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Photo Credit: Northern Super League
NSL Weekly Recap: Matchweek 4 – Slim Margins
By The fourth week of Northern Super League action was a full one, kicking off on May 6 and wrapping up five days later. As the league table takes shape in the inaugural season, we’re seeing how some of the stronger sides are taking hold of things, and which clubs need to start stepping up.
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If you weren’t able to catch all four NSL matches this week, here’s an at-a-glance look at what went down in each game – and if you need to look back at the week prior, we’ve got you covered there too.
Vancouver Rise 1 – 0 Halifax Tides FC
Vancouver’s last home match before its first-ever road match – which also took place during this matchweek, oddly enough – saw a lone strike from Rise full-back Jasmyne Spencer, who cuts a diminutive figure at 5’1 but evidently packs one hell of a kick, seal the proverbial deal.
Halifax’s slow start to the season is flashing some warning signs, though Kiley Norkus nearly netted an equalizer in the last minute of the match. Still, with the club having been dominated in terms of corners, shots, and even possession. How early is too early to say one needs to turn the tide?
Montreal Roses 0 – 0 Halifax Tides FC
A strong defensive performance from the Tides is exactly what the doctor ordered, particularly against the goalscoring phenoms in Montreal.
The Roses had fifteen shots on the night, but only two wound their way on target . Still, Halifax will want to sort out its own offensive end: only three shots landed on target, with no corners earned compared to Montreal’s five.
AFC Toronto 1 – 1 Vancouver Rise FC
See the full match recap here.
Neither sides wished to give a quarter in what was the Vancouver Rise’s first road match: while the Rise found no shots on target in the first half, the set piece opportunities were building up.
The second half saw home side AFC Toronto start to dictate play, and that pressure eventually gave way to an Aio Kizaki stunner with just under ten minutes to go.
AFC Toronto keeper Sierra Cota-Yarde would find her clean sheet snatched away right before the final whistle, however, with one of those set pieces seeing Jessica De Filippo head home a last-gasp equalizer.
Calgary Wild 0 – 0 Ottawa Rapid FC
A home crowd north of 8,500 took part in the inaugural Calgary Wild home match at McMahon Stadium, where an even contest between Calgary and Ottawa played out to a draw – the first time either club has finished level with another.
The visitors edged possession and were the better side on the day, outshooting Calgary by a staggering 17-4 margin, though only four of them went on target.
At the final whistle, it was a deserved point apiece in front of a bumper Mother’s Day crowd – and in what was a great gesture, each Wild player had their mother’s flown in to take in the match.
If last week saw some lopsided matches, this week brought parity back into the fold: matchweek four produced three draws and just one win, with the latter coming in a one-goal margin.
Given that each club is just about one month into the swing of things, we expect the defensive performances will get a boost as nerves settle and the routine of road trips and professional sporting life takes hold.
The new matchweek will see Ottawa Rapid host Vancouver Rise, Halifax aim for a first-win kitchen party with AFC Toronto visiting, and Calgary Wild’s second home match see them host the Montreal Roses.
Header Image Photo Credit: Northern Super League
