The Montréal Roses and Ottawa Rapid FC played to a 0-0 draw on Friday evening at Stade Boréale. The result moves Montreal’s record to 11-4-8 and keeps them atop the Northern Super League table on 41 points, four clear of the visitors. The Roses also extend their franchise record to eight consecutive matches unbeaten.

In front of a lively crowd on University Battle Night, the match was tight throughout. Ottawa served notice inside the first minute, forcing Gabrielle Lambert into action straight away. Making her first start of the season following Anna Karpenko’s injury, Lambert turned away both of Ottawa’s shots on target for a second consecutive clean sheet.

Montreal took over on chances, registering 18 shots to Ottawa’s 9 and winning seven corners. Possession stayed level at 51% to 49%, a fair reflection of a hard-fought night. Ottawa’s back line stayed compact and goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais stopped all five Roses shots on target. Chasing a winning goal, head coach Maryse Bard-Martel turned to Hailey Whitaker in the 65th minute, then Lorie Thibault and Tanya Boychuk in the 73rd, but the breakthrough never came.

MATCH STATISTICS

• Possession: Ottawa 49% – Montreal 51%
• Shots: 9 for Ottawa (2 on target) – 18 for Montreal (5 on target)
• Completed passes: 416 for Ottawa – 422 for Montreal
• Corners: 6 for Ottawa – 7 for Montreal
• Yellow cards: 0 for Ottawa – 2 for Montreal

Venue: Stade Boréale

Referee: Yusri Rudolf

Assistant Referees: Allycia Carlucci, Félix Côté Leclerc

"The intensity and the fight the players showed from the first minute to the last is what I’ll take from tonight. The collective effort was faultless. This group is hungry, they created good chances, and we were simply missing a bit of sharpness with the final touch. We take another point at the top of the table, and we’ll keep working so we go into the end of the season in the same frame of mind." — Maryse Bard-Martel, Montréal Roses Interim Head Coach

The Roses now head into the international break before returning to action on Saturday, October 17 at 2 p.m. at Halifax Tides FC. They close out their regular season at home on Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m. at Stade Boréale, where they meet Ottawa Rapid FC again with the Supporters’ Shield on the line. Tickets are on sale now from $28 at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets.