LAVAL, QC (NOVEMBER 8, 2026) – It was a heroic effort from Vancouver Rise FC on Sunday, as they drew 2-2 away to Montreal Roses FC, losing the semifinal tie 5-2 on aggregate. 

It was a determined start from Rise FC, playing on the front foot as they searched for an early goal to set the tone. 

On the right, Alex Lamontagne nearly found a rushing Latifah Abdu with a low cross into the box, but Roses FC defender Gabrielle Lambert was first to it. 

Abdu came close to getting the opening goal in the eighth minute, firing a vicious strike from range that smacked the crossbar, bounced on the line, and was cleared out before Mia Pante could snatch the rebound. 

The game then became more back and forth, with both sides cancelling out each other’s attack. 

Abdu had another chance in the 22nd minute, after Anna Bout chipped a pass in-behind, but the striker’s volley spun away from goal.

Roses FC drew first blood in the 39th minute, after Noémi Paquin’s tight-angle effort hit off the far post and went in. 

Rise FC had a quick response, however, as they equalized two minutes later with a stunner from NSL Player of the Year Jessica De Filippo. De Filippo picked up the ball at the edge of the box, popped it over a defender and volleyed it into the top corner. 

Abdu nearly made it 2-1 right after, going one-on-one but was denied by Lambert. The striker would not be denied, however, getting onto the end of a Josie Longhurst ball moments later, skipping past Lambert, and firing into an empty net to make it 2-1 going into the second half. 

The second half saw Rise FC come out full of energy, knowing one more goal would put real pressure on Roses FC. 

Pante had an effort in the 56th minute, after a great diagonal ball from Tumeth set her on her way. The winger cut inside and tried to lace the ball into the top corner, but the shot went over the crossbar. 

De Filippo tried her luck from a free kick a few minutes later, and came close as her shot curled just over the mark. 

Again De Filippo nearly got a third for Rise FC in the 73rd minute, driving into space on the right and firing a knuckle-ball that just twisted away from the goal. 

However, Roses FC did find one back in the 77th minute, after Tanya Boychuk drilled it across goal for Lisa Pechersky to score. 

Rise FC gave everything to try to get back in front in the closing stages, but were unable to overcome the deficit, as Montreal secured their place in the NSL Final. 

Vancouver Rise FC now look ahead to their third season in 2027, welcoming a new foe in Winnipeg Ember FC. Season ticket memberships are now on sale at vanrisefc.com/season-tickets.

MATCH DETAILS

Referee: Myriam Marcotte

Scoring Summary
39’ - MTL - Noémi Paquin (Evelyn Badu)
41’ - VAN - Jessica De Filippo
45’+2 - VAN - Latifah Abdu (Josie Longhurst)
77’ - MTL - Lisa Pechersky (Tanya Boychuk)

Statistics
Possession: MTL 48% - VAN 52%
Shots: MTL 13 - VAN 10
Shots on Goal: MTL 7 - VAN 3
Saves: MTL 1 - VAN 5
Fouls: MTL 13 - VAN 11
Offsides: MTL 0 - VAN 1
Corners: MTL 4 - VAN 4

Cautions
19’ - VAN - Anna Bout 
53’ - VAN - Jessica De Filippo 
54’ - MTL - Mimi Alidou
58’ - MTL - Evelyn Badu 

Vancouver Rise FC
13.Morgan McAslan; 4.Sura Yekka (26.Anais Oularbi 90’+1), 6.Tori Tumeth©️, 25.Kaela Hansen (12.Jaylyn Wright 84’), 18.Yuka Okamoto (2.Shannon Woeller 84’); 24.Josie Longhurst (7.Nikki Stanton 90’+1), 14.Anna Bout, 11.Jessica De Filippo; 8.Alex Lamontagne (17.Audrey François 72’), 99.Latifah Abdu, 22.Mia Pante

Substitutes not used
52.Jacqueline Cuthill, 3.Jessika Cowart, 16.Kennedy Faulknor, 46.Adalyn Fairweather 

Montreal Roses FC
26.Gabrielle Lambert; 6.Anne-Valérie Seto, 2.Lucy Cappadona, 20.Mégane Sauvé (28.Amandine Pierre-Louis 90’); 7.Noémi Paquin (12.Tanya Boychuk 61’), 18.Charlotte Bilbault, 77.Anna Heilferty (3.Hailey Whittaker 61’), 10.Lisa Pechersky (5.Julia Leas 81’); 11.Marie-Yasmine Alidou, 13.Evelyn Badu (15.Chloe Minas 61’); 9.Elyse Bennett

Substitutes not used
22.Anne-Marie Laroche, 4.Stéphanie Hill, 19.Lorie Thilbault, 23.Félicia Roy