For 89 minutes, it felt as though the story belonged to the Montreal Roses once again. Then Mya Jones stepped into the chaos and turned a cold night at McMahon Stadium into something unforgettable.
The Calgarian forward, making her long-awaited Northern Super League (NSL) debut after missing more than a year through injury, came off the bench to score twice late on as the hosts clawed back for a gripping 2-2 draw against the unbeaten Roses Saturday.
One minute into stoppage time, Jones slid home her second equalizer of the evening from another dangerous Kahli Johnson delivery, sending the home crowd into delirium and rescuing Calgary from what looked certain to be another painful defeat.
“Life is just crazy,” Jones said afterward. “I’ve been out for like a year and a half and to do this in front of my friends and my family, I couldn’t have written it better and I think like these girls have stuck behind me through some of the hardest times in my career and I’m just thankful to the team. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without them.”
While Montreal remained unbeaten and moved to the top of the NSL table with a 3-1-0 (win, draw, loss) record, the result gave Calgary its first point of the season.
Talbert withstands Montreal pressure
Long before Jones changed the game, Calgary goalkeeper Katelin Talbert was the reason the Wild remained alive in it.
Making her debut for the club, Talbert was thrown immediately into sustained pressure from a visiting Montreal side that controlled possession, dictated tempo, and carved through Calgary’s defensive structure with alarming ease.
Inside the opening minutes, Talbert produced a sharp double save in a frantic sequence before denying Chloe Minhas from a dangerous free kick with a full-stretch diving stop.
She was called upon again in the 17th minute when Elyse Bennett broke free and forced another strong parry, with Tanya Boychuk unable to capitalize on the rebound.
The breakthrough for the Roses finally arrived in the 23rd minute.
After a scramble inside the Calgary penalty area, Lisa Pechersky reacted quickest to head home from close range for her first goal of the season. The visitors continued to dominate for much of the opening hour, finishing with 59 percent possession and 14 total shots.
Calgary struggled to build rhythm through midfield and repeatedly surrendered possession through sloppy passing, an issue that also surfaced previously against Ottawa Rapid.
Still, there were flashes of resistance. Jaclyn Sawicki battled tirelessly in midfield, while Taegan Stewart finally forced Montreal goalkeeper Anna Karpenko into her first save of the night midway through the second half with a fierce half-volley from distance.
Resilient Jones transforms the night
The turning point in the match arrived in the 76th minute when Jones entered the match.
The former University of Memphis star, selected 42nd overall by the San Diego Wave in the 2024 NWSL Draft, had waited over a year for this moment after suffering a serious foot injury that threatened to derail her momentum entirely.
And needless to say, her impact was immediate.
With Calgary pressing relentlessly late on, Johnson delivered a cross into the Montreal box in the 87th minute. The ball ricocheted kindly for Jones, who reacted fastest to bury the equalizer and ignite the stadium.
But the drama was only beginning.
Just three minutes later, the hosts appeared to collapse again when a poor defensive touch allowed Pechersky to steal possession and feed teammate Claire Monyard, who calmly restored Montreal’s lead in the 90th minute.
However, the Wild refused to fold.
Deep into stoppage time, Johnson again found space down the left and whipped another dangerous ball across goal.
Jones timed her movement to perfection and guided a composed first-time finish beyond Karpenko to complete a remarkable comeback and cap one of the most emotional debuts the league has seen so far.
“It’s been a very long, very testing road to recovery,” Jones said. “I think there were many times I didn’t think I was going to make it back out in the field.”
Montreal head coach Robert Rositoiu admitted the late collapse stung, but saw value in the spectacle.
“Obviously, when you take the lead in the 90th minute, you want to walk away with all three points,” he said. “But I also look at the bigger picture: we played very well for an hour, we showed character to get back in front late, and we’re still unbeaten after four matches.”
Calgary Wild next host the Halifax Tides FC on Sunday, May 24, while the Montreal Roses will pay a visit to Ottawa Rapid FC on Saturday, May 23.
