Around the NSL: Silano’s spectacular strike; Rapid treading water; Post-season posturing
NSL storylines from Week 23
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And just like that, the Northern Super League playoffs are nearly set with only fourth place — and home-field advantage, of course — up for grabs.
AFC Toronto is on a tear, and the Wild continue to terrorize the post-season race. Week 23 was a wild ride — pun intended.
With three weeks of the regular-season schedule remaining, the crystal ball of who has the best chance of taking the Diana B. Matheson Cup has never been cloudier.
NSL Photo
AFC Toronto forward Lena Silano (far right) robbed Ottawa goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson of the ball last Saturday before a beauty of an undefended finish to open the scoring. The Mighty Maroons would shut out the Rapid 3-0.
And with a pivotal Friday night matchup, here’s an early edition of View from Row Z.
Highlight of the week
The Mighty Maroons have struck again — this time off the foot of Lena Silano. In fact, the Toronto forward had a brace in the game against the Ottawa Rapid on opposing ends of the halftime break, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Could this have been anyone’s goal? I mean, technically yes. Toronto was relentless in the box in the opening half, making Ottawa goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson’s life miserable in the leadup to the 44th minute game-opener. And midfielder Nikayla Small had two massive chances in front of the net as Ottawa’s defence completely broke down.
However, Silano ended up being the hero — and how. The forward completely robbed Eriksson of the ball before darting past the Rapid’s goalkeeper and finishing undefended.
And it was a foreshadowing of what was to come, as the Mighty Maroons defended their home turf with a 3-0 shutout over the once-untouchable Rapid squad. With the win, Toronto leapfrogged Ottawa into second overall in the standings (37 points to the Rapid’s 36) and picked up a playoff spot.
Rapid-ly declining
Not to sound like a broken record, or throw a sucker punch, but Ottawa’s early season peak is the only current saving grace for the club. Because the Rapid racked up so many points, the team clinched the third playoff spot over the weekend despite the loss, but only because statistically there aren’t enough weeks for either Vancouver or Halifax to gain enough ground on the team to punt it below the playoff line.
The club has gone 1-4 over the last five weeks and rolls into Stade Boréale on Friday (6 p.m., YouTube) to face the Montreal Roses, who haven’t lost a game since Week 16. While a win, draw or loss won’t affect the team’s post-season picture, the latter part of the season leaves an uninspired impression that the club will go any further than the first round of the playoffs.
Never say never of course, but the trend is not looking pretty.
Race for fourth continues
It was a week to forget for one of the two teams vying for the final playoff spot.
The Vancouver Rise were on the wrong end of a 3-1 win on the road at McMahon Stadium on Sunday by none other than the league’s favourite agent of chaos, the Calgary Wild.
Vancouver took the lead into the half with a 35th-minute bending strike by forward Alex Lamontagne — a strike so good it was runner-up for highlight of the week.
But the Wild came roaring out of the break, scoring two goals in less than 12 minutes — the first of the year for Taylor Otto and fourth for Meggie Dougherty Howard — after play had resumed. And Calgary’s goal-scoring leader Jorian Baucom netted her fifth of the year eight minutes after Dougherty Howard’s go-ahead goal.
The Tides, however, had a better outing, with goalkeeper Anika Tóth keeping the club in the post-season race, drawing the league-leading Roses 0-0 in enemy territory.
After Week 23 wrapped, the Rise continue to sit on the right side of the playoff line (with 27 points) despite the loss, but just one point clear of the 26-point Tides.
Both clubs have difficult matchups again this week, with Halifax hosting Calgary (Saturday, 1 p.m., CBC) and Vancouver on the road in Toronto (Sunday, 12 p.m., TSN).
Game(s) to watch in Week 24
While the Saturday and Sunday fixtures have the most impact on the post-season, Friday’s matchup is more or less a measure of prediction for the playoffs. If the Roses steamroll the Rapid at home, Ottawa will drop to 1-5 in the team’s last six games played.
More importantly, there’s a massive advantage for the Rapid to finish in second place — having the opportunity to play the pivotal second leg of the semifinals on home turf.
Is there a better way to spend a Friday night watching footy than a heavyweight matchup for home-field advantage on the line?
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