VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Rise FC are extra-motivated this week after Sunday’s huge win, preparing them perfectly for a critical match against league leaders Montreal Roses FC.

THIS IS THE STANDARD: Rise FC put the league on notice this past weekend, defeating title-contending Ottawa Rapid FC 4-0 at Swangard Stadium to propel themselves back up to fourth place. Jessica De Filippo scored her 11th goal to get back up to the summit of the league scoring charts, while Josie Longhurst and Latifah Abdu both scored their third goals of the season, and Audrey François scored her first Rise FC goal. Jessica Wulf put in a massive performance between the sticks as well, making four big saves to keep her first ever Rise FC clean sheet. After the match, interim head coach Iain Darbyshire made a strong point about the building off this performance, saying “we stepped up and we were in control of the key moments and big saves from the goal keeper, last-ditch tackles. This is the bare minimum to play football at this level. This is our standard now and we're going to take this going forward.” With five regular season games to go, Rise FC will need to keep this standard to ensure their return to the NSL Playoffs this fall. 

SQUARING UP MONTREAL : Rise FC’s last home game from this four-game homestand is against the current league leaders, Montreal Roses FC. Roses FC are on a stellar run, undefeated in their last five matches and climbing five points ahead of former league leaders Rapid FC in first. That means that Rise FC will need to be their best to beat the best, and after that motivating 4-0 win over Rapid FC last weekend, Rise FC now have the confidence to go toe-to-toe with Roses FC on Saturday and maintain their playoff place. 

THE COMPLETE MIDFIELDER: While goals might usually get all the headlines, it’s often the players behind the scorers that push the team to new heights. One player that has been the foundation for Rise FC’s success this season is Anna Bout. The tireless midfielder has played nearly every minute of every match for Rise FC, relentlessly running up and down the pitch for her team. The 25-year-old has four goals and three assists this season, including two assists in Rise FC’s last match against Ottawa Rapid FC. Those two assists now put her up at the top of the league for goal contributions for midfielders, but it’s also all the work she does between the boxes that has her as one of the league’s most consistent performers. It’s that kind of consistency that Rise FC will want to emulate in their last five matches as they look to clinch a playoff spot.