The Vancouver Rise made their final stop of their inaugural road trip in Canada’s capital.
After a 1-1 draw against AFC Toronto, the Rise looked to get their first-ever road win. Ottawa Rapids were standing in their way, and they started with a 1-1-1 record.
Vancouver was also missing Quinn and Nicole Stanton due to injuries. The midfield duo were pivotal in the Rise’s first four games.
Like every team in the Northern Super League, the Rise were still figuring out what kind of team they were. Well, there was still a lot of learning and growing to do, as the game in Ottawa was another lesson.
First half: Ottawa come out fast
Right from the get-go, the Rapids were in control.
It was also clear that Ottawa’s transitions were going to be tough for Vancouver. The Rise got burned in the 10th minute as Ottawa sped into the Vancouver 18-yard box. Melanie Forbes managed to find Delanie Baie Pridham. This started with a poor pass from Sofia Hagman. The defending? Well, it was just as bad as the Hagman pass.
Luckily, the Rise started to wake up. They started to dictate the play with the press and quick passes. However, they couldn’t get a clean look on Rapids goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson.
But the Rapids weren’t letting up either. They were trying very hard to make sure Vancouver gave the ball away, and their counterattacks looked dangerous again. Morgan McAslan had to stand her ground against Forbes in the 25th minute. Fortunately, Forbes’ shot was right at her.
The Rise did manage two shots on Eriksson in the first half, including a shot from distance from Josie Longhurst. Once again, the crosses were good, but they needed someone to get into them.
Overall, there needed to be more bite in the final third.
Second half: Better but not enough in the final third again
The Rise brought on Emily Wong for Hagman at the half. She nearly made an instant impact as she and Holly Ward connected on the transition, but Longhurst was denied by Eriksson. That was better from Vancouver.
Unfortunately, the Rapids burned the Rise on the transition again. They carved the visiting team’s defenders, and Pridham got her brace from a really good through ball by Downing. Vancouver got caught chasing on this goal.
The Rapids once again were using their press to force the Rise into turning the ball over. But a few minutes after Pridham scored, Ward and Chang tried to create some magic together. Ward tried a shot from distance, but that missed the right post by a hair.
Vancouver’s build-up looked better in the second half. They even tried to beat the Rise at their own game with transitions and pressing of their own. Unfortunately, the final third execution wasn’t there. Chang, Ward, Longhurst, Wong and Lisa Pechersky were connecting well, but there was nothing to show for it.
The Rapids gave the nail in the 76th minute. Substitute Julia Benati made a nice one-touch pass to Desiree Scott with the outside of her foot. Scott then returned the favour to Benati after using her speed to get into the box, and Benati deflected it past McAslan.
The midfield was also missing Quinn and Stanton, as the creativity and defensive stability were lacking at times. Once again, it was another learning experience for the Rise, and they needed to figure out how to get that offensive spark.
Wrap-up
It will be back to the drawing board for head coach Anja Heiner-Møller and the Rise. There was some stuff to like in the second half, but there was still a lack of intensity.
The Rise return home to face the Calgary Wild on May 24. Kickoff is at 4:00 pm Pacific.
