Stade Boréale's atmosphere was notable even before kickoff and became celebratory by the final whistle.

The Montréal Roses showed up for their home opener on Saturday night, dismantling reigning champions Vancouver Rise 4-0, proving that this side could become one of the early teams to beat in the Northern Super League.

From the opening minutes, Montreal looked sharper and far more clinical. Vancouver controlled more possession throughout the evening, finishing with 56 percent of the ball, but the Roses controlled almost everything else. They outshot Rise FC 16-7, held a 7-1 advantage in shots on target, and consistently punished Vancouver whenever space opened up in transition.

Elyse Bennett opened the scoring in the 13th minute, continuing her strong start to the season. The move started with former Vancouver Rise midfielder Lisa Pechersky, who faced her old club for the first time since helping Rise FC lift the inaugural Diana B. Matheson Cup last November. Pechersky floated a dangerous cross into the box, and Bennett rose to guide her header past Morgan McAslan.

Vancouver tried to respond quickly through Camila Reyes and Maithé López, whose link-up play occasionally threatened Montreal's back line, but the visitors struggled to turn possession into clear chances. Their best moments often ended before truly testing Anna Karpenko, who collected her second consecutive clean sheet to open the season.

While Rise FC enjoyed spells of possession, Montreal always looked more dangerous.

Tanya Boychuk nearly doubled the lead midway through the first half with an audacious flick that looped narrowly over the crossbar. She would not have to wait much longer. Right before halftime, following a corner sequence, the ball dropped inside the box, and Boychuk reacted quickest to poke home Montreal's second goal.

The timing felt brutal for Vancouver. The response after halftime made things worse.

Just three minutes into the second half, Bennett turned provider, sending a dangerous cross that bounced off the crossbar before falling perfectly for Boychuk to head home from close range and make it 3-0.

At that point, the match felt over.

Vancouver pushed numbers forward in search of a response and briefly showed more attacking intent during the final half hour. Quinn came closest with a long-range effort that deflected safely into Karpenko's hands, while substitute Josie Longhurst nearly found a late consolation goal from the edge of the box. But Montreal's defensive structure rarely looked unsettled.

Instead, the Roses delivered one final moment for the home crowd.

In the 85th minute, Noémi Paquin won possession high up the pitch and lofted the ball into the net to complete the 4-0 victory, sending Stade Boréale into celebration mode.

Beyond the result itself, the evening carried a greater sense of occasion for women's football in Québec. The upgraded stadium, the halftime performance of 'L'Année des Roses' and the coordinated PixMob light display during player introductions helped create an atmosphere that felt bigger than a regular-season match.

Montreal head coach Robert Rositoiu praised both the discipline and mentality of his squad afterwards.

"We held our foundations and built on what was working," he said. "What I take from today is our ability to be a complete team — disciplined across all four moments of the game."

Rositoiu pointed out the mentality growing within the squad early in the season.

"These are players who don't let anything go, who work hard and who are always looking to score the next goal," he said. "In the big moments, they rise and show their character."

Two games into the season, that character is already becoming obvious.

An added layer to Elyse Bennett's performance was her father, former NFL running back Edgar Bennett, a Super Bowl winner with the Green Bay Packers, who now works as an assistant coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars, being present in the stands. Bennett has often spoken about the work ethic and resilience that both of her parents instilled in her growing up, especially after battling multiple ACL injuries earlier in her career.

On a night where she scored and helped drive Montreal's attack forward, something was fitting about that family connection sitting quietly in the background. It goes to show that performances like this rarely happen without years of sacrifice from people long before the spotlight arrives.

The Roses now sit at 2-0-0 and look full of confidence heading into next weekend's road trip to Toronto. For Vancouver, back-to-back losses after winning the inaugural season will mean trying to regroup and bounce back ahead of a difficult stretch that includes upcoming matches against Ottawa Rapid FC and Halifax Tides FC.

The two clubs will meet again at Stade Boréale on May 30, although after Saturday night, Vancouver already knows the challenge that awaits them.