An injury-riddled Calgary Wild FC squad lost 3-1 to the Ottawa Rapid FC on Saturday afternoon.
“Everyone is going to have it (injuries) in the season, but we are definitely in that phase where injuries are hampering some of our plans,” said Lydia Bedford, head coach, Calgary Wild FC. “But at the same time, Ottawa was sharper than us today and moved the ball better than we did so we have to assess that too.”
The injury problem went from bad to worse early in the match, with Ally Green forced to the sidelines after a hard collision with goalkeeper, Jackie Burns.
“This is two weeks in a row now that we lose a player five minutes into the game, so we are definitely riding our poor luck,” added Bedford.
With Burns digging deep to continue defending Calgary’s net, Ottawa was able to capitalize on the Wild FC’s early shakeup. Delaney Baie Pridham scored her league-leading ninth goal with a left-footed strike from the centre of the box at the 32-minute mark.
Melanie Forbes then put the home team up 2-0 as the clock struck 65 minutes before the Wild FC made their charge after subbing Sonia into the match at 73 minutes.
The Torontonian, and one of two mothers in the league, stormed onto the field as a defender and quickly celebrated her first Northern Super League tally at 83 minutes.
“You could tell lot of our players were tired because of the heat so when you come off the bench it’s your job to get that push and help the team,” said Sonia. “With how close everyone is in the standings, we know goal differential is important, so even if we didn’t win the game, I knew it was important to score.”
Ottawa countered Calgary’s momentum with their third goal of the match four minutes later by Nicola Golen.
The Calgary Wild FC remain in fourth place at 3-4-2, ahead of Vancouver on goal differential. They now head into a nine-day break.
“As players we are making sure we do our part to increase the intensity of our training and keep our sharpness to be ready for the heat and tough games like this,” added Sonia. “The coaches talked to us about detail in passing and technical. You could see that as the game went on today that some of our touches were off, or we weren’t taking care of the ball the way we can. I think it will be important to come back after the break refreshed and focused on bringing that intensity to the training so that when we do get to games like this, we are able to compete for the full 90 minutes.”
Video Highlights of Match vs Ottawa Rapid FC
Media can access video highlights from the opening match on the Northern Super League YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague
Match Summary
A complete match summary and stats can be viewed at:
https://www.calgarywildfc.com/games/ottawa-calgary-2025-06-21?tab=summary
Secure Your Seat
Tickets for all Calgary Wild FC matches are available at https://www.calgarywildfc.com/single-game-tickets.
About Calgary Wild FC
Calgary Wild FC is one off six teams in the newly created Northern Super League which will begin its inaugural season in 2025, featuring 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: chrisdornan@calgarywildfc.com