Rise thrive in penalties to beat Rapid 5-4, advance to NSL Final
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OTTAWA – Sofia Hagman’s goal in the sixth round of penalty kicks lifted the visiting Vancouver Rise to a thrilling Northern Super League semifinal victory over the Ottawa Rapid on Saturday.
With the teams tied 3-3 on aggregate after a pair of 2-1 victories by the home team in the two-leg series, the Rise punched their ticket to next week’s NSL Championship game by outscoring the Rapid 5-4 in penalties at TD Place Stadium.
Vancouver will meet the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between AFC Toronto and the Montreal Roses in the NSL final. Toronto won the first game 2-0 in Montreal.
Delaney Baie Pridham — the NSL’s Golden Boot winner with 18 regular-season goals — gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead on Saturday with a goal in the 27th minute. The hosts went ahead four minutes into the second half on a goal by Melanie Forbes. But Holly Ward scored for Vancouver in the 84th minute, forcing 30 minutes of overtime and penalty kicks.
Rapid coach Katrine Pederson was both proud and sad after the thrilling match.
“This is both the best and the worst part of football. We lost in the toughest way possible, but I’m incredibly proud of our players, the team, and everyone around us,” said Pederson.
“We came in knowing we had to win, and after a slow start we grew stronger as the match went on. Both teams put on a great semifinal … It hurts to lose this way, but we can be proud of how we played and what we achieved this season.”
Desiree Scott, the Rapid’s captain, confirmed her retirement following the match. Attendance was announced as 3,068.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025.