Vancouver Rise FC played Ottawa Rapid FC at Swangard Stadium Nov. 4
Vancouver Rise FC won the first match of the semifinals against the Ottawa Rapid on Tuesday (Nov. 4).
The Rise FC hosted the Rapid FC in its first leg of the Northern Super League (NSL) playoffs at home at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby.
Rise FC held possession 49 percent of the time and took 18 shots, five of which were on goal, while the Rapid FC took seven shots, two of which were on goal.
The crowd erupted with cheer when Rise FC’s Latifah Abdu scored the first goal of the match in the 14th minute. Abdu scored her second goal of the match in the 22nd minute. The Rapid FC’s Delaney Pridham scored in the 67th minute.
Rise FC Anja Heiner-Møller said she was happy with how the team played in the first half.
“I think we’re a strong team and we were ready from the beginning,” Heiner-Møller said.
Playing the first leg of the playoffs at home comes with more pressure, but Heiner-Møller said she was happy with how her team handled the pressure and their nerves.
Abdu said that she thrives off the freedom of playing anywhere on the front line.
“But at the end of the day, when Coach Anja tells me to stick to the game plan, we stick to the game plan, and that’s how we’re going to win games,” Abdu said. “So I think the reason why this team wins games is because we’re super disciplined, so we just need to continue doing that.”
In reflecting on the first 45 minutes of the game, Adbdu said, “I think it got easier throughout the first half, when we started connecting passes and imposing our game, that’s what makes us thrive throughout the games, when we play our game, and we control the game.”
That is when the team really feels connected, she said.
Abdu said that even though they did not achieve the clean sheet they had hoped for, they will learn from their mistakes in tonight’s game.
“I’ve done a lot of video (analysis) with Anja, so she helps me a lot. So I think that’s what I’m going to do again after this game, so that I can keep on being effective and in front and so we can score more goals,” Abdu said.
Ottawa Rapid FC head coach Katrine Pedersen said the first half was a struggle for her team.
“It felt like we had the handbrake pulled. We talked about that at halftime, about being down two-nil,” Pedersen said.”We managed to get out with a whole other mentality in the second half, and we didn’t dominate the whole half, but we did a lot better. We created chances, we got in behind, got a goal, and we kept pushing.”
“And for that, we are happy, and I’m proud that that is the way that we showed up, and we were able to change our mindset,” she said.
Being down by only one point in the series helps, Pedersen said, but the shift in the players’ mindset was a bigger boost to the team’s confidence.”Because we know how good we can be at home as well and in front of our own crowd. We’re gonna we’re gonna get ready to take it.”
The team with the highest aggregate score across both matches will advance to the finals, where they will face the winner of the AFC Toronto/Montreal Roses FC semifinals.
The Rise FC will face off against the Rapid FC again for the second match of the semi-finals on Saturday (Nov. 8) at 12 p.m. PT in Ottawa.
The atmosphere was electric from the start, with pre-match fireworks setting the tone for the historic match, marking the first NSL playoff match played at Swangard Stadium.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Thomas Müller performed the coin toss. Several other Whitecaps, PWHL Vancouver, Vancouver Warriors and BC Lions players were also in attendance. NSL founder Diana Matheson and Vancouver Rise FC sporting director Stephanie Labbé were also in attendance at the match.
Heiner-Møller said her highlight of the season so far has been the atmosphere at Swangard Stadium during the matches.
“We can hear the crowd every time they see something they but they’re also cheering us up when we are not at the spot where we want to be. That’s just amazing,” she said.
AFC Toronto defeated the Montreal Roses FC 2-0 during its first match of the semi-finals. The second match is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 9) at York Lions Stadium, outside Toronto.
The final is scheduled for Nov. 15 at BMO Field in Toronto.
Vancouver Rise are part of Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league, the Northern Super League. The other clubs are Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montréal Roses, Ottawa Rapid FC and AFC Toronto.
READ MORE: Vancouver Rise FC keeper wins ‘Golden Glove’ award
READ MORE: Reflecting on Year 1: NSL builds professional women’s soccer in Canada
About the Author: Anna Burns
I cover breaking news, health care, women’s sports, court and social issues-related topics for the Surrey Now-Leader. [email protected] Follow Anna on Twitter.
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