NSL Semifinal Preview: Montréal Roses vs Vancouver Rise

The Supporters’ Shield winners against the defending champions. On paper it looks lopsided: Montréal topped the table with 45 points, while Vancouver only clinched fourth on the final weekend due to Halifax’s result.

But this matchup has never been short on drama.

Ever since Latifah Abdu traded her hometown for Vancouver to join her childhood bestie Jessica De Filippo under curious circumstances, there has been special attention on this match. Together they are the best one-two forward punch in the league and the reason Vancouver are even in the playoffs this time around. 

Lisa Pechersky went the other way, leaving the champions for a starring role in Montréal this Winter. She found it, and she celebrated her last goal against the Rise with her fingers in her ears. 🙉 She’ll be locked in.

Both teams look very different from the start of the season. Both have interim coaches in charge and both have changed formations, but only Montréal has leveled up.

Two legs, aggregate goals, and a place in the NSL Final at TD Place on the line.

The winner faces AFC Toronto or Ottawa Rapid on Saturday, November 14, at TD Place.

Montréal have had the better of this matchup in 2026: three wins, one draw, and one loss, outscoring Vancouver 17–9.

Expect goals. The two sides have combined for 25 in five meetings, an average of five a game, and no match has had fewer than four. As you can see, there have been plenty of early goals, and plenty of late-game drama too, an exciting prospect for fans looking forward to entertaining matches.

The scoring is spread across both squads, with seven different players scoring for each side. For Montréal, Badu (4G, 1A), Bennett (4G), Boychuk (3G, 2A) and Pechersky (2G, 2A) lead the way. For Vancouver, De Filippo has three goals and Abdu has a goal and two assists.

Other than the two blowout wins, this matchup has been incredibly close with possession, shots, passing accuracy, and crosses/corners stats even across the 3 other matches. 

Maryse Bard-Martel reverted to a back-four formation after the Roses started the year in a back-three. This has shored up defensive stability, and allowed the attacking players to play freely knowing Bilbault, Cappadona, Seto and co have their backs.

Montréal’s summer business has paid off. Alidou, Heilferty and Pierre-Louis have strengthened an already solid squad.

The Roses’ injury list has four names, but Karpenko (ACL) is the only key absence. Lambert has filled in well in goal, including a clean sheet in the Shield-clinching 1–0 win over Ottawa. It shows the importance of having a veteran backup.

Vancouver, on the other hand, look thin. Eight players are listed as injured or in doubt. Quinn hasn’t stepped on the pitch in months and is sorely missed, and Lopez went down with an injury at the U-20 World Cup. Her Colombian compatriot, Camila Reyes, is also listed as in doubt for this weekend.

The Rise’s summer reinforcements were hit and miss. Lamontagne was good but was on crutches after the last match, although she is not listed on the availability report at time of writing. Swaby has struggled with injuries too and will be unavailable. Kaela Hansen is the only summer addition who has contributed consistently.

Expect coach Darbyshire to set up in the same 4-3-3 as in the last match, with Stanton as the lone pivot. While it wasn’t perfect, the Rise looked better with the veteran midfielder shielding the centrebacks and progressing the ball as a deep-lying playmaker.

Abdu has started three games in this series but was benched for the last regular season match vs Calgary. She came off the bench with fire in her eyes and needs no extra motivation in this matchup. I have her in my predicted XI. With Lopez out and Quinn still missing, Vancouver need their best players on the pitch from the first whistle.

She was last year’s Final MVP, and Vancouver will need that version of her. The Rise have conceded 17 goals in five games against Montréal using 3 different keepers. We know she will be busy over 180+ minutes. The Rise can’t afford any unforced errors if they want to keep their hopes of defending their title alive.

Seven different Roses have scored against Vancouver this season. Shut down Bennett and there is still Badu, Boychuk, Alidou, and Pechersky, with Paquin coming off the bench. It’s a big task for Tumeth, Okamoto, and co, and the fact that the Rise have used so many different combinations of players in the backline this season doesn’t help. Swaby is out, Cowart has not reached the level we know she can play at following her collarbone break, and Woeller is only just returning from ACL injury.

Golden Boot winner De Filippo has three goals against Montréal this season, including that late winner in the Rise's lone win. Bennett scored four against Vancouver but is in a dry spell. If she breaks it, she could be the difference maker. Both players have similar strengths: size, power, technique, and a nose for goal. De Filippo has been more clinical, though, only requiring 4.8 shots per goal vs Bennett’s 5.3 across the season.

Pante was the gamebreaker against Calgary, creating chance after chance and scoring a brace in the crucial win that kept their playoff hopes alive. And that was against Grace Stordy, one of the best fullbacks in the league. If she shows up in the same form in the coming weeks, the Roses have a major problem. NWSL alumna Anna Heilferty will likely be tasked with guarding Pante, and she’ll need to find the right balance between joining the attack and closing down her wing. This is the exact situation she was acquired for in the Summer transfer window.

Montréal advance, 5–3 on aggregate.

With Abdu and De Filippo up front and a home crowd at Swangard, the Rise can score in the first leg. But Montréal’s depth and Vancouver’s injury list catch up with the reigning champions in Laval.

What’s your prediction? Let me know on socials!

The winner heads to TD Place for the NSL Final on Saturday, November 14 at 2 p.m. ET, to face Toronto or Ottawa. Get Final tickets if you’re in the area!

Final weekend also brings Women’s Sport Now, the NSL’s conference on the growth of women’s sport, on November 13th. I’ll be in Ottawa covering both, so follow along on socials for photos, video and interviews. Get conference tickets if you want to join me and network with Canadian women’s sport legends.

And don’t miss my preview of the other semifinal: Ottawa vs Toronto