History was made Wednesday night as Vancouver Rise FC defeated Calgary Wild FC 1-0 in the inaugural Northern Super League (NSL) match at BC Place in Vancouver.
Rise FC, and Canadian international, midfielder Quinn scored the lone goal from the penalty spot in front of 14,000 boisterous fans who helped welcome the new Canadian women’s professional soccer league.
“I think I’ve been in some really big games, and so I thought, `Oh, yeah, this will be easy to handle,'” said Quinn, post-game. “But then definitely stepping on to the pitch, and seeing Diana Matheson and Christine Sinclair with the ball, and just kind of sinking in how much work’s been done to get to this moment, I think I just took that time.
“And that was a pretty surreal moment for me. So it definitely kind of hit my heart in a different way than I thought it would.”
Northern Super League kicks off
The game began with a mixture of excitement and nervousness as both teams opted for 4-3-3 formations, with Vancouver more compact in the middle, opening up space on the wings for the full-backs to run into.
Some of the former NWSL players seemed to adapt to the game quicker than most, settling into their usual positions and duties. Calgary Wild captain Meggie Dougherty Howard teased a ball into Kahli Johnson for an early half-chance and then later tried a shot from distance when she saw Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan off her line. Vancouver’s Jasmyne Spencer was quick down the left side, and Quinn looked solid, controlling the defensive midfield position.
Loading ...Calgary looked to build from the back, starting from goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec. A former striker and professional freestyler, Bukovec was clearly comfortable on the ball, acting as a sweeper keeper at times and delivering accurate long passes. However, Vancouver’s attackers constantly put pressure on the Calgary defenders, causing mistakes and making it difficult to play through the middle.
Quinn scores historic goal
In the 21st minute, Vancouver’s left-sided attacker Holly Ward made a fantastic run picking up the ball in midfield and driving into the penalty area. She challenged Calgary Meikayla Moore one-on-one, forcing the centre-back into making a late challenge which sent Ward to the ground. There was no doubt it was a foul, and the referee signaled a penalty kick in Vancouver’s favour.
There was a hushed silence as Quinn stepped up to the spot. And they made no mistake placing the shot into the bottom right corner to score the first goal in Northern Super League history.
“It felt huge, coming in and feeling the support, even before we started the game. We could really feel the crowd,” said Rise head coach Anja Heiner-Moller. ” Great support in here, and a great start of this league, definitely.”
Holly Ward a constant threat for Rise FC
Vancouver looked comfortable growing into the game. Midfielders Josie Longhurst and Nikki Stanton were physical presences playing between the lines and floating into space. Up front, Mariah Lee was explosive as she made runs at the defensive line and looked to create chances.
In the 28th minute, Ward was on the attack once again on the left, challenging Grace Stordy and hitting a shot just off the post. Ward was a constant threat, consistently challenging and pestering the Calgary back line with her pace and technical ability on the ball. She’ll be someone to watch as a potential star of the 2025 season.
Vancouver held strong in the middle, forcing Calgary to spread wide and force the ball inside. The Wild had some chances through Jaclyn Sawicki and Christie Gray, but they couldn’t find anyone to capitalize on their passes.
The game started to open up in the second half. Space opened up for both sides, resulting in chances at either end of the field.
There was a fabulous over-the-top ball by Nedya Sawan into Ward, who couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. Ward was electric and continued to attack the defensive line, routinely cutting into space and creating goal-scoring opportunities. Vancouver had a couple of nice passing sequences throughout the field, highlighting the growing team chemistry. Calgary’s Jaclyn Sawicki grew into the game distributing long balls, and there were half chances, including shots and runs from Johnson and Serita Thurton.
In the 88th minute, Sawicki found the loose ball at the edge of the six-yard box but dragged her effort wide in what was Calgary’s best chance of the night. In the dying moments, Vancouver centre-back Jessika Cowart made a crucial block off a low cross from Thurton to prevent an easy tap-in for Calgary. Vancouver’s centre-backs, Cowart and captain Shannon Woeller, were steady defensive presences and controlled the back line.
“It is unfortunate to lose on a penalty kick, but as a goalkeeper, you have to forget about that and move on,” said Wild FC keeper Bukovec. “It is such a mental position. You can’t dwell too much on penalties because there is still the rest of the game.”
But while Vancouver Rise FC won the game, Calgary Wild FC’s coach Lydia Bedford believes the new league and its fans were the big winners on the night.
“I think tonight was a great example of how good this league is going to be,” Bedford said post-game. “Because if that’s the style of games, then for fans to watch, it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun.”
Vancouver will look to continue their winning ways as they host the Montreal Roses in Burnaby on Sunday, April 27. Calgary will stay on the road as they travel to Halifax to face the Tides on Saturday, April 26.
