Vancouver Rise once again left it until the final moment.
After trailing Calgary twice and losing two players to injury, Vancouver found a way to earn a point at home, with Jessica De Filippo scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw against Calgary Wild.
The results keep the Rise in fourth place on the table, with Halifax just two points behind. Despite not getting the three points they were looking for, Vancouver showed once again that they are a team that refuses to give up until the final whistle.
Calgary takes the lead
The match got off to a difficult start for Vancouver when defender Jaime Perrault was forced off in the eighth minute following a head collision. Racquel Partovi came on in her place, but just four minutes later Calgary took the lead.
An interception turned into a Calgary counterattack, with Jessica Wulf making the initial save. The rebound fell directly to Serita Thurton, who finished to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Vancouver responded with attacking pressure and came close to finding an equalizer, but another injury added to the team’s problems in the 30th minute. Partovi collided with Kahli Johnson and was forced off, with academy player Myla Ewasiuk entering in her place. The 16-year-old has continued to earn more minutes with the senior team and once again looked composed as Vancouver dealt with another change at the back.
The Rise finally found their breakthrough in the 39th minute. Quinn was fouled inside the box, earning Vancouver a penalty, and the captain stepped up to take it themself, calmly converting to bring the match level at 1-1.
Calgary responded almost immediately with Johnson finding the back of the net in the 42nd minute to regain the lead heading into halftime.
Rise continues to fight
Vancouver brought De Filippo into the match at halftime as the Rise looked for another way back into the game. The striker immediately made her presence felt, attempting a shot just one minute into the second half.
The Rise continued searching for an equalizer throughout the half, creating multiple opportunities and forcing saves, but Calgary’s individual skill continued to cause problems. The visitors repeatedly managed to dribble past Vancouver players and win challenges, making it difficult for the Rise to build pressure.
Towards the final minutes, Calgary looked increasingly likely to leave with all three points. Vancouver, however, refused to stop fighting.
De Filippo delivers again
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, De Filippo found the back of the net to bring Vancouver level at 2-2 and send the home crowd into celebration.
Just two weeks ago, De Filippo scored a last-minute winner against Halifax to give Vancouver a dramatic win. This time, she scored another crucial goal, earning a point for the Rise when defeat seemed almost certain.
It was another example of the resilience that has become such an important part of this team. Vancouver had already dealt with two injured players and twice found themselves trailing but continued to push until they finally found a result.
The result, however, also highlighted the inconsistency that has followed the Rise throughout the season. One week, Vancouver can travel to face the top team in the league and win 5-1. The next, they are at home against the team at the bottom of the table and need a stoppage-time goal just to avoid defeat.
The quality is clearly there. The challenge for this team is being able to produce positive results consistently.
Post-match reflections
With Halifax now only two points behind, coach Anja Heiner-Møller was asked about the team’s mentality going forward and how they approach the pressure of the playoff race.
“Every single match and points are so important,” she said. “That’s why we went in to get three today, for now we’ll take the one.”
The Rise wanted all three points, but now the focus immediately turns to the next opportunity.
“But we need three points next week as well. So, one game at a time.
De Filippo was asked what it means to be able to come through for the team in these crucial moments. For the second consecutive home match, De Filippo has been the player to step up when Vancouver needed her most, and she was quick to credit the players around her.
“My team has been really supportive of myself, so it’s kind of a way I can give back to them.”
She also added, “We wanted to obviously get three points today, but I’m happy with our resilience and being able to keep fighting and find a goal at the end.”
Once again, De Filippo’s words seemed to sum up the night perfectly.
The Rise may not have produced the result they wanted, but they continued fighting until the final seconds and were rewarded with a point in the final moments.
You can find all of Tom and Caitlyn’s photos from the match on the AFTN Fickr page.
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