As the closing weekend of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth approaches, our city’s professional women’s soccer team wants to give Calgarians one more reason to revel when the Wild (3-5-2) welcome the Vancouver Rise (3-4-3) to McMahon Stadium on Saturday.
“This game will be a fun one, for sure,” Calgary fullback Grace Stordy previewed of the Wild West showdown. “I think they’re definitely our rival because we played in the inaugural match. It’s always a tight game. It’s always fun to play against them.”
Saturday’s contest marks the third meeting between the Western Canadian-based Northern Super League clubs. Vancouver beat Calgary 1-0 at B.C. Place in mid-April in the NSL’s historic opening match and later played to a 1-1 draw on May 24th, which means it’s been a minute since these two sides faced off, and Stordy believes they are ready.
“We have the information we need in order to beat Vancouver, so I’m super excited to get out onto the pitch and show this city that we’re more than capable of bringing a championship home,” she shared.
FULL INTERVIEW: 660’s Sandra Prusina chats with Wild FC fullback Grace Stordy
As the second half of the NSL season inches closer, the Wild have faced numerous challenges — including mounting injuries, travel, and adapting to international breaks — which have certainly contributed to a three-game slide.
“The highs have been high, and the lows have certainly been low,” she admitted. “But I don’t think any of us are worried.
“I’m proud of my team. We have a bunch of hard-working girls on this team, and we all play and fight until the very last whistle for each other.”
Stordy, a proud Calgarian herself, believes the Wild faithful can not only be the difference Saturday in their Stampede clash against Rise, but for the rest of the NSL campaign.
“Our atmosphere is definitely unmatched,” Stordy beamed. “I’ve said from the beginning: I think that this city gets behind professional sports teams, and our Wild fans have shown out for us every game has been loud. There’s not much more you can ask for as an athlete.”
Calgary Wild FC host Vancouver at 5 p.m. Saturday.