The Vancouver Rise had their second rematch with the Montreal Roses and with the return of Quinn, with the stand outs of Jasmyn Spencer, Holly Ward, Lisa Perchersky and of course, the steadfast Morgan Mcaslan, there was hope for a strong match against the Roses. However, even the first minutes on the pitch were clouded by a sluggish pace from the Rise versus the electric energy of the Roses, and the Rise were not able to avoid the entangling press of the Roses, leading to a bitter 2-0 loss.

The Good – what we saw today was the usual strong defense from Morgan Mcaslan, where demonstrated her tenacity and magnetic hands – case in point when Whittaker from the Roses attempted a crossover only for Mcaslan to snatch it out midair. Her normal stellar performance was also matched in the second half with the Roses getting a penalty kick and Morgan Mcaslan stopping it dead in its tracks.

The Bad – Frustratingly, we saw a lack of cohesion from the Rise – whether it is because having Quinn back but not in sync with their team, potential issues with the notably poor air quality, or just a team still on it’s back foot from the prior loss, we just didn’t see the Rise move with the same energy, pace, or communication today. Lisa Perchersky, normally a visible threat when it comes to the offense seemed to be hidden in the background today, and Jasmyne Spencer was neutralized almost entirely of her normal offensive and defensive threat. It simply felt like something was missing in the over all strategic play of the Rise, where building up the plays, and rebuilding after a loss of possession was entirely out of reach. Within nine minutes, we had the first goal from Roses powerhouse Stephanie Hill, and a second goal from C. Bilbaut fourteen minutes later – and never equalized or fully challenged by the Rise.

Instead, what we saw were a series of defensive fouls from Mariah Lee and Quinn – who earned the first yellow card of the match. While the Roses certainly had their defensive foul moments, we didn’t see the Rise really take opportunities given to them to take control of the match.

The second half had the arrival of Jessica De Fillipo in for Jasmyne Spencer – an unexpected move as normally Spencer serves as the iron woman of the team, with C. Taylor, and Mariah Lee coming out for Ellen Wong, J. Mitchell, and A. Young. This would have looked like a change of strategy, but stubbornly, the Rise stuck with their usual tactic of trying to take the ball up the middle and to bully through, to fall back on Morgan Mcaslan to rebuild the play. While this can be effective, its a strategy they’ve used over and over again, and it’s apparent opposing teams expect it.

The Ugly – There is a trove of collective talent on the side of the Vancouver Rise, but today, we did not see it utilized to the full potential. Quinn had a rough first game day back when they earned the first yellow card of the day, followed by having the ball stolen from her by C. Bilbout right in front of the box, leading to the second goal at minute 24. The Rise were also clearly unable to neutralize the towering threat of Stephanie Hill who easily made pockets for herself to take the first long goal, and continued throughout the game to be a continuous offensive threat. As mentioned, there was a sense of disconnectedness as the team moved up and down the field – leaving points where the numbers were just not there offensively or defensively at crucial moments. Where the prior match we saw a triple threat of Holly Ward, Lisa Percherskey and Josie Longhurt, we just did not see that thread with Quinn.

So what do we need to see – today’s announcer pointed out, we have to see Anja Heiner-Møller work out a new strategy for the Rise when they are facing the full press that the Roses and other teams love to bring to the pitch. The Rise on a whole has speed and tenacity, with the notable capable footwork of Quinn, Holly Ward, and Nikki Stanton and the tenacity of Jasmyne Spencer, Lisa Perchersky and Ellen Wong other make solid attacks. However, if the passes cannot be threaded to the correct place, if they cannot learn to rebuild their plays midfield and to communicate as they move to the opponents goal, we may never see everything the Rise can fully be.

The Montreal Roses, while formidable, have been beaten by the Calgary Wild, and AFC Toronto – two teams the Rise has been able to counter. The Rise could truly step up to the occassion versus the Montreal Roses, but only if they are willing to really clinically examine what they do on the pitch, and rise to the test facing them.

With this game, heading into week nine, the Rise sit at fourth place, tied with the Ottawa Rapid, The Calgary Wild in terms of points, but falling short in goals for with only 7 points made.