Calgary Wild FC kept their strong end-of-season momentum going as they beat the visiting Halifax Tides FC 1-0 on a chilly afternoon in the Northern Super League (NSL) Saturday.
The win extends Calgary’s unbeaten streak to seven matches.
All eyes before kick-off were on Taegan Stewart – Calgary’s 18-year-old phenomenon – who has been in excellent form recently, having just returned from Poland after being designated as one of the six official training alternates for Canadian women’s U-20 World Cup team.
Stewart started the match just behind striker Jorian Baucom and sprung into action almost immediately. In the fourth minute, she won a loose ball in midfield, made a dangerous dash towards the Tides goal, and then sent a splicing throughball to Baucom.
However, Halifax goalkeeper Anika Toth saw the play and rushed forward to make the save.
Toth’s Calgary counterpart, Sarah Keilty-Dilling, too was called into action in the 10th minute when she comfortably grabbed a Halifax freekick. Keilty-Dilling, a recent addition to the Wild starting XI, had a solid game as the 33-year-old made a flurry of saves to deny the visitors.
Stewart was a big proponent of the Calgary attacks as Wild continued to run their plays with her being the main cog in midfield. She tested Toth on many occasions and came close to getting the opener in the 16th minute when she shot at goal from outside the penalty area.
“We think Taegan is a special player. She is going to go very far in the game, and we want to invest in her,” said Wild FC head coach Leah Blayney after the match. “She took advantage of her opportunity to start today, and we are happy for her.”
A game of inches in the first half
Throughout the first half, Calgary did not let the Tides settle into their rhythm and forced the visitors to make multiple mistakes and give up possession. But Halifax came close to finding the back of the net in the 30th minute when Tiffany Cameron blasted a shot just over the bar.
The best chance of the first half came in the 39th minute when Stewart found Serita Thurton in the Halifax box with plenty of space to shoot. The Wild could have taken the lead there but the 24-year-old winger blazed her shot over the bar, thereby giving the visitors some respite.
Halifax nearly stunned the McMahon Stadium crowd to open the second half, attacking immediately and capitalizing on a rare Calgary lapse.
The Tides came excruciatingly close to breaking the deadlock when winger Stella Downing found herself with the ball in front of the Calgary goal.
But it was Keilty-Dilling who came to the rescue with some elite goalkeeping yet again as she made a ridiculous last-ditch save from close range to deny Downing.
“I am really pleased with her [Keilty-Dilling]. She came up with some big performances today,” Blayney said. “Dill is also making the most of her opportunity at this time. It was her first time playing in front of a home crowd. It was her second clean sheet which is a credit to her training mentality.”
Sensational Stewart breaks the deadlock
The Alberta outfit, however, were not demoralized as they continued to apply pressure.
Their efforts were finally rewarded just a couple of minutes later when Stewart took a magical first touch inside the Halifax box to mesmerize the Tides defenders before gently slotting in the opener past Toth to send the home crowd in a frenzy in the 47th minute.
“The goal definitely helped with the confidence. I always hope to get on the scoresheet and I just wanted it in the back of the net. I’m happy I was able to do that,” Stewart said.
It was a highlight-reel moment that seemed to be the perfect welcome back present for head coach Leah Blayney, who has been away from the team for a while now.
“It’s special to have the trust from Leah to step into the starting lineup and get the win. It was a complete performance for the team today. We are super happy Leah is back, and that we were able to put on that performance.”
As the clock wound down, the Tides tried to take the attack to the hosts in an attempt to find that elusive equaliser. But the Wild defence stood strong and withstood the pressure with grace and saw out the win to give coach Blayney something to be proud of.
“It’s really exciting to be back,” said Blayney. “We put together a complete performance today, which is what we’ve been chasing.”
Despite the loss, Halifax Tides remain in the fourth place in the league where they’ll be looking to clinch that final playoff spot. Calgary Wild, meanwhile, remain in last place and will face Ottawa Rapid FC next Sunday, Sept. 20 in Ottawa.
