Around the NSL: Goalie clinics; first career goals; Wild have life

Is there such a thing as an exciting draw? Yes. Did it happen three times this past week in the Northern Super League? Absolutely.

An early Week 9 kicked off in Halifax last Thursday in the first of three goalie clinics that led to three 1-1 draws by Sunday evening.

While the draws meant there was no movement in the Week 9 standings, it was a promising week for all six clubs around the league.

Here’s another look back at the week that was around the NSL.

Highlight(s) of the week

Pick a save, any save.

Ottawa Rapid Melissa Dagenais kept her side in the match with six saves after 21 shots were lodged at her net by AFC Toronto. And Mighty Maroons goalkeeper Sofia Manner returned the favour by letting only one shot on target slide past her.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Calgary Wild’s Katelin Talbert stopped four of the five shots on target of the 21 attempts towards her net, while the Montreal Roses’ Anna Karpenko prevented three shots from trickling into her net out of the nine sent her way.

Meanwhile, in the game that kicked off Week 9, the Halifax Tides’ Rylee Foster-Inman let in one goal from the 15 that were shot in her direction, while the Vancouver Rises’ Morgan McAslan stopped four shots on target on the 17 that sailed towards her.

And can we take a moment to say: McAslan’s back. And with the duel threat of McAslan and Jessica Wulf for the Rise, is this the season turning point for the defending champs? It will definitely be a storyline to watch going into Week 10.

Shoutout to the goalscorers

There weren’t any heroes, per se, in the goalscoring this week as the goalkeepers stole the show, but there are definitely shoutouts to be made.

For Vancouver, Anais Oularbi scored her first NSL goal to open the second half last Thursday. It was answered by a Julianne Vallerand header off a corner kick — the fourth on the season for the defender.

Sunday saw a rocket from the Rapid’s Delaney Baie Pridham in the first game of the doubleheader — who currently leads the league tied with Montreal’s Elyse Bennett with six goals on the season. Pridham was answered with a snipe by Toronto’s Lauren Rowe — both goals coming in the first six minutes of the contest.

The day was capped off by a Calgary Wild goal — a sight for the sore eyes of Wild fans — with Mya Jones setting up Kahli Johnson for her first NSL goal. The week ended at Stade Boréale with an Evelyn Badu equalizer in a long-range strike.

Calgary has life

It may be one goal, but it was the first for the Wild in four games and the first time the club hasn’t been shut out of the match since the middle of May.

And it may have brought Calgary only a single point, but there’s still plenty of runway left in the season for the team to pull out of the basement of the league. The next three clubs above the Wild are all within a point of each other, so the climb into the middle of the pack is not insurmountable.

It was also nice to see Talbert rewarded for her efforts. Calgary’s goalie has often been left out to dry by the defence over the past eight weeks. The draw proves the Wild can hold the line and this might be the spark the club needs to get back into the thick of the race.

Game(s) to watch in Week 10

Spoiler alert: the Ottawa Rapid triumphed over the Montreal Roses on Thursday with a 2-1 win to take a firm hold of first in the standings with 19 points over Montreal’s 15. But that’s for next week’s View, so buckle up for the remaining two games of Week 10.

On Saturday, the Wild host the Tides in an evening clash (6 p.m. CT, TSN+) and the week concludes on Sunday with the Rise hosting the Mighty Maroons (5:30 p.m. CT, CBC Gem).

Calgary will be looking for more points in the standings and the Rise will be looking to take themselves out of the middle of the standings pack. All signs point to a fun weekend watch.

winnipegfreepress.com/graceannepaizen