Vancouver Rise hold off the Tides

MEGAN SWAIN/GATG

The Vancouver Rise took on the Halifax Tides in their second matchup of the season on May 21, 2025. 

The Rise played their first home game after two games back East, where they went 0-1-1. They were looking to get back into the win column against the Tides. Which they managed to do  with a 2-1 victory.

The Tides may have appeared to be an easier opponent for the Rise having beat them once already this season. However the Tides came out strong, scoring the opening goal in the 15’ minute of the game.

The Tides are yet to win a game this season, and their opening goal marked only their second goal in 5 games this season. Their first since their season opener, and their first lead of the season.

The Tides are not the only team to struggle on the score sheet as before this game, the Rise had only scored goals from penalty or corner kicks. 

The Rise scored their first open field goal of the season in the 39’ minute of the match. This was Lisa Pechersky’s first of the season, tying the score 1-1.

The momentum favoured the Tides throughout the first half, but the last five minutes were all Rise. After tying the score, the Rise were quick to get another one on the board, taking the lead 2-1 right before the half. 

The game winning goal came from Mariah Lee in the 44’, marking her first of the season, and the Rise’s second open field goal.

The second half saw a lot of physicality and some close scoring opportunities for both teams. Ultimately, the score sheet was kept clean for both teams in the second. The final score was  2-1 for the Rise.

This game marked the second match without key players Quinn and Nikki Stanton. When asked about a timeline for their returns, head coach Anja Heiner-Møller commented, “Yeah, so they’re really progressing from day-to-day here. We can’t say anything for sure when they’ll be ready, but it’s going by quicker than we thought.” Some positive news for the team and fans.

These two players and the rest of the squad face a quick turnaround with their next match, taking place on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Swangard Stadium. The Rise will take on the Calgary Wild FC who they last faced in their first ever Northern Super League game where the Rise took a 1-0 win.