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NSL Vancouver Rise FC Fall 3-1 to Ottawa Rapid FC Despite Strong Start at Swangard Stadium
Vancouver Rise FC controlled long stretches of play on a hot Sunday afternoon at Swangard Stadium, but Ottawa Rapid FC capitalized on their chances to claim a 3-1 victory.
The home side came out flying and nearly opened the scoring inside two minutes. Jessica De Filippo drove into the penalty area and forced a deflection behind for a corner before creating two more dangerous opportunities in the opening 10 minutes. One effort sailed just over the crossbar after a clever pass from Anaïs Oularbi, while another chance narrowly missed after a low cross from Anna Bout flashed across the face of goal.
De Filippo continued to be Vancouver‘s biggest threat throughout the first half. In the 16th minute, she slipped past two defenders for a one-on-one opportunity, but Ottawa goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais anticipated the attempted chip and made the save.
Vancouver maintained the pressure, with Latifah Abdu nearly breaking the deadlock midway through the half after a loose ball fell kindly inside the box. Her volley, though, drifted just over the bar.
Despite spending much of the opening half defending, Ottawa struck first against the run of play in the 28th minute. Min-A Lee found space outside the area and beat goalkeeper Jessica Wulf with a long-range effort to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Rise FC continued pushing for an equalizer. Abdu came close again in the 40th minute after Camila Reyes played her through on goal, but Dagenais was equal to the shot.
The breakthrough finally came just before halftime. After Vancouver won possession inside Ottawa‘s penalty area, De Filippo reacted quickest to a loose ball and curled a composed finish into the top corner in the 43rd minute, sending the teams into the break level at 1-1.
Vancouver carried that momentum into the second half, controlling possession early after the restart. Ottawa, however, struck again on the counterattack just five minutes into the half. Johanne Fridlund released D.B. Pridham behind the defence, and the striker calmly finished to restore the visitors’ advantage.
Wulf kept Vancouver within striking distance with an excellent save from distance near the hour mark, and substitute Jaime Perrault provided an immediate spark after entering the match. The midfielder won possession high up the pitch and delivered several dangerous crosses as Rise FC searched for another equalizer.
The turning point came in the 72nd minute when Kennedy Faulknor was ruled to have fouled Pridham inside the penalty area. The defender was shown a red card, leaving Vancouver down to 10 players, and Pridham converted the resulting penalty to extend Ottawa‘s lead to 3-1.
Rise FC refused to give up. Maithé López nearly set up Abdu for a quick response, and Vancouver continued pressing late in the match, with Abdu, López and Perrault all forcing Ottawa‘s defence into key blocks. The visitors held firm through the closing stages to secure all three points.
The loss leaves Rise FC looking to bounce back on Thursday, June 18, when they travel to face Halifax Tides FC. Vancouver returns to Swangard Stadium on Sunday, June 28, for a home matchup against AFC Toronto.
Check out our favourite photos of the game below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
VANCOUVER RISE FC v OTTAWA RAPID FC
All Photo Credit: Aly Mae
Sport Photos
NSL Vancouver Rise Boost Playoff Hopes with Victory Over Calgary Wild
Vancouver Rise FC have ended their season on a high note and improved their chances of
reaching the playoffs after defeating Calgary Wild FC 3-2 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC. The Rise delivered under pressure thanks to a beautiful goal from Mia Pante as well as a much-needed second-half strike from Jessica DeFilippo.
The Rise marked the scoresheet twice in the first half, leading the Wild 2 to nil at the 35-minute mark after Alex Lamontagne connected with Pante who cleared the goalkeeper and calmly hit the back of the net.
Calgary responded before halftime, however, as Josie Aulicino found the net with a strike from outside the penalty area, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and keeping halting what at times looked like a runaway train.
Calgary largely dominated the second half, forcing Vancouver onto their back feet. Vancouver was pinned in their own zone, unwillingly defending their lead as Calgary took shot after shot on goal. A quiet crowd got to their feet for their Captain Shannon Woeller who made her first appearance of the season in the 88-minute mark, leaving the bench to steady the team in the final few minutes.
Despite the early charge, Vancouver managed to record the win and take the points, if in a
somewhat anxiety-filled final 45. The three points keep the Rise in the playoff conversation, with the final result to be decided Monday as Halifax faces off against AFC Toronto.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
VANCOUVER RISE FC v CALGARY WILD FC
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin
Sport Photos
WWE Monday Night Raw Keeps the Momentum Rolling in Ottawa
WWE Monday Night Raw rolled into Ottawa on August 24 with plenty of moving pieces and a clear focus on building toward the next major chapters for both the men’s and women’s divisions. From LA Knight’s confrontation with Roman Reigns to Stephanie Vaquer’s return, a World Heavyweight Championship tournament, and a heated Oba Femi-Bron Breakker contract signing, the episode packed a lot into three hours without losing sight of its bigger stories.
This was a busy, storyline-heavy episode built almost entirely around momentum heading toward Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6. LA Knight opened the show by calling out World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, only for Solo Sikoa to interrupt and thank Knight for backing him up the previous week, before the Usos showed up and set a tag match in motion for later in the night. That opening angle paid off with a hard-hitting brawl, and the show closed with Knight, Sikoa, and both Usos left laid out while returning duo Royce Keys and OTM stood tall over the wreckage.
In the ring, the standout was Stephanie Vaquer‘s return match against Roxanne Perez, which saw Judgment Day interference from Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez met by a counter from Becky Lynch. Vaquer sealed the win by dodging a moonsault and connecting with a butterfly backbreaker into a lungblower combo, and the post-match staredown with Lynch added a nice extra layer of tension. It fed directly into the next chapter of her title chase, with Vaquer told backstage that she’ll get her shot at Liv Morgan‘s Women’s World Championship on the September 7 RAW.
The tournament for a World Heavyweight Championship shot also moved forward, with Penta defeating LA Parka and Rey Fenix defeating Dragon Lee to set up a Penta-vs-Fenix final. The Penta/Parka match got a nice reaction, as Parka survived a Penta Driver and answered with a top-rope Spanish Fly before Penta eventually got the win.
The other big story beat was the contract signing for Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker. Breakker accused Femi of taking the spot he used to hold and vowed to make him live in his shadow, while Femi shot back that Breakker could’ve been the future of WWE in a different era, just not while he’s around. The segment boiled over into a physical confrontation, with Breakker jumping Femi before Austin Theory got involved, and Femi eventually powering back to put Theory through a table.
Overall, this felt like a well-paced go-home-style episode even though the pay-per-view is still two weeks out: hot angles up top and at the close, a satisfying tournament advancement, and a women’s division storyline that’s clearly building toward something bigger
Check out our favourite photos of both Monday Night Raw and Smackdown below or head to our Facebook page for the full galleries: Raw – Smackdown
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW
All Photo Credit: Kieran Delport