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NSL Vancouver Rise FC vs Calgary Wild FC Recap & Photos

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Vancouver Rise FC secured their first-ever win in club and league history on Wednesday night, defeating Calgary Wild FC 1-0 at BC Place. The victory marked a milestone not only for Rise FC but also for the newly formed Northern Super League.

The match opened with urgency from both sides as they chased the league’s inaugural goal. Rise FC’s Mariah Lee had two early chances in the opening 10 minutes, with teammate Sarah Griffith nearly breaking through in between those efforts. Lee continued to lead the attack and narrowly missed connecting with a low cross in the box.

The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute. After Holly Ward was brought down in the box, midfielder Quinn stepped up to take the resulting penalty and calmly slotted it into the bottom right corner. The goal was the first in Rise FC and Northern Super League history. Nikki Stanton nearly doubled the lead shortly after but saw her low shot saved by Calgary goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec.

Ward remained active on the left wing and nearly scored herself, hitting the post from a tight angle. Calgary’s Kahli Johnson threatened to equalize soon after but sent her effort just wide following an early cross.

Rise FC maintained their lead going into halftime.

The second half was tighter, with Rise FC holding firm defensively while continuing to test Calgary’s backline. Ward again created a chance in the 72nd minute, setting up Sara Lilja for a shot that was blocked. Johnson had another look for Wild FC but fired over the crossbar.

In the 83rd minute, Ward forced a strong save from Bukovec with a powerful drive from inside the box. Calgary had a final opportunity in added time, sending a low cross into the area, but Jessika Cowart was there to clear it and preserve the clean sheet.

The final whistle confirmed a historic 1-0 win for Rise FC, launching their season with three points and a place in the league’s history books.

Rise FC will play their home-opener at Swangard Stadium on Sunday, April 27, against Roses de Montreal. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. PT. Tickets are available at vanrisefc.com.

Check out our favourite photos of the match below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

All Photo Credit: Aly Mae

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PWHL Vancouver Goldeneyes Strike Early, Beat New York Sirens 5–2 at Home

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PWHL Vancouver Goldeneyes vs New York Sirens - JillM - March 18-23

The Vancouver Goldeneyes leaned on a fast start and some fresh faces to take down the New York Sirens 5–2 on Wednesday night at Pacific Coliseum, pulling themselves back into the playoff picture in the process.

Vancouver came out flying, getting goals from Anna Shokhina and Anna Segedi, both their first with the team, inside the opening seven minutes. Shokhina opened the scoring on a late power play, weaving through traffic and finishing unassisted, while Segedi followed soon after by converting a clean setup from Michelle Karvinen behind the net. It marked a rare early surge for a team that has struggled to generate first-period offence this season.

New York responded quickly, with Sarah Fillier tipping in a point shot just over a minute later to cut the lead in half. The push didn’t last long. Sophie Jaques stepped into a slapshot from the blue line late in the period to restore Vancouver’s two-goal cushion, and that goal stood as the difference.

The Sirens found their footing in the second period and made things interesting. Rookie Anna Bargman redirected a point shot midway through the frame to bring New York back within one. Vancouver bent but didn’t break, with Kristen Campbell holding steady in net during a stretch where the Sirens controlled more of the play.

Any momentum New York built faded early in the third. Tereza Vanišová extended the lead to 4–2 after a shot bounced in off Kayle Osborne’s blocker, taking the edge off the comeback attempt. Mannon McMahon added an empty-netter in the final seconds to cap off the night and secure her first point in several games.

Campbell finished with 22 saves for Vancouver, continuing her solid play at home, while Osborne turned aside 24 shots for New York. Vancouver also snapped a lengthy power-play drought with Shokhina’s opener and saw production come from all four lines, a promising sign for a team that has been searching for consistency.

The win moves the Goldeneyes within three points of the sixth-place Sirens, tightening the race as the regular season winds down. Vancouver now heads into the final game of its homestand with some needed momentum, while New York, now on a four-game road skid, is left looking for answers after another slow start.

Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

PWHL VANCOUVER GOLDENEYES vs NEW YORK SIRENS

All Photo Credit: Jill Meagher

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PWHL Boston Fleet Return Home but Fall Short in 2-0 Loss to Toronto Sceptres

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PWHL Boston Fleet vs Toronto Spectres - March 17-56

Coming off of an incredible comeback win against Montreal, the Boston Fleet finally returned home and battled it out with the Toronto Sceptres in front of a sold out crowd at Agganis Arena. Fans showed out in a sea of green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day hoping for another Fleet win back at home but their home win streak would be snapped by Toronto, shutting out Boston 2-0.

This was Boston’s first home game in 48 days, since coming back from the Olympics. All of the Fleet’s Olympians were honored in a pregame ceremony highlighting their time in Milan. Team Team USA standouts Megan Keller, Haley Winn and Aerin Frankel, who had big roles in earning gold in Italy. Teammates Alina Müller (Switzerland) winning bronze, Daniela Pejšová (Czechia), Susanna Tapani (Finland) and Laura Kluge (Germany) were also recognized. There was a ceremonial puck drop as well featuring Haley Winn’s three brothers all decked out in USA onesies.

Energy was high throughout the entire game but in the end it simply wasn’t enough for Boston to grab 3 points at home. In fact this was their first loss at home all season, which is pretty impressive. It was a very hard fought game from both teams and for the most part was very tight almost until the final buzzer.

The first two periods saw a few penalties for both teams and both penalty kills were stellar. Both Frankel and Kirk in net were locked in and made some incredible saves to keep the game scoreless. Tensions rose throughout the game which saw some scrums in front of both nets as the teams fought to put the puck into the net, but defence was on another level this game.

Boston would then receive a pair of power plays but came up empty on both tries before heading right back to the penalty kill with 7:51 left in the second. Shay Maloney would make another shorthanded breakaway attempt but it was quickly challenged by Kirk, who was standing on her head all night, making some incredible saves. Going scoreless into the third there was talk of this game potentially going into overtime.

There wasn’t a goal scored by either team until around ten minutes left in the third period, when Toronto’s Daryl Watts made a swift move side to side to beat Frankel through the five-hole, to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. Boston would battle it out until the very end, having multiple scoring chances but just coming up short in the end. Toronto’s Turnbull put the finishing touches on the win with 26 seconds left with an empty net goal, to make it 2-0. Toronto’s Raygan Kirk would record her 2nd shutout in a row in a dominant win.

The Fleet still sit at the top of the PWHL standings while the Sceptres sit at 5th but with this win are now in a playoff spot. The Fleet will play the Seattle Torrent on Saturday at home at 4pm and then against Vancouver on Tuesday at 7pm.

You can find more info on the fleet on their socials // Website // Instagram // Facebook // X //

Check out our favorite photos of the game below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

PWHL BOSTON FLEET vs TORONTO SCEPTRES

All Photo Credit: Erin Crowley

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