Vancouver Rise

Vancouver Rise take important lead vs. Ottawa Rapid in leg 1 of NSL semi-finals

The Vancouver Rise have taken a big step towards reaching the first-ever Northern Super League final, as they defeated the Ottawa Rapid 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final matchup at Swangard Stadium on Tuesday. 

It ended up being a nervy game for the Rise, who took a 2-0 lead in the first half before letting Ottawa back into the match with a second-half goal, but in the end, they managed to see out the win, giving them a slight edge heading into the second leg. 

Now, they’ll look to get the job done in Ottawa this weekend, as they deal with a short turnaround, with the match scheduled for this Saturday at TD Place. 

If the Rise are to win that second leg, however, look for them to build on the way they started this first leg matchup, in particular. 

Through 45 minutes, it felt like they were unlucky not to be up more than 2-0, as they outshot Ottawa 12-3, doing a good job of causing their visitors problems with the way they pressed high up the field, and then won second balls underneath. 

“That’s the mindset, right?” Rise head coach, Anja Heiner-Møller, said after the match. “Being at the right spot, anticipating where the ball should be, winning the duel afterwards and then getting into the second pressure, as well.”

“It’s very important. I also like that the players are on purpose, opening up spots so that we can steal the ball in specific spots on the field, and I think we did that several times, especially in the first half.”

Sitting with a good idea of how Ottawa wanted to play, given that they’d already played each other five times in the regular season (sitting with two wins apiece, and a draw), they were able to use that to their advantage, catching them by surprise early. 

First, Latifah Abdu opened the scoring after Samantha Chang forced a mistake at the edge of Ottawa’s box, and the Rise attacker made no mistake in slotting the ball into the bottom left corner to put her side up 1-0 in the 15th minute. 

Then, Abdu added her brace in the 22nd minute, as she finished an excellent team goal, showing great individual skill to dance around a defender and slot the ball into the net with her left foot. 

For Abdu, it was the exact sort of big-game moment the Rise envisioned her providing them when they acquired her partway through the season, as she caused fits for the Ottawa defenders the way she was running at them in space. 

Clearly, she relished the occasion – not only did she score the two well-taken goals, but she celebrated the first by grabbing the Rise badge and showing appreciation to the fantastic crowd that made it out to Swangard on a cold Tuesday night, a gesture both the fans and her teammates quickly appreciated. 

“My teammates are so welcoming, so my arrival has been really easy,” Abdu said after the match. “Everyone’s helped me, I’ve connected well with my team, so yeah, it’s been super fun. I think we can see that on the field, like we enjoy playing with each other.”

Photo Credit: Chaehyun Lim

Ultimately, the lone blemish on the night from Abdu’s perspective was that she didn’t add another goal, as she came close to getting the hat trick, but was unable to find the breakthrough required for a third goal. 

Unfortunately, that’d be the one area where the Rise came short as a team, however. Having had an excellent first half, they were unable to build on that in the second stanza, as Ottawa started to climb back into the game – naturally, that was expected given the way they struggled early. 

As a result, the visitors made things very interesting in the 68th minute, as Delaney Baie Pridham, who scored a league-leading 18 goals in the regular season (earning the league’s MVP honour for her exploits), scored a beautiful goal after some good 1v1 play. 

It was one the Rise would want back, yes, as they sat back too much on a player of her calibre, but it was a reminder of the threat that Ottawa poses, and why closing out this tie wouldn’t be so straightforward.

Certainly, the last 20 minutes showed that, as Ottawa came close to equalizing on a few occasions. 

Each time, though, the Rise held strong, and their defensive excellence was punctuated by a memorable moment in the 88th minute, as right back Jasmyne Spencer made an incredible recovery tackle to stop a breakaway from Ottawa’s Nicola Golen. 

Not only did that defensive action deny Ottawa a crucial equalizer, but it gave a huge lift to the Rise the rest of the way, as they rallied behind the crowd, who showed Spencer appreciation with a cheer that might’ve eclipsed the ones they provided for the goals that Abdu scored. 

Yet, it was a good reminder of why the Rise had the league’s best home record in the regular season – it’s not easy for opponents to play at Swangard with its unique grass pitch and cozy layout, especially not in front of an engaged crowd that appreciates the finer works of a game, such as a nice tackle or a good pass. 

“That’s what I love about our fans here, because it’s not just about scoring goals, but also about the tackles and all of those little things,” Heiner-Møller said. “And that’s important for the players and for the team. When the crowd cheers like that, I know that it gives an extra push to the players.”

Now, the Rise will hope the 2-1 lead they carry into the second leg will be enough to power them to the NSL Final. 

Unfortunately, with that final being held at a pre-determined venue, Toronto’s BMO Field, the Rise will not play at Swangard again in 2025, meaning that this was the last time they played in front of their dedicated faithful, which is the bittersweet part of such a memorable night.

When seeing the way the Rise fans rallied behind their side, you could only imagine what a final could’ve looked like at the venue, but instead, if the Rise are to lift a trophy in 2025, they’ll have to do so out east. 

Of course, before they can dream of a final, however, they must get the job done in the second leg, and that’s far from a guarantee. 

If they’re able to play the way they did in the first half of the first leg, they’ll be favourites, but they’ll need to be patient on the ball and aggressive without it, as they both look to add to their aggregate lead while keeping Ottawa off the board. 

No doubt, though, it’ll be easier to do that while defending a lead, instead of entering that game tied or even trailing, so don’t discount the importance of the work done at Swangard on Tuesday. 

“Yeah, we know it’s a dangerous team on the ball, so we want to go into that game and be dominant, and make sure that the good stuff we had in the first half, we can do that for a whole game,” Heiner-Møller finished. “On the ball, we want to make sure we keep it longer, and when we steal it back, we don’t want to just go long right away.”

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