore, Grace Stordy; Allie Hess, Meggie Dougherty-Howard, Caleigh Boeckx; Kahli Johnson, Serita Thurton, Taegan Stewart
Montreal Roses (4-3-3): Anna Karpenko; Hailey Whitaker, Stephanie Hill, Mégane Sauvé, Lucy Cappadona; Charlotte Bilbault, Evelyn Badu, Lisa Pechersky; Noemi Paquin, Elyse Bennett, Tanya Boychuk
Game information and how to watch
📆 Saturday, April 25, 2026
⏰ 7:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm MT
📺 TSN, RDS
🧑⚖️ TBD
🏟 McMahon Stadium, Calgary, Canada
