Week 16 in the Northern Super League brought some mid-season surprises, with two nail-biting games and a surprising loss, showing that the 2nd season is far from over.
Montreal Roses 0-1 Halifax Tides (August 7)
The week started with the second-place Montreal Roses taking on the league-leading Halifax Tides. Halifax have held a considerable lead over the Roses for much of the season, while Montreal have experienced both terrific wins and troubling losses.
The Roses, still without Evelyn Badu, came out ready to fight. The first half demonstrated the Roses' commitment, with Halifax goalkeeper Anika Tóth needing to fend off attempts from Charlotte Bilbault and a penalty from Elyse Bennet. At the same time, the Tides' defence also had to deal with attempts from Mimi Alidou and Lisa Perchersky.
However, the Roses needed to keep on their toes defensively, with Halifax creating chances through Julia Benati and Julianne Vallerand, while Anna Karpenko worked her magic to protect the goal.
It seemed the first half would end 0-0 until Julia Benati took an incredible shot right in front of the goal and managed to squeeze it past Anna Karpenko to give Halifax the lead.
The second half was just as fierce, with yellow cards earned by Halifax's Annika Leslie, Meredith McDermott and Julia Benati, and by Montreal's Lucy Cappadona. The Roses also made several changes, with Hailey Whitaker, Elyse Bennett, Anne Seto and Charlotte Bilbault being replaced by Amandine Pierre-Louis, Noémi Paquin, Olivia Mbala and Chloe Minas. Claire Monyard also came in for Lisa Perchersky.
Unfortunately, the fresh legs were not enough to give the Roses the momentum they needed to tie the match, and the Tides took another victory in what has been a stellar season.
Vancouver Rise 2-3 Calgary Wild (August 8)
Jaw-dropping, those are the only words we can use to describe this match between the Vancouver Rise and Calgary Wild. This was another match where, on paper, the result seemed like a foregone conclusion.
However, when the first half ended tied at 0-0, and Calgary's Teagan Stewart scored the game's first goal from the penalty spot, the energy immediately began to change.
The Rise had to fight to even the score, with Jessica De Filippo scoring in the 56th minute, followed by a second goal in the 65th minute to put Vancouver ahead 2-1.
That seemed like the end for the Wild to everyone but the Calgary side themselves, as they didn't give up or give in. A scrappy second half saw defensive fouls and yellow cards being earned by the Wild, but the game really came to a turning point when the Rise's Tori Tumeth was shown a red card in the 83rd minute.
Using the time and advantage they had left effectively, Calgary kept fighting, with Jorian Baucom scoring in the 90th minute to make it 2-2. With a lengthy period of stoppage time looming, the Wild kept their foot on the pedal, and Keelyn Stewart scored the third and final goal, giving Calgary their first victory of the season.
It was a great day for the Calgary Wild, with plenty for the Vancouver Rise to reflect on.
Ottawa Rapid 2-2 AFC Toronto (August 9)
The Ottawa Rapids and AFC Toronto had been tightly matched in their previous two games, with one draw and a 2-1 Rapids victory, making this a difficult match to predict at TD Place.
Following the trend of energetic and physical games in Week 16, the Rapids took the lead in the 13th minute through Melanie Forbes. AFC Toronto unsuccessfully challenged the goal for offside, but they were able to level the score through Sarah Stratigakis.
The ferocity continued into the second half, with Ottawa's Klaudia Adamek earning a yellow card in the 55th minute.
This was followed by two red cards, with Ottawa's Cloey Uddenberg and AFC Toronto's Choo Hyo-Joo both being sent off.
A second foul from Ottawa's Klaudia Adamek gave AFC Toronto a penalty, with Shelina Zadorsky making no mistake from the spot to give Toronto the lead in the 77th minute.
The game was far from done, however, as both teams continued to apply pressure. In the 91st minute, Ottawa's Nicola Golen found the equalizer to make it 2-2.
It was a fitting end to three exciting games in the Northern Super League, bringing us into Week 17.
Looking ahead
Calgary Wild FC vs. Ottawa Rapid (August 15)
The Calgary Wild, coming off their unexpected victory, will take on the Ottawa Rapid. The question is whether the Wild can prove their win wasn't just luck, while Ottawa will need to work without Cloey Uddenberg on the field.
Vancouver Rise vs. Halifax Tides (August 15)
A bruised Vancouver Rise will take on the Halifax Tides. Will the Rise show that they still have the energy that made them Season 1 champions, or will they be swept away by the Halifax Tide?
AFC Toronto vs. Montreal Roses (August 16)
The Montreal Roses and AFC Toronto both have one victory and one draw in their recent match history, so the question is which side will come out with the most momentum in their next matchup.
