After the euphoria and fanfare of their first game, the Vancouver Rise were back to business for their second game.
It was their first game in their permanent home, Swangard Stadium. The little stadium located on Boundary Road has a history. The Vancouver 86ers later became the Vancouver Whitecaps of the CSL and NASL played at Swangard. Swangard is also home to the League 1 BC club TSS Rovers, the Whitecaps Girls Elite Academy, WFC 2 and other community sporting events.
Now the historic ground at Central Park is home to the Rise.
Vancouver’s opponent was the Montreal Roses. In their first game, they defeated AFC Toronto by 1-0 at BMO Field, which showed how good Montreal was.
First half: Sloppy start at Swangard
Well, it wasn’t the best start. After the throw-in, Megane Sauve managed to cross the ball and it got by everyone and then Hayley Whitaker pounced on it and beat Morgan McAslan. That was four minutes into the match.
The Rise started to up the intensity by winning the ball in the midfield. Quinn and Nicole Stanton made it their mission to win it back as soon as possible. But unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The Rise dug themselves a bigger hole as the Roses were threatening around the 18-yard box and they had trouble getting the ball back. As a result, Allie Hess fired a left-footed shot that beat McAslan cleanly after a swift transition from Montreal. Oof.
Vancouver’s passes and touches weren’t connecting as well. Plus they were having trouble in the final third, especially since the Roses were clogging the box.
One thing that worked against the Calgary Wild was that there was a lot of space for Holly Ward to make dangerous runs. There was hardly any of that in the first half against the Montreal Roses.
But more calamity struck. In the 42nd minute, Tanya Boychuck’s throw-in found Latifah Abdu and she scored a belter just inside the box. What a screamer.
A lot of sloppiness costed the Rise in the first. Plus. Montreal were very sound defensively and held Vancouver to just one shot attempt. The Rise really need to get the non-existent attack going, somehow.
Second half: Better but lacking bite
The Rise came out looking to give the crowd something to cheer for. They finally tested Gabrielle Lambert thanks to Lisa Pechersky’s close-range shot. But Lambert got both hands on it.
The Rise press started becoming more active and they started winning corner kicks. Quinn was pushed down in the box during one in the 55th minute and they made no mistake from the spot.
That goal put some life into Vancouver. They started winning the ball back more and the passes looked more crisp. However, Montreal still looked quite compact at the back.
The Roses looked to burn the Rise on the transition again but Vancouver managed to defend well. There was a scary moment around the 80th minute where Quinn had a poor first half but the Roses hit the post on the ensuing shot.
Vancouver looked very lively as the game winded down. They looked quick on the transitions and were winning corner kicks. The service on the set pieces in this game was good for the Rise. But no one could get on them. That was the problem.
In the end, the Rise were much better in the second half. But the hole from the first half was too steep of a climb.
What was said
“I think there are some things we can take with us, especially in the second half, said Rise head coach Anya Heiner-Moeller on the result. “We’re definitely playing Ottawa style play there and today they were just stronger in their game, like the second balls (and) the duels so we didn’t get to play the game we wanted in the first half. But yeah, still proud of coming out in the second half and changing the picture of the game, but of course it’s a tough one when we are behind 3-0.”
“We weren’t as sharp on the ball today,” said Rise captain Shannon Woeller. “But I think we came out in the second half and played more of our style.”
“The rhythm wasn’t there, but in the second half, the chances were there,” said Heiner-Moeller on the attack.
As it was the first game at Swangard, the Rise head coach talked about the atmosphere.
“We could hear them…and it means something,” said Heiner-Moeller. “It means a lot, it was really nice.”
“It’s a really nice, intimate spot,” said Woeller. “I think, I mean, we’re super excited to be here. They provided a great atmosphere for us, so we need to keep pushing and give back to them.”
Wrap-up
The Rise gets back in action on Monday, May 5. They face the Halifax Tides at Swangard. Kickoff is at 7 pm PST.
