The curtain closed Saturday on the inaugural Northern Super League season with a financial commitment from the federal government, a weather delay and no shortage of drama on the pitch.
When the dust settled, it was the Vancouver Rise celebrating a memorable 2-1 comeback win over AFC Toronto before an announced crowd of 12,429 at BMO Field. Two female Mounties brought the Diana B. Matheson Cup to the pitch for NSL president Christina Litz to give away.
It was a fitting end to a remarkable first year for the six-team league.
“This league, it’s been a long time coming … When I heard about it, I knew that it was something I wanted to be a part of,” said Vancouver captain Samantha Chang.
“We hit a lot of milestones this year,” she added. “Playing in the first-ever game and now winning the first trophy, it does feel so full-circle for us.”
And the final did the league proud with Vancouver showing the kind of resolve that saw it claw its way into the playoffs and then into the final via a penalty shootout.
“The resilience in this team is just amazing,” said Vancouver coach Anja Heiner-Moller.
Toronto, which led the league with 42 goals during the regular season, outshot Vancouver 16-8 (8-3 in shots on target). No surprise then that Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan was named player of the match.
The misses/saves meant Vancouver was one kick away from parity.
Outplayed by a wide margin in a first half that featured Kaylee Hunter’s go-ahead strike in the 20th minute, Vancouver pulled even at 1-1 in the 54th minute on a Toronto own goal. Holly Ward then put the Rise ahead in the 68th minute, outpacing Zoe Burns down the left flank before beating goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde.
Things looked a lot different early on. Toronto had a 14-4 edge in shots (8-0 in shots on target) in a dominant first half.
A lightning warning — the second of the day — forced the players off the field in the 38th minute with spectators taking shelter in the BMO Field concourses for a 40-minute delay.
Toronto had more chances early in the second half, but it was Vancouver that struck off a Nikki Stanton corner. She curled the ball in towards the near post, where it went through Toronto midfielder Emma Regan’s legs and bounced in off a screened Cota-Yarde for an own goal.
Toronto’s makeshift backline, with midfielder Victoria Pickett starting in defence due to a string of injuries, began to wobble.
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 second-place Ottawa Rapid but trailing on goal difference.
Toronto coach Marko Milanovic was both gracious and realistic in defeat.
“I thought we played really well most of the game,” he said. “We created a number of opportunities that we just didn’t put away.”
It was a grey, damp 5 C afternoon at BMO Field for the last game before construction crews take over to complete World Cup renovations. There was a lightning warning several hours before kickoff but the threat ended before fans entered.
Hunter put Canada ahead in the 20th minute, capping a rapid fire counter-attack that started with Pickett. The ball went to Sarah Stratigakis whose through ball put Hunter behind the defence and the 17-year-old’s shot went through McAslan’s legs.
It was Toronto’s first goal in its third game at BMO Field, where Toronto has now lost all three outings.
Vancouver, whose ownership group includes former Canada captain Christine Sinclair, lost veteran midfielder Quinn in the 36th minute after a midfield collision with Esther Okoronkwo. Quinn hobbled off the field as the rain fell, heading straight to the locker-room with Stanton replacing her.
The second lightning warning came minutes later, prompting a 40-minute delay with the players back in the locker-room and fans sent to the concourses below the stands.
“That was a restart for us,” said Heiner-Moller. “We had to make it through seven minutes (to halftime upon returning) and then we had a new restart. That was important for us.”
Saturday’s final came seven months after the league’s opening kickoff, with both Vancouver and Toronto debuting on big stages. And it was preceded by the news that the federal government was committing up to $5.45 million to support the NSL’s growth.
Vancouver opened April 16 with a 1-0 win over the Calgary Wild before an announced crowd of 14,018 at B.C. 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 not been beaten since a 1-0 loss to Vancouver on Aug. 17 at BMO Field, going unbeaten in nine (8-0-1) prior to the championship game, including a 7-0 demolition of the Rise on Sept. 13 at York Lions Stadium.
The two teams took different routes to the final with Toronto dispatching the Montreal Roses 6-1 on aggregate in their two-legged final. Vancouver edged Ottawa in a penalty shootout after their series finished tied at 3-3 after each team prevailing 2-1 at home.
Mother Nature also played a part in the semifinals, with the second leg of the Toronto-Montreal series, originally scheduled for last Sunday at York Lions Stadium, delayed a day due to snow in Toronto.