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Photo Credit: Northern Super League
NSL Weekly Recap: Matchweek 2 – Full Throttle
By After opening in Major League Soccer Stadiums for marquee crowds in week one, the Northern Super League is now filling gates at permanent home stadiums for their sides – and those who came out to support were treated to goals aplenty as NSL clubs got a feel for their opposition.
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If you weren’t able to catch all of the Northern Super League action for week two, don’t worry: we’ve got an at-a-glance recap containing all the action to keep you caught up on the inaugural season. Let’s start out east and work out way westwards:
Halifax Tides 1 – 4 Calgary Wild
It was supposed to be a kitchen party for the hosts, but Calgary Wild was committed to showing that a loss in their inaugural match was far from the status quo. They put a damper on the home opener of their east coast opposition right from the proverbial bell, with defender Meikayla Moore – who had a rough introduction last week – quickly making amends to put the visitors in front from an uncontested header just two minutes in. Just four minutes later, a quick effort from Meggie Dougherty Howard took a deflection and went in, doubling the Wild’s early lead.
The twenty-fifth minute was the Tides struggle to clear from their box, eventually leading to Kahli Johnson firing an effort as the ball wound its way to her feet. That too beat McLeod, though the hosts pull one back in the second half when a Wild clearance went off the underside of their own crossbar, with Marika Guay quick to poke it home.
The defensive miscues from Halifax would see them pay again before the final whistle, with a sloppy one-time pass from the back proving all too easy for Kahli Johnson to intercept. Thinking quickly, she looped the ball home before Tides shotstopper Erin McLeod could get in position, all but ending the kitchen party before dinnertime.
Ottawa Rapid 2 – 1 AFC Toronto
See the full match recap here.
TD Place is no stranger to a buzzing crowd atmosphere, and the Ottawa Rapid fans who poured in through the gates to support the club’s home opening match were no different. Still, it was the vermilion visitors who looked most dangerous in the first half, though it was Ottawa who broke the deadlock in the second: South Korean midfielder Lee Min-A went on a dazzling solo run straight down the middle of the park, eventually pivoting left and right to cut the AFC Toronto defense to ribbons before firing home the go-ahead goal and etching her name in the volumeous history books of the nation’s capital.
The final ten minutes would see both clubs trade goals. The Rapid scored through an unlikely source in veteran Canadian Desiree Scott, who tapped in what was ultimately her first-ever professional goal through a 19-year career. AFC Toronto youngster Kaylee Hunter would prove cool as a cucumber to dribble in her club’s first-ever goal, though the 90th minute consolation goal wouldn’t be enough to overturn the host’s hard-fought result.
Vancouver Rise 1 – 3 Montreal Roses
The crowd at Swangard Stadium knew it was going to be a long night after just fifteen minutes – after all, by then the hosts were down two-nil. Goals from Hailey Whitaker and Allie Hess got the ball rolling, with Latifa Abdu getting off the mark just before the end of the first half as the Rise found themselves on the edge of a rout.
The half-time talk from Rise coach Anja Heiner-Moller must have been effective, with the Rise defense proving more concrete in the second half. Given the opportunity to pull one back from the penalty spot, the hosts called against Quinn – who had scored a penalty the week prior – to step up on for the occasion. They did just that, though the Roses would keep their lead from decreasing and finish top of the table.
The NSL’s second matchweek saw the Montreal Roses introduce themselves as a big goalscoring threat, while the Halifax Tides and Ottawa Rapid had completely opposite home opener experiences. With the goals flowing freely, it’ll be interesting to see if defenses tighten at the season continues, or if the forward talent in the league continues to carve open defenses league-wide.
Header Image Photo Credit: Northern Super League
