The Montréal Roses scored in the dying minutes to earn a 1-1 draw with AFC Toronto on Saturday afternoon at York Lions Stadium. Trailing since the 68th minute, the Roses were level when Lisa Pechersky struck in the 94th minute to salvage a point on the road. The afternoon also marked the debut of Marilou Harvey, who, at 16, becomes the youngest player in club history to appear in a match. The Roses (4-1-2) return home on June 21 against Calgary Wild FC, the first of four straight matches at Stade Boréale; tickets are on sale starting at $28 at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets.
In an even opening half, Toronto carried the sharper edge. Kaylee Hunter rattled the post in the 14th minute, and Anna Karpenko was called into action more than once to keep the score level. At the other end, the Roses controlled the ball without truly testing the Toronto goalkeeper. The sides went into the break goalless, and Robert Rositoiu sent on co-captain Tanya Boychuk for the start of the second half.
The second half initially belonged to the hosts. Toronto won a penalty in the 61st minute but failed to convert, a let-off for the Roses. The reprieve was short-lived: Rowe broke the deadlock in the 68th to put Toronto in front. Karpenko kept Montreal in it with several important saves as the pressure mounted.
Chasing the equalizer, Rositoiu emptied the bench. Evelyn Badu and Lorie Thibault came on in the 62nd minute, and in the 73rd, Marilou Harvey entered the match - a piece of history for the Sherbrooke native, who, four days shy of her 17th birthday, becomes the youngest player ever to wear Roses colours. Montreal’s pressure built late, and it finally told : in the 94th minute, Pechersky, the league’s assist leader this season, turned scorer to snatch the draw.
MATCH STATISTICS
Possession: Montréal 56% – Toronto 44%
Shots: 10 for Montréal (5 on target) – 12 for Toronto (6 on target)
Completed passes: 372 for Montréal – 272 for Toronto
Corners: 3 for Montréal – 4 for Toronto
Yellow cards: 1 for Montréal – 3 for Toronto
Venue: York Lions Stadium
Referee: Myriam Marcotte
Referees: Camille Raymond, Vasyl Dzikh
"Toronto played a strong match and gave us problems, especially in the moments when our intensity dropped. With that said, we never stopped believing and we got our reward right at the end. Scoring that late, on the road, says a lot about this team’s mentality. Now we head home for a long stretch, and we can’t wait to be back in front of our fans." — Robert Rositoiu, Montréal Roses Head Coach
The Roses (4-1-2) are back in action on Saturday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m. at Stade Boréale against Calgary Wild FC, the first of four consecutive home matches. The club will also play a historic match at Stade Saputo on Saturday, August 29.
Tickets to upcoming home matches are on sale now starting at $28 at en.rosesmtlca./tickets.