With the Northern Super League returning from international break, we see the Rise currently second in the overall standings.
The May 21st match up with Vancouver had the Halifax Tide hungry for a win, especially following the Rise walking away from the previous match up with a 1-0 win. The Tide’s ravenous energy was evident right out of the gate, keeping the Rise on their toes, with Megumi Nakamura having two shots one after the other, and Saorla Miller taking the first goal at minute fifteen. It seemed the Rise were going to have an uphill climb, and notably without Nikki Stanton and Quinn, there were guesses on to whether the Rise would be able to meet the Tide’s challenge.
However, the Rise showed that even if they might come out of the gate a half step behind, they are ready and willing to stick to the fight. With a fierce back and forth battle over possession of the ball, Holly Ward, Jasmyne Spencer, and Lisa Perchersky kept up the pressure. It was Lisa Perchersky who got her first and well deserved season goal at minute thirty-nine, putting them ahead with of the Tide 1-0. The attacks did not stop there, with Mariah Lee taking the second goal, with momentous energy.
With Quinn and Nikki Stanton out, this was also an opportunity to see the bold trinity of Holly Ward, Lisa Perchersky and Jessica Longhurst as they showed themselves as a force to be reckoned with, with Shannon Woeller at the Captain’s helm. Jasmyne Spencer of course stood out as the resident iron woman of the team, but the match was a chance for the team to show that they need not rely on only one or two pillars of the team, but also demonstrate a strong sense of resilience even when they might come out on their back foot.
The May 24th rematch against the Calgary Wild, the Rise hit the pitch at full tilt, with Lisa Percherskey demonstrating not only that she has the speed and foot work, but the tactical smarts to be a real force. Taking advantage of a wayward pass from the Wild, Lisa Percherskey took control and made a run up the field only to realize she was about to get swamped by the Wild, and so opting to move the ball back field which allowed her team to move the ball back up giving her the opportunity for side shot on goal. While the shot went wide, it demonstrated just one of those moments where the Rise, when they take the reigns, can really show a precise domination of the field.
Holly Ward stood out as the challenge for Grace Stortie, taking her on one versus one and taking the ball up to Mariah Lee, giving the Rise their first goal at minute 11:20. What was brilliant within this interplay was seeing the growing coordination between Holly Ward, Longhurst, and Ellen Wong. It was a key point of seeing the Rise really learning how to rebuild their position when encountering the strong defense of the Calgary Wild – rather than coming apart when they hit that defensive wall.
However, it can be said that the Rise still need to learn how to fill each others pockets when push comes to shove – especially in the painful moments where we see the Rise’s long passes where no one is there to take possession. It’s more than evident that the Rise has the collective talent to be able to back fill for one another, but it’s seeing those opportunities in the fluid moments of a fast paced game that is lacking.
The case in point was the typing score for the match, with the Wild’s Johnson able to make a long shot almost undefended right past Morgan McLaslan. It’s clear that the Wild were able to come out prepared for the Rise’s typical tactics of relying on iron woman Jasmyne Spencer. Serita Thurton was a neutralizing force Jasmyne Spencer, and Jasmyne Spencer showed obvious frustration at that while on the field.
By half time, the Wilds and the Rise were even for two shots on target, even in possession, fouls and corner shots, with only the Wild ahead in offside calls. It’s notable as that is a positive reversal for the Rise, which in prior games have lost opportunities due to being offsides themselves.
Second half for the Rise had multiple stand out moments of Holly Ward going up against Meikayla Moore and even getting off a shot on her, demonstrating Holly Ward’s growing prowess on the field.
However, the heart stopping moment of the match was when the Calgary Wild’s Taegan Stewart running the ball right to the Rise’s goal, without anyone to stop her. It was nearly breathless moment the seventeen year old made the shot, got past Morgan Mclasan and hit the post. It served to underscore that need for the Rise to learn how to fill those pockets when others move, and to learn how to flow back field urgently when possession of the ball is in question.
Overall, it was a nail biting game that ended one to one, when their first match had the Rise walking away with a conclusive one to zero win.
As we move forward with the inaugural season, the question is whether the break has given time for the Rise to really study their prior matches, and see where they are needing to have that fluidity to allow them to fill the pockets as field conditions change, move up and back from the middle as the ball moves, and importantly, start keeping aware of where they are sending those long distance kicks up field.
Speaking of Holly Ward – it is a testament to the work Holly Ward is doing on the field that she lead the Canadian International team to a win in June fourth’s friendly match against Haiti, 3-1.
With the start of Week 8, we see the Rise as two in the standings just under the Montreal Roses, with 11 points, 3 wins, 2 losses, and seven goals for, with the next match on June 7th against the season leading Montreal Roses – which is going to be the true test to see how far the Rise really has come.