Rise take a huge win over Ottawa, playoff race tightens

, and Ashle Paige

August 25, 2026 . 12:05 PM

3 min read

Eight rounds are now left in the second season of the Northern Super League before the NSL Playoffs and chase for the Matheson Cup begin. After 17 rounds Ottawa still tops the league, but a recent slump for the Rapid have allowed the Montréal Roses to come within two points of the top spot. Toronto sits in third with 28 points and three back from the Roses. Vancouver and Halifax are fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot, with only one point separating the two clubs. Calgary Wild have pulled two wins off and now sit at nine points, but are still well outside the playoff race.

Round 18 Matches

Saturday, 22 August

Ottawa Rapid 1 – 5 Vancouver Rise

Opening Round 18 was top of the table Ottawa Rapid hosting Vancouver Rise. Ottawa needed a win to guarantee their standing in the league, but would not get it at home in Canada's capital. From the outset Vancouver looked like the better of the two sides, but Ottawa held the Rise goalless until near the end of the first half. Vancouver scored a stoppage time goal to close the half and took that momentum into the second half of football.

Twenty minutes of the second half made sure the Rise would leave Ottawa with a win. Alexandria Lamontagne secured a brace in the opening minute of the second half, she followed up two minutes later with an assist on Anna Bout's goal. Before the hour mark the Rise were awarded a penalty that was buried by Camila Reyes and the visitors added a fifth in the 65th minute to pull out to a 5–0 lead. Ottawa was able to get a consolation prize by wrecking the clean sheet with an 81st minute goal.

Sunday, 23 August

Halifax Tides 0 – 2 AFC Toronto

Halifax needed a win at home to maintain their place in the fourth playoff spot. AFC Toronto on the other hand could pull closer to a top two spot with a win away from home. All the scoring action happened in the first half of football with Toronto's Nikayla Small getting the first goal just 20 minutes in. Just over ten minutes later Kaylee Hunter converted a penalty to put Toronto up 2–0. Halifax tried to score, putting up twelve shots but only one went on target. In the end the effort wasn't enough for the Tides to take three points at the Wanderers Grounds.

Montréal Roses 2 – 2 Calgary Wild

Coming into Sunday the Roses had two wins and two losses in their last four matches. Calgary Wild, sitting in last place, came into Laval with two wins on the trot. While not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Wild are virtually out of them. Calgary's summer roster additions have helped the club rebound from a horrid start to the NSL season. And those additions helped them on Sunday in Québec.

Taegan Stewart opened the scoring for the Wild from the penalty spot, but Montréal's Mimi Alidou answered back in stoppage time to make it 1–1 heading into the break. Elyse Bennett struck home for the Roses five minutes into the second half and the hosts appeared to have the match on lock early in the half. Fifteen minutes after the restart Calgary got their second shot on target of the match, and they made it count with Jorian Baucom tallying the match tying goal.