It was a frenetic end to the match as Vancouver Rise FC drew 2-2 with Montreal Roses FC.
Goals from Jessica De Filippo and Tori Tumeth helped secure the one point against the NSL’s top team.
Rise interim head coach Iain Derbyshire called it “an unbelievable game for the fans and spectators.”
“I think you’ve just seen a championship-level game, and we can’t say that too many times about us this season,” he said. “And I think for us, we’re disappointed, and it’s good to be disappointed. I think we know that next time we play Montreal, which will be in the playoffs, that we’ll be successful.”
The Rise started strong, dictating the pace of the match with their control and outside runs. Mia Pante and De Filippo, in particular, looked dangerous every time the Rise pushed forward.
Defensively, the Rise were strong as well, significantly limiting the Roses’ chances throughout the first half hour. Elyse Bennett found herself isolated on many occasions, as the Rise cut off service to the striker.
“We knew we had to keep the ball. We wanted to make the 9 [Bennett] move side to side and tire her out a little bit because she’s such a good player,” Derbyshire said.
However, the best opportunity in the half came from the Roses. Jessica Wulf was unable to hold onto a high ball crossed into her 18-yard box, and in the ensuing confusion, a Roses player rang a shot off the post.
But it was the only time in the opening 45 minutes that the Roses truly threatened the home side.
“We came in at the half disappointed,” the head coach said. “We thought we should have been a couple of goals up.”
The Rise looked the better team for the beginning of the second half as well, but opportunities going forward were much more difficult to come by. The Roses held their defensive shape better and calmly cleared anything entering their 18-yard box.
And despite the Rises’ apparent control, it was the Roses who struck.
A poor clearance by Wulf was picked off and left open for a wide Lisa Pechersky. The Montreal attacker punished her old team, hitting a low shot under the Rise keeper for the opening goal of the match.
But the Rise fought back. Pante played an excellent ball up to Yuka Okamoto on the left, who crossed it over for De Filippo.
De Filippo made no mistakes as she put away her league-leading 12th goal in the 83rd minute, a redirected shot from inside the 6-yard box.
And this is about when the guardrails came off for both sides.
Sensing a chance to win, the Rise grabbed it off a set piece. In the 92nd minute, Anaïs Oularbi took a corner that flew over everyone inside the 6-yard box before getting to Tumeth, who headed it in.
It looked as though the home side had come from behind to secure the three points, but Montreal had other ideas.
Pechersky’s cross in the 93rd minute landed smartly for Amandine Pierre-Louis inside the 18-yard box. It was a quick tap to Evelyn Badu, who hit the ball hard from near the penalty spot to bring the match back to a draw.
Mentality shifts for Rise
Derbyshire reiterated that his squad cannot be happy with the single point, even though it came against the top team in the league as of matchday. But he praised his players for their commitment to continue fighting, even in the final few minutes that remained.
“Even when they made it 2-2, that last couple of minutes, it was us pushing for the goal. I’m really proud of that and that mentality because that’s a big shift for the group.”
Rise attacker Mia Pante said this is something they have focused on over the past couple of weeks.
“We do a really good job at focusing on us and looking into our strengths,” Pante said.
Up next
The Rise head out on the road for the next three matches. First up is Calgary Wild FC on Sept. 27.
Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
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