The Vancouver Rise fought to the final whistle, but it was not enough as AFC Toronto secured the 3-2 road win at Swangard Stadium.
The loss dropped the Rise to fifth in NSL standings; however, they are tied on 11 points with Ottawa Rapid and Calgary Wild.
Rise head coach Anja Heiner-Møller chose to experiment with her lineup, placing forward Lisa Pechersky at fullback on the left and moving Jasmyne Spencer to the right.
The midfield pairing of Samantha Chang and Emily Wong was brought forth due to the continued injury to Nikki Stanton. Quinn was fit enough to make the bench.
The visitors got things started early. Only three minutes into the match, AFC Toronto midfielder Emma Regan received the ball at the edge of the 18-yard box, coming in from the right flank.
Her shot blistered over Morgan McAslan and into the top of the net for the first goal of the match.
Toronto continued to be the first to loose balls and controlled the Rise through their aggressive and high press.
It paid off again late in the half as the visitors doubled their lead in the 43rd minute.
Victoria Pickett carried the ball into Vancouver’s 18-yard box and squared it over to Kaylee Hunter. Hunter’s placement gave McAslan no chance.
The second half saw a couple of changes for the Rise. Jessica Cowart and Jaylyn Wright brought stability to the back line and enabled Lisa Pechersky to move back up to a more natural position.
“I do think this team is tactically flexible. And that’s important for us to change the game while we’re doing it,” Heiner-Møller said.
And it helped. Vancouver was more progressive in their attacking movement and more courageous in taking their opportunities.
“I do think we changed the game during the second half,” Heiner-Møller said. “We were better on the ball higher up the field, creating the chances.”
The increase in attacks led to a corner in the 69th minute. Mariah Lee found herself unmarked near the 6-yard box and headed it in for her third goal of the season, cutting Toronto’s lead by half.
“Sometimes, we’ve got to talk amongst ourselves and figure it out,” Lee said. “It’s always nice when things aren’t going your way, you can make the most of set pieces. So, we’ve done that in a couple games.”
But it was short-lived. Toronto’s Nikayla Small bossed her way into the Rise’s box and, with some fancy footwork, regained the two-goal lead in the 74th minute.
“It’s hard to dig yourself out of a hole when you go down early and then let more goals in,” Lee added.
The Rise would get a consolation in stoppage time. Josie Longhurst was taken down in the 18-yard box, and Quinn, recently subbed on, stepped up to take the penalty.
It was the third penalty for Quinn this season and the third conversion.
No more surprises came as the game ended 3-2 for Toronto.
Up next
The Rise will stay home for their next match. Montreal Roses will be in Vancouver on Sunday, June 22.
Kickoff for that match is at 1 p.m.
