May 3, 2025
A sold out crowd at Boreale Stadium came to see the first ever Montreal Roses FC home game
It’s early into the inaugural season of the Northern Super League (NSL), but so far everything is coming up roses! The Montreal Roses FC began their season in British Columbia, where they beat the Vancouver Rise on April 16, before traveling to Toronto where they defeated AFC Toronto three days later, in convincing fashion.
Today, the Montreal Roses FC stepped out onto their new home field at Boreale stadium, to the roar of a sold out crowd, to challenge the visiting Ottawa Rapid. Like Montreal, Ottawa too come into this match-up unbeaten, although they have only played one game previous to today’s kick-off – a win at home over AFC Toronto.
See Also: CF Montreal defeats Toronto FC on penalties
Roses fever has swept across the city of Montreal – to the point where even the cities monuments are celebrating the start of the team and the league. The historic Farine Five Roses neon sign that proudly stands in Point Sainte-Charles, known for its blinking lights has even been altered so that the word Roses stays lit, while farine, and five will both continue to blink across the skyline throughout the night.
A defensive mistake by Montreal Roses defender Jodi Smith, who played a pass back towards teammate Lucy Cappadona, was ultimately intercepted by Ottawa Rapid forward Delaney Pridham who ran in, using her elbows to keep the panicking Roses defenders at bay, before hitting a hard low shot that caught goalkeeper Anna Karpenko going the other way. As the ball crashed into the lower left corner of the net, Ottawa had taken the lead and handed the Montreal Roses their first deficit in team history.
The Roses came close to scoring just minutes later, when Tanya Boychuk sent a volley just over the cross bar. Noémi Paquin too came close to equalizing when her low shot was saved by Rapids goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson before it could creep its way into the low corner.
In the fifty-second minute, the Montreal Roses scored their first ever home goal, when Latifah Abdu smashed a beautiful shot from just outside the box, that soared into the top center of the gapping goal mouth. It was a brilliant individual play, that sends notice to the whole league – you can’t give Abdu that much space and expect not to be punished for it. Abdu’s name now enters the history books as the first member of the Roses to score a goal at home.
With the action turning more and more in Montreal’s favor, having already dominated the possession for much of the match, Boychuk, who is also soon to be a trivia question answer for scoring the first Roses goal in history, put her team ahead.
Abdu, who had been cause the Rapid all kinds of trouble on the side lines, ploughed her way in and send a great cross into the box, that Boychuk slammed into the net with a great header, as the Roses took the lead. It was such a sweet goal, that Boychuk felt cartwheels and a backflip where in order, as the sold out crowd at Stade Boreale exploded in cheers.
Just two minutes later, Abdu again powered her way down the field and her cross found its way to the boot of Mégane Sauvé who hit it just over the crossbar. Montreal was now fully dominating the Ottawa Rapids.
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Each team will play twenty five regular season games, and face each time five times each during that span – making each win a very valuable commodity. Already having three victories in the win column puts the Roses in a beautiful position to start the season – and helps them continue Montreal’s fine legacy of winning.
The Montreal Roses FC will next be in action on Saturday, May 10, when they host the visiting Halifax Tides and Boreale stadium. Kick-off time is one o’clock and tickets are available now. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Rapid will head to Alberta to take on the Calgary Wild at McMahon stadium on May 11, at seven o’clock.
