Montreal Rose secured a 1:0 victory over Toronto in the National Super League regular season on September 10th. The hosts moved clear at the top of the table with 34 points after 18 games. Toronto remain third with 32 points from 19 matches. and here's the thing — the gap narrowed to just two points.
Hailey Whitaker opened the scoring in the 18th minute for Montreal Rose. Sarah Rollins picked up a yellow card for Toronto at 24 minutes. Charlotte Bilbault was cautioned for the hosts a few minutes later at 38 minutes. By then the match had settled into a measured rhythm.
Coaching changes came thick and fast in the second half. Bilbault was substituted at 46 minutes. Noemi Paquin came on for Montreal at 59 minutes. Whitaker herself was replaced at 71 minutes. Toronto made three changes together at the 75-minute mark.
The second half brought more drama. Amandine Pierre-Louis scored for Montreal at 79 minutes. Lauren Rowe added another at 82 minutes. Nikayla Small completed the scoring spree with a goal in the 88th minute. She also collected two yellow cards in quick succession at 83 and 84 minutes. to be fair, the game opened up considerably after the break.
Montreal Rose's recent form showed they kept knocking on the door. They beat Ottawa 3:2 on September 6th before edging Halifax 1:0. A 2:2 draw with Calgary followed, and they had beaten Toronto 2:0 in August. Their only loss in that period came against Halifax.
Toronto's run included a goalless draw with Calgary on September 6th. They had won 2:1 against Ottawa and 2:0 against Halifax. Their defeat to Montreal in August contrasted with a heavy 6:0 victory over Calgary earlier in August. the table goes out of the window in these games, some would argue.
