Vancouver Rise gave the Montreal Roses plenty to think about on Sunday, but their playoff journey came to an end despite a spirited 2–2 draw in the second leg of their NSL semifinal.
Trailing 3–0 from the first meeting, Rise needed an early breakthrough. They nearly found one inside the opening 10 minutes, with Alex Lamontagne sending a low cross towards Latifah Abdu. Montréal defender Gabrielle Lambert got there first, but Vancouver were already showing their intent.
Abdu came even closer in the eighth minute. After finding space outside the box, the forward unleashed a powerful strike that rattled the crossbar and bounced dangerously close to the goal line. Mia Pante was ready to pounce on the rebound, but Montréal managed to clear their lines.
It was the kind of start Vancouver needed. They pressed forward, moved the ball with purpose and looked determined to make the aggregate scoreline a little less comfortable for the hosts.
Abdu had another opportunity in the 22nd minute. Anna Bout picked out a clever chipped pass in behind the Montréal defence, but Abdu's volley drifted away from goal.
For all Vancouver's early pressure, Montréal eventually found their opening. Noémi Paquin made the most of a tight angle in the 39th minute, sending her effort off the far post and into the net to put the Roses ahead on the night.
Vancouver's response was immediate.
Just two minutes later, Jessica De Filippo produced a moment of individual quality to bring Rise level. The NSL Player of the Year collected the ball near the edge of the box, lifted it over her defender and met it with a perfectly timed volley into the top corner. It was a finish worthy of the occasion and exactly the spark Vancouver needed.
There was little time to catch a breath. Abdu found herself one-on-one shortly afterwards, only for Lambert to deny her again. The forward kept pushing and got her reward moments later.
This time, Josie Longhurst supplied the pass. Abdu skipped past Lambert, found herself with the goal at her mercy and calmly finished into an empty net. In the space of a few minutes, Vancouver had turned a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 lead and cut Montréal's aggregate advantage to just one goal.
Suddenly, the tie had a different feel.
Rise returned after the break with the same urgency. They knew another goal would put real pressure on Montréal, and they continued to look for ways through the home side's defence.
Pante nearly provided it in the 56th minute. Tori Tumeth picked out the winger with an excellent diagonal pass, allowing her to cut inside and open up a shooting opportunity. Pante tried to bend the ball into the far corner, but her effort sailed over the crossbar.
De Filippo also came close from a free kick, curling her effort narrowly over the target. She threatened again in the 73rd minute, driving into space down the right before unleashing a knuckling strike that moved just wide.
Vancouver were creating opportunities, but Montréal eventually found the goal that steadied the tie.
In the 77th minute, Tanya Boychuk drove the ball across the face of goal, where Lisa Pechersky arrived to finish and make it 2–2 on the night. The goal restored Montréal's three-goal aggregate cushion and left Vancouver with a difficult task in the closing stages.
Rise continued to push, but the equalizer proved to be the final goal of the evening. Montréal advanced to the NSL Final with a 5–2 aggregate victory, while Vancouver's season ended one step short of the championship match.
Afterwards, interim head coach Iain Darbyshire pointed to the difference in execution across the two legs. He felt Montréal had been more decisive in the moments that mattered, from second balls and 50-50 duels to their finishing in front of goal.
“I think they just took more chances than we did,” Darbyshire said. “They were more decisive across the two games and the actions.”
Still, the second leg offered a glimpse of what Vancouver could produce when they played with conviction. Darbyshire said the team's strong start was something they had deliberately worked on in training, building on the chances they created in the previous match.
For defender Tori Tumeth, the result did little to diminish the belief within the squad.
“100% [we believed we could win the tie],” she said. “This team has shown this season, with all the hardships we went through, we changed coaches, the amount of injuries we had, that this is a team that never says die.”
Tumeth acknowledged that the result was disappointing, but she was already looking towards what comes next. With a few weeks to reflect and recharge, she hopes the group can return stronger in 2027.
“Come back again next year stronger, bigger, better and wanting to get that championship back,” she said.
Darbyshire also expects the off-season to bring an opportunity for honest reflection, both for the coaching staff and the players, as they assess what worked and where the team can improve.
There is no disguising the disappointment of falling short of a final after coming so close to turning the semifinal around. Vancouver's response in Montréal showed a side that was still willing to fight, even with the odds stacked against them.
The Rise now turn their attention to the 2027 season, when they will return for their third campaign and welcome a new opponent to the league in Winnipeg Ember FC.
