As we race closer to finals season, the teams of the NSL are tussling for the coveted spots in the Finals Berth. It was a week of hot temperatures and tempers in three wild games for the NSL.
Vancouver Rise 0-1 Halifax Tides (September 5, 2026)
This was a critical match for both teams as they clawed their way into the fourth finals spot, so it had to be all in. We almost had a goal from the Rise’s Alex Lamontagne, stopped by Anika Tóth. Countering, the Tides had a very close chance after Jubes Vallerand took the ball upfield, passing to Sydney Kennedy, and then a cross from Kennedy to Jordyn Rhodes, who was not able to complete the shovel kick into goal.
It was back and forth for most of the first half, but everyone could see the pressure building in the 35th minute when So-Hyun Cho from the Tides grabbed Alex Lamontagne’s hand, breaking Lamontagne’s momentum. It was some tense chest-bumping that had to be extinguished by the ref, with Cho So-Hyun and Alex Lamontagne both earning yellows for the exchange.
In stoppage time, Rhodes shot into the Rise’s goal, with the ball landing safely in Jessica Wulf’s arms, and the half ended with a 0-0 tie.
At the start of the second half, both teams made some switch-ups. For the Tides, J. Benati took the field as midfielder, as K. Lemire came off. Later in the half, for the Vancouver Rise, Josie Longhurst joined the field as midfielder for Chloe Reyes; defender K. Hansen was swapped for C. Swaby in her debut game; and A. François took over forward from Alex Lamontagne.
With fresh legs on the field, the Vancouver Rise were determined to get the winning goal, but the Halifax Tides were not giving up. Latifah Abdu made some fierce attacks on the Tides' goal, but was just not able to make the connection. In the 78th minute, Vancouver Rise had a free kick from a foul by Jordyn Vallerand, giving the Vancouver Rise a near chance. A. Oularbi took the shot but was just a little bit off, missing the goal with a high kick.
The tense, chippy game was finally won by the Halifax Tides literally in the last minute when Julia Benati spotted that Jessica Wulf was far enough out of the goal for her to take a long-distance shot. Driving the ball from midfield, Julia Benati was able to arch the ball beautifully into the goal, leaving the score at 0-1. A tough, hard-won win for the Halifax Tides, and a bitter defeat for the Vancouver Rise.
Ottawa Rapid 2-3 Montreal Roses (September 6, 2026)
It was the clash of the champions this weekend as the Ottawa Rapids faced off with league-leader rivals the Montreal Roses in front of 17,000 fans. Just as the Vancouver Rise and Halifax Tides were vying for the fourth spot in the league, the Rapids and the Roses were ready to prove who deserved the top spot.
Right from the start, however, there was a change-up on Ottawa's usual roster as DB Pridham was out due to injury.
In the first three minutes, the Montreal Roses' Hailey Whitticker got the cross in to Elyse Bennett, who was virtually uncovered and right in front of the Ottawa Rapids' net, and easily set herself up and delivered for the first goal of the match.
Meanwhile, back at the Montreal Roses' net, Ottawa Rapids' Florence Belzile made a drive for the net, only to be forced to jump over a diving Anna Karpenko, who tackled the ball and took possession back for the Montreal Roses.
The risk paid off as the Roses drove the ball upfield, Elyse Bennett taking possession and making the cross to Lisa Perchersky, who set the ball and shot, earning the second Montreal Roses goal of the game, putting the score at 0-2. Notably, it was a fantastic moment of teamwork as while Mimi Alidou was in line with Lisa Perchersky, she deferred to Perchersky’s skill, allowing the Montreal Roses to take a solid lead.
Not to be left behind in the first half, the Ottawa Rapids fought back, working to put pressure right back on the Montreal Roses. M. Forbes was able to take possession of the ball at the Montreal Roses' end, saving it from going out and crossing it to Johanne Fridlund, who managed to messily but surely put the ball in, putting the score at 1-2 at the 30-minute mark. After some tense tangling, the first half ended with the score at 1-2, and it was still anyone's game.
In the second half, Ottawa Rapids came out ready to prove that they were down and not out. Montreal Roses' Hailey Whitaker had a very close call with a yellow card on Nicola Golen for a shirt grab, which gave the opportunity for the Ottawa Rapids' corner kick. Fortunately, the scramble in the middle allowed the Montreal Roses the chance to get the ball clear of the goal.
As fresh legs were brought out onto the field, Montreal Roses' Evelyn Badu was brought on for Charlotte Bilbaut as a midfielder. Play immediately heated up again as Keira Melehorst took the cross in, dribbled for one moment, and then launched the ball off into the Roses' net right off her laces, bringing the score to 2-2.
With 25 minutes to go and the score tied, both teams were on fire. Both teams made serious attempts and saves, with everyone working to defend and take possession. In the 87th minute, Mimi Alidou crossed the ball to Evelyn Badu, who took the ball but, realizing she had a two-on-one press, passed the ball to N. Paquin, who delivered the ball right into the net, bringing the score to 2-3. It was a show of fantastic coordination, and a sure sign of how the Montreal Roses have grown this season.
As the clock ticked to the final moments, the whistle was finally blown, with Montreal still in the lead and keeping the first-place position, with the Ottawa Rapids now trailing four points behind.
AFC Toronto 0-0 Calgary Wild (September 6, 2026)
While the Calgary Wild are still trailing far behind in last place in the league, AFC Toronto is still comfortably settled in third place. However, with nine weeks to go, everyone still needs to be in it to win it.
For Toronto, there were some changes with the lineup as Kaylee Hunter and Olivia Chisholm were absent due to a call-up at the U-20 FIFA World Cup, with Lauren Rowe and Lena Silano taking their places. Chloe Uddenberg also returned from suspension, rejoining the starting lineup.
For Calgary Wild, Frédérique St-Jean had her first start of the year.
AFC Toronto had vibrant tenacity in the first half and absolutely dominated the Calgary Wild.
Early in the first half, Lauren Rowe took a shot which went just by the far post. AFC Toronto also had multiple chances from corner kicks, but were never quite able to land the ball in the net. Lauren Rowe demonstrated how she has been a true asset, as she brought the ball up to the goal, but with a two-player press on her, delivered it to Lena Silano, who shot the ball, but unfortunately it went wide. Another impressive moment was team captain Nikki Smalls fighting her way from being nearly driven off bounds with the ball by two Calgary Wild players, but able to regain her footing and pass on the ball, keeping control.
Sarah Zadorsky had the shot from distance, but bounced the ball off the top of the net, which was just one of many attempts for AFC Toronto in the first half. The Calgary Wild were kept largely on the back foot until the last few minutes of the first half, with a shot from Baucom that was easily caught by the Tides goalie. The opening half closed at 0-0.
The second half began, and again, AFC Toronto was ready to dominate and put the heat right on Calgary Wild, who, to their credit, put numbers on defence to protect their goal. In the 65th minute, there was a great fight from Calgary Wild’s K. Johnson and Serita Thurton, who took the ball to the net in tandem and took multiple shots until finally AFC Toronto’s D’Angelo was able to catch the ball.
In return, Lauren Rowe showed herself to be a danger with a breakaway in the 66th minute, barely stopped by Calgary Wild’s Sarah Keilty-Dilling, who made a brave dive for the ball. Following this, though, you could hear boos from the AFC fans as Nikki Smalls went down, but there was no call on the play.
Meanwhile, Baucom came down the field and had a shot, but was stopped by D’Angelo, who cleared the ball with a sliding kick. It was a rough push and pull between both teams, between fouls and attempted goals, until the final whistle, where the score still sat 0-0.
Round-up
What we can take away from these games is a critical lesson on adapting, not only when the pressure is high, but when players are missing.
The Ottawa Rapids put on a brave game but were not the same without DB Pridham, and meanwhile, the Montreal Roses, being almost at full roster, made them particularly deadly.
The Vancouver Rise absolutely suffered without their captain Quinn, who was out with injuries, despite showing an admirable display of talent.
Lastly, we had AFC Toronto and the Calgary Wild. No one should doubt Lena Silano’s talent, but in terms of scoring, Kaylee Hunter was definitely missed. Meanwhile, Teagan Stewart, who normally is a real asset to the Calgary Wild, left the team lacking.
Every player on the field showed excellent effort and keen skill, but cohesion matters. Hopefully, as each team goes back to take a few days' break, they’ll assess and fill those gaps in how to work when different players are missing.
Coming up
Montreal Roses vs AFC Toronto at Stade Boréale (Thursday, September 10, 2026)
The number three AFC Toronto takes on the new league leaders. Will the Montreal Roses be able to beat the curse of the home-game loss, or will AFC Toronto slow Montreal’s ascent to finals glory?
Calgary Wild vs Halifax Tides at McMahon Stadium (Saturday, September 12, 2026)
While the Calgary Wild may still be in last place, they can definitely put a dent in the other teams' season. The Halifax Tides have only a slim lead over the Vancouver Rise, so they can’t afford to lose this game.
Vancouver Rise vs Ottawa Rapids at Swangard Stadium (Sunday, September 13, 2026)
The Vancouver Rise need this win to claw back into a chance at the finals berth, and Ottawa Rapids need this win to keep from being overtaken by AFC Toronto for second place. In this huge shift in the standings, how will the cards fall as we move towards the finals?
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