In front of their supporters gathered for their Pride match, the Montréal Roses lost 1-0 to Halifax Tides FC on Friday night at Stade Boréale. A single goal, scored just before the break, was enough to separate the sides. Montreal (8-4-3, 27 points) stay second, but will need to turn the page quickly: the Roses open their W Canadian Championship run on Wednesday.
The match turned on a few pivotal first-half minutes. In the 30th, the Roses won a penalty, but Halifax goalkeeper Adrianna Toth turned aside Elyse Bennett’s effort. Moments later, Julia Benati struck the post for Halifax, before making no mistake the second time: in the 45th, she scored the game’s only goal, just before half-time.
In the second half, the Roses pushed without ever finding the precision they needed in the final third. Amandine Pierre-Louis made her home debut, coming on at the hour mark for her first appearance in front of Montreal supporters. Despite the changes and the visible intent, the breakthrough never came.
MATCH STATISTICS
- Possession: Halifax 44% – Montreal 56%
- Shots: 12 for Halifax (3 on target) – 13 for Montreal (4 on target)
- Completed passes: 370 for Halifax – 478 for Montreal
- Corners: 2 for Halifax – 1 for Montreal
- Yellow cards: 3 for Halifax – 1 for Montreal
Venue: Stade Boréale
Referee: Roberto D’Alesio
Assistant Referees: Camille Raymond, Allycia Carlucci
"We’re a good team, but tonight we weren’t good enough. We lacked technical precision and urgency, on both ends of the field. That kind of performance doesn’t happen often, but it happened tonight. It’s on us to make sure it doesn’t happen again." — Robert Rositoiu, Montréal Roses Head Coach.
The Roses have no time to dwell on it. On Wednesday, August 12, they open their W Canadian Championship run by hosting Simcoe County Rovers FC at Stade Boréale, at 6 p.m. A single-match knockout, to keep the journey toward the Concacaf W Champions Cup alive. Tickets are available for $15 at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets.
Montreal then hit the road to face AFC Toronto on August 16.
FOUR ROSES SELECTED TO CANADA’S UNDER-17 NATIONAL TEAM
Good news for the club’s young core: Marilou Harvey, Mélyna Alexis, Christ-Mayron Brou and Megan Lemieux have all four been selected to Canada’s under-17 national team camp in Atlante. There, Canada will face Chile, Mexico and the United States in the Fourn Nations Tournament. The players will return once the tournament wraps, around August 20.