Around the NSL: Quarterfinal upset; Wild win; Rapid still human

Oh, the drama in the week that was.

The quarterfinals of the inaugural W Canadian Championship have been a wild ride since the Calgary Wild shut out CS Mont-Royal Outremont 4-0 on Aug. 5. The development this week? The NSL’s second-best team dropped a 1-0 decision to semi-pro Simcoe County Rovers FC on Wednesday in front of a hometown crowd at Stade Boréale.

Club backlash over the loss has been swift as the Montreal Roses promptly fired manager Robert Rositoui on Thursday. First assistant coach Maryse Bard-Martel has been placed as the interim bench boss until a new head coach is hired.

Rositoui was the club’s inaugural head coach, who led the Roses to a semifinal berth in Montreal’s inaugural season. It’s a shock that after a loss in a knockout tournament would amount to his firing — but the club claims a “new spark” is needed.

Sunday’s clash against AFC Toronto — in which the Mighty Maroons can leapfrog the Roses into second place with a regulation win — will determine if the firing was too rash and cooler heads should have prevailed.

Highlight of the week

It finally happened: the Calgary Wild netted its first regulation win of the season, dropping the Vancouver Rise last Saturday.

The Wild did it in fashion — a 3-2 road win in front of a Swangard Stadium crowd.

Forward Teagan Stewart opened the scoring just into the second half. The Rise punched back with a brace from Jessica De Filippo, who now sits tied for third in goals with seven.

Calgary would storm back in the closing minutes with goals from Jorian Baucom and Keelyn Stewart minutes after Vancouver defender Tori Tumeth was handed a red card.

The true highlight? Goalkeeper Katelin Talbert finally got a much-deserved win after backstopping the Calgary club all season through thick and thin — and, at times, spotty defending from her teammates.

Talbert survived three corners and four shots on target, of the 12 shots launched in her direction. She’s won the Golden Glove of the hearts of superfans with this week’s win.

Monkey off league’s back

The Mighty Maroons proved the Ottawa Rapid are still human on Sunday, with the club’s bloodbath of a road draw at TD Place.

The 2-2 draw started as most games against the Rapid usually do — with a early goal, this time by Melanie Forbes. But Toronto struck back in the 34th minute thanks to Sarah Stratigakis.

Things began getting chippy in the 55th with a yellow card against the home side’s Kayla Adamek before Cloey Uddenberg and Choo Hyo-joo were both sent off on red cards in the 62nd.

With each club down to 10 players — and with a major loss for the Rapid with the team’s Korean phenom tossed — Toronto took the lead in the 77th off a Shelina Zadorsky strike. Just when it looked like the Mighty Maroons could take down the league’s giant, Ottawa forward Nicola Golen launched a stunner.

Ottawa hasn’t suffered a draw or worse since Week 9, where — you guessed it —Toronto held the club to a 1-1 draw.

If anything, the Mighty Maroons gave teams around the league hope that the Rapid aren’t invincible.

About those Roses

Was the firing of Rositoui inevitable? Before bowing out of the W Canadian Championship to the semi-pro Rovers, Montreal suffered a 1-0 loss to the Halifax Tides last Friday.

But the Roses were on a 4-1 run until the loss against Halifax. And now the club has to bounce back against the surging Mighty Maroons on the road.

There’s no predicting the future, but the cards being dealt were coming up, well, pretty much roses for Montreal.

Games to watch in Week 17

All three games have fantastic storylines.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

The week kicks off Saturday with a matinee game (3 p.m., CBC Gem) with the Rapid on the road against the Wild. Now, yes, Calgary only has one regulation win under its belt, but the motivation of a win can sometimes be the best medicine for a struggling team.

Will the Rapid be angry about having to draw with Toronto? Yes. But doubt is a terrible feeling to buck after a draw.

The primetime game sees Vancouver trying to bounce back into the win column against the Tides at home (8:30 p.m., TSN). With Halifax firmly in fourth place, a win will push them into the chase for third, while a win for the Rise is a much-needed boost in an attempt to get back into the playoff race.

Week 17 wraps up Sunday (2 p.m., TSN) with the Toronto-Montreal clash at BMO Field. The Roses need a win to prove a point. The Mighty Maroons are riding the high of a draw against the Rapid. This should be a fun one.

winnipegfreepress.com/graceannepaizen

Grace Anne Paizen
Sports Editor

Grace oversees the team that produces sports journalism for the Free Press.