The NSL season is only five matches in, and yet the Vancouver Rise has already hit the first barrel roll of their rollercoaster.

Seasons are like that.

Five matches are also 20 per cent of the NSL season, so perhaps it’s a good thing that adversity hit the Rise early. They’ve figured out a formation and structure that works, implemented it over their past two matches—wins against Halifax Tides on the road and AFC Toronto at home—and moved up from the basement of the table into the playoff spots.

The rocky start was made more difficult by the loss of several key players in the offseason. However, new blood and increased roles for last season’s depth have helped.

New is old for Pante

For midfielder Mia Pante, new blood is also old.

Pante spent four years with Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite (now Vancouver Rise FC Academy) between 2017 and 2021. But opportunities in B.C. back then were few.

However, after four years of playing soccer at Texas A&M in the American college system, that landscape had already changed significantly.

“When I first graduated college, Vancouver Rise was an option for me to come home and play. I’ve been away at college for four years. But graduating college and getting offered a Champions League team is kind of a no-brainer. And I thought I had to take it up because you don’t know when that opportunity will come,” Pante said.

That opportunity was AS Roma one of the top professional women’s clubs in Europe. Pante spent a year at the club, playing with and against the world’s elite.

But the move overseas was hard and knowing that the Rise was competing in their first year back home was always on the back of her mind.

“I tried to watch as many games as I could when I was away, seeing how much support there was from the country in the year,” she said. “I think it was something special. And you don’t get that everywhere. Female soccer isn’t like that everywhere. In North America, it is right now. It’s the highlight. It’s at the forefront of sports—is female sports right now.”

The desire for more minutes and a bit of homesickness meant she had an option: Return to where it all began in Vancouver.

“I don’t know what I would have done two years ago. And I actually said it to Quinn. I was like, ‘I don’t know what I would have done.’ And they were like, ‘Well, I know players that went overseas, and they struggled and would have wanted to come home. But instead, they stopped playing soccer because they’re like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’’ [They’re] missing home, missing family. The culture, everything is so different. It’s just not worth it at some point. But I was able to come and continue playing. So, I’m so grateful for that.”

Pante was highly touted when she joined the Rise. A creative presence on the wing, she possesses an offensive desire and great technical ability. The expectation was that she would slot in right away in one of the role’s vacated by former players Holly Ward or Lisa Pechersky.

But expectation is often not met with reality. Injury hampered her return, just two weeks before the opening match of the season.

“I think there was so much built up, nerves and excitement and having our first game at home, my friends, my family, everyone’s going to be there, and then two weeks before, a week before the season started, I ended up hurting my knee. And thankfully, it wasn’t something too serious. But it was something that did take me out for six weeks, which is substantial.”

Pante’s return to the lineup coincided with the Rise’s change in form. Both of her appearances were wins for the club, and she has played a role in that on both sides of the ball. With the injury behind her and her match fitness close to being full, Pante’s hope is to continue fighting for minutes.

“Now, I feel like I can get myself into the rhythm again and help this team.”

Bout’s increased role for the Rise

Anna Bout was a depth player last season. Often utilized in the midfield, Bout role was to help finish off matches with the few minutes she got.

This year, she’s one of the first names on the team sheet. She has played every single minute of the Rise’s current season.

“It’s been really fun to have more time on the field and a bit of a bigger role this year,” Bout said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been trying to embrace it and trying to be a leader as much as possible. And to work hard and do anything I can to help the team. It’s been a bit different playing out wide rather than the midfield, but I’m enjoying it and enjoying playing with the new players as well.”

Playing out wide has also come with added responsibility. Rise head coach Anja Heiner Moeller has said she wants Bout to grow creatively and contribute to creating goal opportunities.

That paid off in the Rise’s 2-1 win over the Tides with an excellent cutback to Jessica De Filippo.

“It felt really good. We’re working really hard in training. So, just getting that one off, getting a good goal and helping the team in any way possible was really satisfying and really nice.”

It’s early days (or not, depending on how you look at a 25-match season), but the Rise have started to find chemistry.

“We’re starting to gel a bit more, kind of seeing what we’re really capable of, dominating the game and winning convincingly,” Bout said.