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The inaugural Northern Super League season came to a close on Saturday, with financial commitments from the federal government, weather delays and no shortage of drama on the pitch.
When the dust settled, the Vancouver Rise were celebrating a memorable 2-1 comeback victory over AFC Toronto in front of an announced crowd of 12,429 at BMO Field. Two Lady Mounties to present to NSL President Christina Litz Diana B. Matheson brought the cup on the field.
It was a fitting end to a remarkable first year for the six-team league.
Vancouver captain Samantha Chang said, “This league has been a long time coming… When I heard about it, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
“We made many achievements this year,” he said. “Playing the first game and now winning the first trophy, feels like full circle for us.”
And the final did the league proud with Vancouver showing the kind of determination that carried them through the playoffs and then to the final via penalty shootout.
“The resiliency in this team is amazing,” said Vancouver coach Anja Henner-Möller.
Toronto, which led the league with 42 goals during the regular season, defeated Vancouver 16–8 (8–3 in shots on goal). It was no surprise that Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan was named player of the match.
The miss/save meant Vancouver was one kick away from equalizing.
After trailing by a wide margin in the first half, which included a strike from Kayleigh Hunter in the 20th minute, Vancouver equalized at 1–1 on a Toronto own goal in the 54th minute. Holly Ward then put Rhys ahead before beating goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde on the left wing past Zoe Burns in the 68th minute.
In the beginning things looked very different. Toronto had a 14–4 edge in shots in the first half (8–0 in shots on target).
On the second day of the day, a lightning warning forced the players off the field in the 38th minute and spectators were forced to seek shelter on the grounds of BMO Field for a 40-minute delay.
Toronto had more chances early in the second half, but it was Vancouver who scored a Nikki Stanton corner. She headed the ball towards the near post, where it passed through the legs of Toronto midfielder Emma Regan and hit the screened Cota-Yarde for an own goal.
Toronto’s makeshift backline began to falter in defense due to persistent injuries to starting midfielder Victoria Pickett.
Toronto (16-6-3) finished atop the regular season standings, 12 points ahead of Vancouver (11-8-6), with the Rise tied on points with the second-place Ottawa Rapid but trailing on goal difference.
Toronto coach Marko Milanovic was both gracious and realistic about the loss.
“I think we played well for most of the match,” he said. “We created a lot of opportunities that we didn’t waste.”
It was a grey, humid 5°C afternoon at BMO Field for the last game before construction crews took over to complete the World Cup renovations. There were warnings of lightning several hours before kick off but the danger ended before fans could enter.
Hunter put Canada ahead in the 20th minute by thwarting a quick counter-attack from Pickett. The ball passed to Sarah Stratigakis whose through ball put Hunter behind the defense and the 17-year-old’s shot went between the legs of McAslan.
It was Toronto’s first goal in its third game at BMO Field, where Toronto has now lost all three matches.
Vancouver, whose ownership group includes former Canada captain Christine Sinclair, lost veteran midfielder Quinn after a midfield collision with Esther Okoronkwo in the 36th minute. As it began to rain, Quinn staggered off the field and headed straight to the locker room, where Stanton was taking her place.
The second lightning warning came a few minutes later, causing a 40-minute delay and sending players back into the locker-room and fans onto the concourse below the stands.
“That was a restart for us,” Henner-Moller said. “We had to make it seven minutes (to halftime on the return) and then we had a fresh restart. That was important for us.”
Saturday’s final took place seven months after the league’s debut, with both Vancouver and Toronto making their debut on the big stage. And that comes before it was reported that the federal government is committing up to $5.45 million to support the development of the NSL.
Vancouver opened with a 1–0 win over the Calgary Wild on April 16 in front of an announced crowd of 14,018 at BC Place Stadium. Three days later, Toronto lost 1–0 to the Montreal Roses before 14,518 at BMO Field.
Toronto and Vancouver split their five regular season meetings, with each team finishing 2–2–1.
Toronto had never lost since a 1–0 loss to Vancouver at BMO Field on August 17, going unbeaten in nine (8–0–1) before the championship game, including a 7–0 demolition of the Rays at York Lions Stadium on September 13.
The two teams took different paths to reach the final, and Toronto defeated the Montreal Roses 6–1 on aggregate in their two-legged final. Vancouver defeated Ottawa in a penalty shootout after their series ended tied 3–3, with each team leading 2–1 at home.
Mother Nature also played a role in the semi-finals, the second leg of the Toronto-Montreal series, originally scheduled for last Sunday at York Lions Stadium, was delayed a day due to snowfall in Toronto.