Vancouver Rise FC left it until the very last moment, with a dramatic stoppage-time winner from Jessica De Filippo that completed a 2-1 comeback victory over Halifax Tides FC on Saturday night at Swangard Stadium.

From the opening whistle, Rise looked determined to get back to winning ways. A recent run of losses had put a dent in the team’s momentum and potentially their playoff hopes, but the inaugural champions came out with urgency, looking like a side determined to change the narrative. 

Rise had an opportunity to take the lead within the opening two minutes. Jessica De Filippo found herself at the edge of the six-yard box with an early chance, but her first-time effort sailed over the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, Anna Bout slipped Anaïs Oularbi down the left flank. Oularbi cut the ball back into the area for De Filippo, but the forward's sliding attempt arrived just a fraction too late.

Halifax, meanwhile, offered a reminder that Rise could not afford to switch off.

Julia Benati forced a superb reaction save from Morgan McAslan from close range, with the Rise goalkeeper getting down to deny the initial effort before smothering the follow-up.

Eventually though, McAslan could do little to prevent Halifax from taking the lead in the 18th minute. Benati found Rhodes in behind the Rise defence and calmly finished past McAslan to make it 1-0.

Rise continued to search for a response without quite finding the final touch. Bout tried her luck from distance in the 30th minute, but her effort skipped narrowly past the far post.

As the opening half wore on, Vancouver began to find more rhythm. Crosses started arriving from both sides as Rise pushed Halifax deeper and looked for a way back into the contest.

Just before halftime, Myla Ewasiuk met an Oularbi free kick with a header, but Halifax goalkeeper Anika Tóth was well positioned to make the save.

Then came an unusual interruption to an already eventful evening.

The second half did not begin immediately after the halftime break, with a rough patch of turf near the goal requiring repairs before play could resume. The sight of the staff working on the surface in white sneakers added an almost comical footnote to the delay; particularly given the state those shoes were likely to be in afterwards.

Once play finally resumed, Rise wasted little time getting back to work.

Anja Heiner-Møller brought on Latifah Abdu to add another attacking threat, and the substitution nearly paid off immediately. Camila Reyes sent Abdu through on goal, leaving the forward one-on-one with Tóth, but Abdu slipped as she attempted to shoot. The resulting effort lacked the power to beat the recovering defence.

The pressure, though, was beginning to build.

In the 56th minute, Anna Bout delivered from the flank and found De Filippo in the box. This time, there was no hesitation. De Filippo rose to meet the cross and powered her header past Tóth to bring Rise level.

It was the beginning of a sustained Vancouver push for all three points.

Heiner-Møller's side continued to attack, while Halifax increasingly found themselves defending wave after wave. Josie Longhurst nearly completed the turnaround in the 74th minute, producing an audacious attempt from outside the box after popping the ball into the air for a volley.

She got almost everything right: the technique, the power, the vision; but the ball flew just wide.

Seven minutes later, it was Abdu's turn to come agonizingly close. The forward turned past two defenders before unleashing a volley that forced Tóth into a fingertip save.

Then came another near miss for De Filippo. A header was deflected onto the post, denying her what would have been a hat trick and leaving Rise still searching for the breakthrough.

The longer the match went, the more it felt like the winner was either coming or would never arrive.

Rise chose the former.

Deep into additional time, Abdu found space on the left and floated a cross towards the penalty spot. Jess brought the ball under control, took her chance and fired it home, sending Swangard into celebration.

For Heiner-Møller, the comeback was another sign of a team beginning to believe in its ability to fight through difficult moments.

“It builds confidence, of course, that we can make these comebacks,” she said. “But we also started strong. We had that big chance from the beginning, even in the first half, and building on top of that momentum, we came out [strong] in the second half, so it was just a matter of time for us to get that goal.”

The head coach also pointed to the chances that came before the winner, noting that Rise had been “close” and had “hit two crossbars.”

“We felt that it was just about having enough time to put it in,” Heiner-Møller added. “So we have that in the team.”

The result also continued a theme Heiner-Møller has seen throughout what she described as a challenging period for the team.

“You should see how this team is training throughout this whole period, having focus on what’s important right now,” she said. “It’s been a challenging period, and we’re not out of it.”

For De Filippo, who moved to the top of the league's scoring charts with her two-goal performance, individual milestones remained secondary.

“I’m not thinking about it honestly,” she said. “I think this team is needing points, I think we’re needing wins, and that’s what's at the forefront of all our minds.”

Her response was fitting for a night where individual brilliance ultimately served a bigger purpose.

“It was the team’s goal [first], so we keep pushing, we keep going forward,” De Filippo said. “It wasn’t perfect today, but there’s a lot of learning, and I think I was really proud of the team and how they showed up and how we responded, and a lot of people stepping up in different positions.”

The forward also revealed the message that helped drive Rise through the second half: remember who they are.

“I think the message today was to remember the badge, the pride, and the star that’s on our sleeve,” De Filippo said. “There’s a reason we got that star.”

That star represents last season's championship, and for De Filippo, Saturday's comeback was about bringing some of that belief into the current campaign.

“We’ve got to remember that confidence that we had last year and bring it to this year, because we are a great team,” she said. “But if we don’t act like it, then we’re going to get stomped on.”

Vancouver Rise FC now turn their attention to a trip east, facing Ottawa Rapid FC on Saturday, August 22 at 4 p.m. PT. They return to Swangard Stadium the following week to host Calgary Wild FC on Saturday, August 29 at 3 p.m. PT.