Trailing 2-1 and seemingly overwhelmed by Vancouver Rise’s second-half surge, Calgary Wild FC produced a remarkable late fightback Saturday, scoring twice in the final eight minutes to claim their first Northern Super League (NSL) win of the season.
Taegan Stewart had already etched her name into the story when she converted a 47th-minute penalty to give Calgary the lead.
And then in the sixth minute of stoppage time, her 18-year-old sister Keelyn completed the comeback with her first professional goal, sending the Wild bench into delirium.
“It is quite a strong squad, and the girls do believe they are improving all of the time,” said Calgary assistant coach Kory Babington, who continues to guide the team with head coach Leah Blayney away for personal reasons. “We had some good chances and the girls got what they deserved today.”
Calgary make their pressure count
Vancouver began the match brightly, but Calgary gradually settled into the contest and controlled possession for stretches.
Mya Jones, fresh from scoring twice in Thursday’s Women’s Canadian Championship victory over Club Soccer Mont-Royal Outremont, was particularly dangerous from the left.
Behind her, goalkeeper Katelin Talbert was brilliant, providing the foundation for Calgary’s strong first-half showing. The American twice denied promising Vancouver attacks in the opening half, including a spectacular stop from Camila Reyes’ dangerous free kick.
The breakthrough for the visitors finally came almost immediately after the restart.
Taegan took a free kick quickly, splitting the Vancouver defence to find Serita Thurton. When Thurton was brought down by Maithe Lopez inside the box, Calgary were awarded a penalty.
With captain Meggie Dougherty Howard absent, Stewart assumed penalty duties and calmly sent Rise goalkeeper Morgan Mcaslan the wrong way.
But Vancouver’s response was fierce as Jessica De Filippo equalized for them in the 55th minute after Latifah Abdu’s intelligent work on the left.
De Filippo then struck again nine minutes later, getting the slightest touch to Camila Reyes’ delivery from midfield to complete a stunning turnaround.
A twin act for the history books
Vancouver defender Tori Tumeth’s 82nd-minute red card for bringing down Calgary’s Kahli Johnson as she raced toward goal changed the complexion of the match.
Soon after that, Johnson became the architect of the equalizer as she whipped a brilliant cross into the box in the 90th minute for Baucom to head home from close range.
“We developed a bit of rhythm with the ball and started the first half really well. We deserved an early goal in the second half,” Babington said.
“A couple of defensive lapses led to (Vancouver) getting the lead, but the girls have got strong belief. The substitutes that came into the game were quite influential in the match.”
Then, deep into stoppage time, came the moment Calgary had been waiting for.
Keelyn Stewart collected the ball and fired into the low left corner, completing the comeback and matching her twin sister’s earlier heroics.
“Obviously putting home the winner and my first professional goal is amazing. Also to score in the same game as Taegan just adds to that,” Keelyn said. “This team has been working so hard this whole season, and it was about time we finally got a win.”
The victory lifts Calgary to five points from 15 matches, while Vancouver remain on 16 points after their ninth defeat. For the Wild, the challenge now is to turn an extraordinary night into sustained momentum when they host Ottawa Rapid on August 15.
