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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
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NSL Vancouver Rise FC Hold Off AFC Toronto for Second Straight Win at Swangard Stadium
In front of a lively crowd at Swangard Stadium, Vancouver Rise FC continued their strong run of form on Saturday with a 2-1 win over AFC Toronto.
The victory marked back-to-back wins for Vancouver, who looked sharp from the opening whistle and controlled long stretches of the match with confident passing and quick movement through midfield.
Rise FC wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. In the 11th minute, Tori Tumeth pushed a ball forward down the right side that Toronto failed to properly clear. The loose ball fell kindly to Latifah Abdu near the edge of the box, and the forward made no mistake, blasting her finish into the roof of the net to give Vancouver an early 1-0 lead.
The home side kept pressing. Mia Pante nearly helped double the advantage after a strong run down the left flank saw her beat a defender before cutting a pass back into the middle for Jessica De Filippo, though the chance slipped away when the delivery arrived just behind the striker.
Vancouver’s attacking pressure eventually paid off again midway through the first half. A slick passing sequence between Camila Reyes and De Filippo opened space for Abdu inside the penalty area, where she was brought down for a spot kick. Captain Quinn stepped up in the 33rd minute and calmly buried the penalty, sending Toronto goalkeeper Danielle Krzyzaniak the wrong direction to make it 2-0.
Abdu nearly added another moments later after chasing down a lofted ball into the box, but her chipped effort drifted over the crossbar.
Toronto came out with more urgency after halftime and nearly cut into the deficit early in the second half. Kaylee Hunter forced Jessica Wulf into a strong save before Victoria Pickett struck the post on the rebound, allowing Vancouver to escape the sequence still holding a two-goal cushion.
Rise FC responded by settling back into possession and continuing to dictate play. De Filippo came close to extending the lead after Abdu slipped her through on goal, but the forward’s tight-angle shot missed the target after rounding the goalkeeper.
As the match entered its closing stages, Toronto pushed hard for a comeback. Vancouver’s defence stood firm through a series of late chances, throwing bodies in front of shots and protecting the box during a frantic final stretch.
Toronto eventually found a late consolation goal in stoppage time through Cloey Uddenberg, but the comeback attempt arrived too late as Rise FC closed out the 2-1 result.
Despite Toronto finishing with more shots overall, Vancouver controlled possession for much of the afternoon and looked composed through most phases of the match.
Rise FC return to action on May 30 when they travel to Montreal to face Roses FC. The club returns home to Swangard Stadium on June 14 for a matchup against Ottawa Rapid FC.
Check out our favourite photos of the match below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
NSL VANCOUVER RISE FC v AFC TORONTO
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
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Canada’s Best Skaters Take to the Ice for the Vancouver Stop of Stars on Ice
The best skaters that Canada has to offer took to the ice at Rogers Arena for the Vancouver stop of 2026 edition of Stars on Ice Canada. The tour, which started in Halifax, NS and has been making its way West, comes as many of the stars competed at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina, just over three months ago. The skaters headlining the tour include the 2026 Olympic Ice Dance Bronze Medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, along with Team Canada members, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, and Madeline Schizas. The audience also had the opportunity to see the 2018 Olympic Bronze Medallist Kaetlyn Osmond, Canadian legend Elvis Stojko, 2-time Canadian champion Roman Sadovsky, and another 2-timer Canadian champion Keegan Messing. Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac, the 2026 Ice Dance Canadian Championship bronze medallists, were special guests for the Vancouver stop.
The first half of the show started with a group number, that served as a sample of what the night promised to offer. Skating to “Fearless” by Tommee Profitt, Sam Tinnesz, and Beacon Light, the number showcased the skater’s abilities to skate as a group and to start the show on an electrifying note.
This was followed by the individual numbers. First up, was Roman Sadovsky skating to “Standing Next to You” by Jung Kook. Roman, who won the Canadian championship in 2020 and 2025 and just barely missed the Olympic team in 2026, gave a cheeky and passionate skate that definitely brought the audience’s mood up. It is always a pleasure watching Roman skate, not only does he have the jumps and spins but his skating skills are some of the best.
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud were up next, skating to “Be Italian” by Fergie, which feels very appropriate considering the Olympics were in Italy. The pair just won the bronze medal at the 2026 World Figure Skating Championship which took place in Prague, Czech Republic. Personally, I can’t wait to see how far these two go in their career.
Madeline Schizas was next to skate. Skating to “Cosmic Love” by Florence + the Machine, Maddie connected with the audience with an unforgettable skate. Maddie is a 4-time Canadian champion, and there still aren’t any signs that she plans on slowing down.
Next, Kaetlyn Osmond and Elvis Stojko gave a brief speech to honour Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. A montage was shown of some of the most memorable programs Piper and Paul have done in their more than 20 years skating together, before introducing them to skate a shortened version of their fan-favourite and Olympic free dance “Vincent”. Seeing live this program, even in its shortened version, was truly something memorable.
Keegan Messing, who is always a fan-favourite because of the energy that he gives while skating, chose “I’m Still Standing” by Taron Egerton from the movie Rocketman for an energetic first individual skate.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps were up next, skating to “Let’s Twist Again” by Chubby Checker. Deanna made history at the 2026 Winter Olympics by becoming the oldest woman to compete in figure skating in almost 100 years, showing that sometimes the limit is truly the sky.
Kaetlyn Osmond stepped on to the ice to skate to “In the Air Tonight” by Judith Hill. Kaetlyn is one of the most successful Canadian skaters of all time, having won three Canadian championships, becoming a World Champion in 2018 and winning an Olympic Bronze Medal in 2018.
Piper and Paul came back to the ice to skate “Supermodel (You Better Work)” by RuPaul, which is also a shortened version of their 2025-2026 rhythm dance. There are very few things that are more entertaining to watch than two ice dancers skating to RuPaul.
After them, Elvis Stojko stepped onto to the ice. Clad in a blue boxer robe, he skated to “Mr Electric Blue” by Benson Boone. A Canadian skating legend, he is a three-time World Champion, two-time Olympic Silver Medallist, and seven-time Canadian champion. He has participated with Stars On Ice since 2016.
Then, a group number to close out the first half of the show. Performing to two different versions of “Too Darn Hot”, the ladies performed to the version by Holly Cole while the men performed to Anthony Strong’s version. It was a very fun number, and personally I was on the ladies’ side.
After intermission, the men skated a group number to “I Just Might” by Bruno Mars. It is always fun seeing the men just have the time of their lives. And we got to see Paul do an Axel, who knew he is a leftie?
Next, special guests Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac skated to “Everybody Everybody” by Black Box. They are skating in all three BC stops of the Stars On Ice tour, with Victoria being the next show.
Back to ice, Maddie skated to the very danceable song “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” by RAYE. In a very fun and cheeky moment, Trennt came out at the end of her performance with a giant inflatable ring, before carrying Maddie off the ice.
Next were Lia, Piper and Maddie for an all-girl number. Skating to “Golden” by Huntri/x from the extremely popular movie KPop Demon Hunters. The number is meant to resemble the performance as seen in the movie, including the gold and white outfits and choreography. The ladies definitely nailed the moves.
Roman came back to the ice for a very emotional performance to Chris Mann’s version of “Fly Me to the Moon”. This version really suited Roman’s skating style, and really connected with the audience. Skating to “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran, Lia and Trennt came back to the ice for an emotional and touching performance.
For her second individual number, Kaetlyn skated to “Dancing in the Dark” by Lucy Dacus. In some ways, it showcased the resilience skaters have as she fell on a double Axel (one of the jumps that exist in figure skating) before attempting another one as her next jump and landing it beautifully.
Elvis did his second number to “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed. The heavy metal cover version serves as a background to Elvis’ powerful skating. At age 54, it is pretty amazing to see him still skate with this amount of passion and skill.
For the last individual number, Piper and Paul came back for the third time to skate to “Royals” by Lorde. It just felt like such a Piper and Paul program, dressed in costumes that you may as well find in Queen Marie Antoinette’s court.
To close out the show, all the skaters came out in black costumes with a colourful pixelated print to skate to “Life in Color” by OneRepublic. It was the perfect upbeat song to end the night. It is always great to see the best skaters from Canada, Stars On Ice is an amazing experience for fans across the country.
The Stars On Ice Canada 2026 tour has three more stops before saying goodbye to this year’s edition.
14/5 – Save-On-Foods Memorial Center – Victoria, BC
16/5 – Chilliwack Coliseum – Chilliwack, BC
19/5 – TD Coliseum – Hamilton, ON
Head to their website for all the information.
Also, this year’s 2026 Skate Canada International is scheduled for October 30 – November 1, 2026, at Prospera Place in Kelowna, BC. This is an excellent opportunity to see the best skaters from all over the world. Head over to Skate Canada’s website for more information.
Click the link to our Facebook page for the full gallery of the show!
Words: Elena Del Rivero
Photos: Cindy Shi