Calgary Wild FC Stun League-Leading Ottawa Rapid FC in 4-3 Thriller

CALGARY — Calgary Wild FC continued its late summer surge Saturday afternoon by knocking off the top-ranked Ottawa Rapid FC 4-3, to extend their winning streak to three games.

In front of a passionate home crowd celebrating the Club’s Pride Match, the Wild handed Ottawa its first loss in 10 matches while defeating the Rapid at McMahon Stadium for the first time.

”I feel a bit older after that game,” laughed Calgary Wild FC assistant coach Kory Babington. “The ladies are improving all of the time. We had a couple of lapses in concentration and had to fight to the end which is great for the character they are showing. They are buying into everything we are doing so it is pleasing. Ottawa is a quality team with great players and are coached well. This result shows that when we play how we know we can, every game will be competitive.”

Kahli Johnson opened the scoring in the 17th minute, with the 22-year-old offensive stalwart continuing her influential run.

Johnson was also at the centre of Calgary’s second goal 10 minutes later, sending a perfectly weighted pass across the box to Serita Thurton, who chipped the ball over Ottawa goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson to make it 2-0.

Calgary’s defense was also on point.

Madison Pogarch came up with a huge defensive play to pull a shot off the goal line and keep the ball out of the net, but Ottawa snagged the loose ball that ended up on the foot of Jung Min-Yung who fired it into the roof of the Calgary net at the 37th minute.

The hard-nosed Club from the Nation’s capital eventually found its equalizer in the 45th minute, with Mel Forbes converting from 10 yards out.

But the new-look Wild did not sit back and answered immediately.

In stoppage time, Taegan Stewart delivered a tactical corner into the box where Thurton rose above the Ottawa defense to head the ball home for her second goal of the afternoon, restoring Calgary’s lead heading into halftime.

“Ottawa is such a strong team. It is always great to have a win, especially at home. These fans deserved it,” said Thurton. “The ball T (Taegan) played in was amazing, I found the open space and just wanted to get my head on it, but all credit goes to Taegan. The rough start we had to the season is why we can really appreciate these wins and appreciate the work we are putting in. We are getting better each week and that is something we should be proud of.”

The Wild received another boost in the 55th minute when Ottawa’s leading scorer, Delaney Pridham, was shown a red card, leaving the Rapid with 10 players for the final 35 minutes.

Calgary continued to press and eventually found its fourth goal in the 76th minute.

Midfielder Josie Aulicino, one of five new faces to join the Wild lineup this month, made an immediate impact after entering for the second half. Aulicino moved the ball forward to Jorian Baucom, who calmly finished the opportunity to put Calgary ahead 4-2.

“I wanted to bring energy and good vibes to training, in the games and help the team as best as I can,” said Aulicino. “This is a great team environment that plays at a high level. I’m excited to be here.”

Ottawa refused to surrender.

Jyllissa Harris converted a penalty kick in the 85th minute to cut the deficit to one, but the Wild held firm through the final minutes and Baucom’s goal proved to be the winner, securing the 4-3 victory.

“Everyone saw it from the stands. We were so pumped and excited at the end of the game. We could see the energy and feel it. It is a great feeling,” said Baucom. “It was a team effort from back line to front line. We were hunting today and we were the ones setting the tone.

“The fans in this community have stuck by us through all of this. We have also played through rain, wind and snow, but they continue to bring the energy every game and the bare minimum we can do is bring that same energy and hunt for three points.”

Baucom and her mates from the Wild Rose province have done just that over the last month.

Saturday’s result continues a remarkable transformation that has seen Alberta’s only professional women’s sports team playing with greater confidence, pace and poise while integrating new faces into the lineup.

The stretch of three straight wins for Calgary began when they topped Club Soccer Mont-Royal Outremont 4-0 in their W Canadian Championship. The Wild followed that performance up with a 3-2 road victory over Vancouver Rise FC last week before returning home to take down the top-ranked Rapid.

“A lot of credit has to go to the staff who were here from the beginning and the new staff who have come in. They have given us the tools to be successful. The new players added also bring quality talent and energy. All of that combined has helped us with having this success,” added Thurton.

The Wild FC will look to continue the streak on the road in Montreal when they play the Roses, August 23 at 1 p.m. MDT.

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