Sport Photos
NSL Vancouver Rise FC vs Calgary Wild FC Recap & Photos
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
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