Vancouver Rise FC hold onto a 5-game win streak

I wasn’t at Toronto’s BMO Field last month, but I didn’t miss the drama — even from the other side of the country. 

I was headed to my first Vancouver Whitecaps game on Aug. 17, while simultaneously watching the Vancouver Rise versus Association Football Club (AFC) Toronto game from the backseat of my Uber, which was making me a little carsick.

My phone was propped, and I was attempting to keep the glitchy stream steady every time the car glided into another stop. Naturally, the feed lagged right as my favourite player, Jessica De Filippo, scored. 

Even with the shaky stream, it was obvious how intense the match was. 

Toronto pressed early and Esther Okoronkwo nearly put them ahead, forcing Morgan McAslan into a big stop. On the other end, Vancouver threatened on set pieces, with Lisa Pechersky almost sneaking one through after Samantha Chang’s free kick.

Then came the turning point. In the 29th minute, Jasmyne Spencer picked up a yellow card, followed by a red just 10 minutes later, and Rise were suddenly down to 10 players. Watching from the Uber, my gut reaction was: here we go, this is going to get ugly. Against the league’s leaders, away from home, and short handed? It felt impossible.

That’s why the 45th-minute goal stung so much to miss in real time. Holly Ward pressed high, won the ball, and slipped it to De Filippo, who buried it. By the time my stream caught up, she was already celebrating, and the chat feed I had open was blowing up with “GOAL” messages. Seeing her score — and knowing it went on to be named the goal of the week — made missing it hurt even more.

The rest of the ride, I watched through choppy Wi-Fi as Toronto threw everything forward. McAslan was immense, stopping free kicks and corner after corner, finishing with six saves and another clean sheet to her name. By the time we pulled up near BC Place, Rise FC had done it: a 1-0 win on the road, the first in league history by a team reduced to 10 players.

It wasn’t just a random victory either. The win extended Vancouver’s unbeaten streak to five, matching the league record. They’ve also taken more points off Toronto this season than anyone else, which feels like a statement in itself. There was something fitting about it all happening the same night as the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) celebrations in Toronto. The Rise was carving out a place in the league’s story on one of the city’s biggest stages.

So yes, I went to my first Whitecaps game that night, but the real highlight of my day was watching the Rise make history from the backseat of an Uber, carsick and annoyed at my stream, but still buzzing from the result.