Latifah Abdu netted two goals in the opening half to guide Vancouver Rise to a 2-1 victory over Ottawa Rapid FC on home turf in the initial leg of the Northern Super League semifinal clash held on Tuesday.
Ottawa’s Delaney Pridham narrowed the margin in the latter half of the game. The follow-up leg of the semifinal is set for Saturday at TD Place in Ottawa.
The second semifinal will showcase AFC Toronto, the top-ranking team, and the Montreal Roses.
AFC Toronto leads 2-0 following the first leg of the series, heading into the forthcoming matchup on Sunday.
The aggregate winners of the semifinals will progress to the solitary championship encounter scheduled for November 15 at BMO Field in Toronto, where the inaugural champion of the newly established Canadian women’s professional soccer league will be crowned.
Abdu capitalized on a defensive error in the 14th minute, taking advantage of a miscued pass by Ottawa goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais at Swangard Stadium.
Abdu doubled her tally in the 21st minute with a well-executed left-footed strike after creating space with a sudden stop.
In the 66th minute, Pridham pulled one back for Ottawa by evading Vancouver defender Rebecca Lake and slotting a low left-footed shot past Rise goalkeeper Morgan McAslan.
Pridham, who topped the NSL goal-scoring charts with 19 goals in the inaugural season, notched her first playoff goal.
Ottawa coach Katrine Pederson voiced her discontent with her team’s first-half performance, acknowledging Vancouver’s strong presence and dominance. She highlighted a notable improvement in Ottawa’s play in the second half, commending their increased attacking threat and ability to convert chances.
