With a late goal from Tanya Boychuk, Montreal Roses FC defeated Ottawa Rapid FC, 1-0, to secure the Northern Super League’s 2026 Supporters’ Shield.
Throughout the season, the teams battled for the top of the table. Montreal led the standings for 12 cumulative weeks, while Ottawa trailed just behind, leading for 11 straight weeks, from matchweek 7 to 18.
By the last week of the regular season, the sides were separated by two points at the top of the table, and they happened to be set to face off against each other to decide the title. The whole campaign came down to 90 minutes at Stade Boréale.
In the 80th minute, Boychuk’s scored her sixth goal of the season to secure Montreal’s place atop the NSL’s standings and their first-ever trophy.
“Just keep the lead. We’re going to lift the trophy in the next 10 minutes. That’s the only thing that was in mind,” Boychuk told the broadcast following the win.
Both teams kicked off the match with tensions at an all-time high in a box-to-box game with continuous offensive chances. Defensive efforts by Ottawa goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais and Montreal midfielder Anna Heilferty kept the scoreline 0-0 in the opening minutes.
Despite possession being split throughout the first half, Ottawa’s pressure to score crept up with every minute that passed, as the Roses only needed a draw to secure the Shield. Having earned draw for their last five games — and going undefeated in the last nine — Montreal would suffice by continuing that streak.
In the 44th minute, a goal from Montreal’s Mimi Alidou was called offside. The call kept Ottawa in the game, and the Shield race..
After that scare just before halftime, Ottawa reacted with a substitution to start the second half. Hyo-Joo Choo replaced Nicola Golen in an effort to regain control in the midfield, which Alidou had been completely dictating until then.
Nevertheless, Montreal carried the momentum from the disallowed goal and remained the better team. The only thing missing was a goal to match their performance. Despite taking a great many shots, their ineffectiveness in the final third was giving the Rapids an opportunity to keep the game alive.
In the 77th minute, with the pressure to make a difference, both teams brought in substitutes. Ottawa brought in Ngozi Sonia Okobi-Okeoghene and Hannah Chown, while Montreal subbed in Lorie Thibault and Boychuk. It was Montreal that created the most with their bench.
In the 80th minute, following a quick link-up play in the middle of the pitch, Alidou carried the ball into the final third before releasing a pass to Boychuk. Just two minutes after she’d entered the match, Boychuk received the ball, dribbled around Dagenais, and took a powerful shot that Chown couldn’t kick out.
Boychuk’s goal was the 16th time the Roses scored first across 25 NSL games this season.
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With the 1-0 advantage, Montreal time-managed the rest of the game. Roses’ Interim head coach Maryse Bard-Martel brought in Stéphanie Hill and Julia Leas. It was Leas’s first appearance of the season.
Bard-Martel took over as interim head coach on Aug. 13, following the shock departure of manager Robert Rositoiu. Rositoiu was given the boot the day after Simcoe County Rovers FC eliminated the Roses from the inaugural W Canadian Championship. Until then, Bard-Martel was assistant coach and head of goalkeeping.
Ottawa tried everything to close the gap, but with less than 10 minutes and needing to score two goals to claim the Shield, the task was impossible, and the game ended 1-0. It was Montreal’s first victory over Ottawa at home since May 3, 2025.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, Montreal players stormed onto the pitch full of excitement for winning their first-ever trophy.
“Bring the Shield,” chanted Montreal’s players, eager to lift the Shield.
It was the responsibility of club captains Mégane Sauvé and Boychuk to lift the trophy and present it to their fans at home in Laval, QC.
Despite the loss, Ottawa had already clinched the playoffs and will now look forward to securing a spot in the Final, which will take place in their home stadium.
“What I said to the players now: today we lost to a better team,” said Ottawa’s head coach Katrine Pedersen in a press conference. “We defended very well, and that kept us in the game. … We did have chances. They had a goal disallowed, we had a big chance in the first half, so what could have happened if we had scored on that? Altogether, today I am not fully satisfied, but I think we’ve formed well as a team. So a team effort without us being at our best in possession.”
Ottawa will face AFC Toronto in a two-leg semifinal in the first round of the playoffs, while Montreal will wait for the match between Vancouver Rise FC and Halifax Tides FC to determine their first opponent in their quest for the Diana B. Matheson Cup.
“It’s an honor; we’ve been working hard for this, and it’s a historic moment for us. I’m very proud of the team,” said Boychuk. “This is just the beginning; now it’s into the playoffs, and it’s a whole other season.”
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