There was no shortage of effort from Vancouver Rise on Saturday afternoon, but effort alone wasn't enough as an unfortunate own goal handed Halifax Tides FC a 1-0 victory at Swangard Stadium.
It was a frustrating afternoon for the Rise, who finished the match on the front foot and created several late opportunities, only to leave empty-handed.
Halifax made the brighter start, forcing Morgan McAslan into action within the opening minutes. The Rise goalkeeper stood tall, producing a pair of important saves to keep the visitors from taking an early lead.
As the opening exchanges settled, Vancouver gradually found their rhythm.
Anaïs Oularbi delivered a dangerous free kick into the penalty area after 10 minutes, with Jessica De Filippo stretching to turn it goalward. Halifax goalkeeper Anika Toth reacted quickly, using an outstretched heel to deny what looked like a certain opener.
The Rise continued to threaten from set pieces. Quinn floated a corner to the back post where Tori Tumeth rose highest, but her header came from too tight an angle and was comfortably gathered by Toth.
Camila Reyes also came close midway through the first half. Her free kick from the edge of the box took a deflection behind for a corner before she later sent a left-footed half-volley curling just over the crossbar.
Neither side managed to find a breakthrough before halftime, although Perrault nearly forced one herself. The winger burst past her defender down the right before drilling a dangerous cross into the six-yard box that a Halifax defender could only clear over her own crossbar.
The opening 45 minutes ended goalless while the halftime break also provided an emotional moment as inaugural Northern Super League champion Mariah Lee was recognized following her announcement earlier this week that she is retiring from professional football to pursue a law degree at NYU.
Vancouver emerged after the break with greater intent.
Anna Bout delivered an inviting cross that De Filippo nearly glanced inside the near post, giving the home crowd hope that the breakthrough was coming.
Instead, the decisive moment went the other way.
Just minutes later, Halifax won a corner and as the ball flashed into the six-yard box, De Filippo's attempted clearance inadvertently found the back of her own net, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The goal was a cruel twist for a player who has quickly become one of Vancouver's brightest attacking threats.
To their credit, the Rise refused to let their heads drop.
Substitute Racquel Partovi injected energy into the attack, cutting inside in the 80th minute before forcing Toth into an excellent save with a curling effort destined for the top corner.
The chances kept coming. Partovi then saw a diving effort drift wide before De Filippo headed into the side netting in the closing moments as Vancouver threw everyone forward in search of an equalizer.
Despite the late pressure, the breakthrough never came.
Head coach Anja Heiner-Møller admitted her side fell short of their standards.
"We're not happy about this performance, to be honest," she said. "We're lucky that we play again Wednesday. Physically, that's a tough one with the injuries we've had, but mentally it's really nice that we can come out and change things already Wednesday."
While disappointed with the result, Heiner-Møller took encouragement from the way her players finished the match.
"The energy we ended the match with was a positive note," she said. "We were trying our best and creating chances, and I think that's the way we want to start games. That mentality at the end is how we're supposed to begin, and we're going to use that for the next game."
With the league entering its second half, the Danish coach insisted there is still plenty left to play for.
"We use the table as motivation because we know we can impact it," she said. "It's a long tournament, we're only halfway through, so there are lots of games and points still available. We just need to stick together and focus on the next game because we know what we're capable of."
Defender Tori Tumeth echoed her coach's disappointment, describing the performance as one the group needs to learn from.
The defender believes the defeat should serve as an important reminder heading into the team's quick turnaround.
"Everyone was quite disappointed. It's a bit of a wake-up call," she said. "We wanted to build momentum, and today we didn't really show up. We'll have another opportunity on Wednesday to fix everything that wasn't there today because I think a lot of what went wrong came down to our mindset. We were a step behind and didn't compete physically, especially in the first half."
The Rise won't have long to dwell on the disappointment. With another match just days away, they'll have an immediate opportunity to respond and put Saturday's frustrating defeat behind them.
