Calgary Wild FC Close Home Season on High Note with 3-1 Win Over Vancouver Rise FC

CALGARY — Calgary Wild FC closed out its home schedule in style Sunday, overcoming an early deficit with three second-half goals to defeat Vancouver Rise FC 3-1 at McMahon Stadium.

The victory gives the only women’s professional sports team in the Wild Rose province points in seven of its last eight matches and continues a strong finish to their second season. Calgary’s six-match unbeaten streak came to an end last week with a 3-1 road loss to Ottawa Rapid FC, but the home side responded with a determined performance in front of 3,300 home fans – the largest attendance throughout the Norther Super League this week.

“It means everything,” said Leah Blayney, head coach, Calgary Wild FC. “Every game is important to us, but particularly today. The fans have been with this team since the start – through the ups and downs – and they have showed up. We owed it to them to leave everything on the field.”

Vancouver opened the scoring in the 35th minute when Alex Lamontagne found the back of the net.

“We are continuing to grow with positive momentum. We started slow, but our second half was good,” added Blayney. “We have multiple players coming in to play different roles within the squad. We want to show up every training session and game ready to compete and win, and that’s the mentality you are seeing.”

Calgary regrouped at halftime and came out with renewed energy, drawing level just two minutes into the second half. Taylor Otto converted a corner kick from Meggie Dougherty Howard in the 47th minute to bring Wild FC even.

The momentum continued to build.

Dougherty Howard, the captain of the squad, then put Calgary in front in the 57th minute, finishing from a set piece at the top of the box to give Wild FC a 2-1 lead.

Jorian Baucom added an insurance goal in the 64th minute following a skillful individual play, scoring her fifth goal of the season and sending the home crowd into celebration.

“It was a picture-perfect ending,” said Baucom. “That’s all we talked about in the locker room. The fans showed up for us day-in and day-out and the least we could do is give them a good performance to end the home season on a high note.

“At halftime we came together and said we were still in this. It wasn’t our best performance, but the energy was still there, and we proved that in the second half. We put away our chances. To score at home with a goal like that was pretty cool. I’m still in shock.”

Baucom said the team’s progress throughout the season has been evident, particularly in the way it has continued to grow together.

“You can see that we progressively got better every game and that’s exactly how we want to close off this season – on a high note,” said Baucom.

Calgary-born goalkeeper Sarah Keilty-Dilling also made her mark in the home finale, earning her second professional victory in her fifth consecutive start.

One of the first signings in Wild FC history, the 33-year-old made three saves to keep Vancouver off the scoresheet in the second half. The Rise finished with 17 total shots, including three on target, while Calgary recorded seven shots, four of which were on goal.

The result highlighted Calgary’s growing threat from set pieces, with Otto and Dougherty Howard both finding the back of the net following dead-ball situations.

“Every single game we want to be the hardest team to beat, and that’s been the biggest shift for Calgary,” said coach Blayney. “We are just getting better in every area of the game.”

Wild FC now turns its attention to the road for the final three matches of the season. Calgary’s next match is scheduled for October 3 in Halifax.

About Calgary Wild FC
Calgary Wild FC is one of six teams in the newly created Northern Super League which began in 2025, and continues to feature some of the best women’s soccer players in the world. Shop our exclusive merch and be one of the early #fansinthewild. For the latest news and information on Calgary Wild FC, visit www.calgarywildfc.com or follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and X. Follow the league at www.nsl.ca.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Calgary Wild FC
T: 403-620-8731
E-mail: hpprchris@shaw.ca