Around the NSL: Keilty-Dilling’s hot hands; Rise rumble standings; Tides in must-win territory

Let’s start off this week’s edition with the Week 21 matchup between the Montreal Roses and AFC Toronto that had already taken place before last week’s column was written.

It was, arguably, the heavyweight matchup of that week, with the Roses attempting to place a three-game buffer between itself and the surging Mighty Maroons while Toronto was trying to gain some breathing room between itself and the Ottawa Rapid.

Instead? A 2-2 draw thwarted any progress from either team.

Making way for the Rapid to leapfrog back into second place over Toronto… right? Well, buckle up for the riveting answer to that question and the jostling for fourth place in this column’s latest edition.

Highlight of the week

This space has long sung the praise of the Calgary Wild’s Katelin Talbert and how the goalkeeper has been a consistent presence in net all season. Now it’s confirmed that the Wild have two sets of reliable hands between the pipes.

Enter Sarah Keilty-Dilling — or, at least, she entered Week 19’s contest which saw Calgary stave off the Mighty Maroons for a scoreless draw.

Now, did the Halifax Tides essentially sit back for 80 minutes of game play in Week 21’s contest? Yes.

But did the Calgary native step up when the club needed her the most in the final 14 minutes of game action? Also, yes.

Keilty-Dilling’s dying minutes heroics prevented the Tides from capitalizing on a late rally and two late corners. It was electric to watch as the goalkeeper stopped two scrambles inside the box as Halifax attempted to answer Taegan Stewart’s beauty 48th minute strike.

Calgary has been a force to be reckoned with since the club’s 4-0 W Canadian Championship quarterfinal win over CS Mont-Royal Outremont back in August.

Vancouver Rise into fourth place

The answer to the question posed in the opening lines of this column? Nope.

The Ottawa Rapid were fleeced 4-0 on the road at Swangard Stadium. And the ripple effect of Vancouver’s massive win compromised three teams.

The first was the Rapid. Ottawa knew going into last Sunday’s test that they could lift themselves past Toronto in the standings. Moreover, the club knew a Mighty Maroons showdown is on the docket for the once untouchable club on the road in Week 23. Instead, Melissa Dagenais and Mollie Eriksson combined to let in four goals on just six shots on target.

Were the goalkeepers barraged by 18 shots towards the net? Yes. But Ottawa launched 13, with four on target, at Jessica Wulf and she was rewarded with a shutout.

Worse yet for Ottawa, they are taking on the league’s chaos machine at home on Sunday in the Calgary Wild (6 p.m., TSN).

What else did the Rise’s win do? Well, with the win, Vancouver punted the Halifax Tides back into fifth place, two points out of a playoff position. That puts the Tides in a must-win situation Saturday (1 p.m., CBC) at home against the Mighty Maroons, who are on a mission of their own to clear Ottawa.

How did Vancouver’s win effect the league-leading Montreal Roses? Well, the answer to that question is the foot of Jessica De Filippo. The Rise’s leading scorer launched herself into a tie with Elyse Bennett for most goals on the season (11).

The club announced Friday that De Filippo has been extended through 2027. The 25-year-old Mississauga, Ont., product helped Vancouver win the inaugural Diana B. Matheson Cup in November. And her sure foot is ready to roll as the Roses visit Swangard Stadium on Saturday (4 p.m., TSN).

Game(s) to watch in Week 22

As always, yours truly will be parked in front of a television this weekend to watch all three games. But if there was a must-watch match, the Roses road clash with the Rise has the most impactful plotlines on the standings.

If Vancouver takes the win, the club will continue to have breathing room over the Tides, even if Halifax is victorious at Wanderers Grounds.

More importantly, if Montreal doesn’t win, that leaves the door open for the Mighty Maroons and Rapid to climb to the top of the pack, and — playoff implication wise — reveal that the Roses may not be as formidable as once thought.

That being said, the Calgary Wild matchup with the Ottawa Rapid is a close second and should be the fun game this week. How can you not cheer on the league’s agents of playoff implication chaos?

winnipegfreepress.com/graceannepaizen