BURNABY, BC (OCTOBER 25, 2026) – It was a thrilling Sunday afternoon at Swangard Stadium, as Vancouver Rise FC held on to defeat Calgary Wild FC 3-2 to move themselves up to the fourth and final playoff spot.
Should Halifax Tides FC fail to win on Monday at AFC Toronto, Rise FC would clinch a return to the postseason.
Rise FC had an electric start to the match, opening the scoring inside seven minutes through Mia Pante.
Pante won the ball near the middle of the pitch, and drove down the left side, bursting past the Wild FC defenders. The winger then cut inside and fired a low shot inside the near post, beating Sarah Keitly-Dilling and putting her team ahead early.
Pante nearly got her second of the match in the 18th minute, once again sprinting past the defense and bearing down on goal, and was only denied with a last-ditch tackle.
Tori Tumeth nearly got her third of the season off the resulting corner, thundering a header towards goal but a goal-line clearance made sure to keep Rise FC’s lead to just one.
Near the half-hour mark, Pante was at it again, this time curling a perfect pass on the ground towards the back post, just barely passing Alex Lamontagne and Anais Oularbi on the way out.
With all the confidence in the world, Pante added a second to her tally in the 35th minute, after a fantastic pass in-behind from Lamontagne. The Canadian connection unlocked the defence and allowed Pante to run past her marker, skip past the goalkeeper and pass the ball into the empty net.
Calgary Wild FC were able to grab one back late in the first half, as Josie Aulicino’s effort from outside the box found the top corner.
Rise FC went into the break with a one-goal lead and plenty to fight for.
The second half saw the introduction of Golden Boot leader Jessica De Filippo, who nearly made an instant impact after her header from an Oularbi cross hit the crossbar in the opening minutes.
The striker would not be denied in the 53rd minute however, as she finished off a great team play. Anna Bout and Josie Longhurst combined down the right to allow the former to run into the box and cut it back for De Filippo to sweep home and make it 3-1.
Calgary brought it back to one in the 69th minute, after Jorian Baucom took advantage of a bounce off the crossbar and fired in their second.
De Filippo nearly added a 14th goal in the 83rd minute after the forward slid to meet a low cross from Pante, but her effort looped over the crossbar.
Rise FC then went into defensive mode, holding strong in the closing stages to grind out the win.
Rise FC captain Shannon Woeller made her first appearance of the season off the bench in the 88th minute, coming on to help defend the lead.
Through the gritty final moments, Rise FC were able to secure all three points to put them in position for the playoffs, pending the result of Monday's final NSL regular season match. .
Should Rise FC qualify for the playoffs, they will host the first leg of their semifinal series next Sunday, November 1 at Swangard Stadium, with kickoff at 5 p.m. PT. Fans can grab tickets at vanrisefc.com/tickets.