The Montréal Roses beat AFC Toronto 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at BMO Field, in a match with second place in the standings on the line. Mimi Alidou and Elyse Bennett scored in the first half to keep the Roses ahead of Toronto and extend their unbeaten road run to eight matches. It was also a first win for Maryse Bard-Martel as head coach. Combined with Ottawa Rapid FC’s defeat on Saturday, it moves Montreal (9-4-3, 30 points) to within three points of top stop. The Roses return to Stade Boréale on Sunday, August 23 at 3 p.m. to host Calgary Wild FC. Tickets are on sale at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets.

The first half finished goalless, with the Roses holding firm. Anna Karpenko was called into action five times before the break, standing up to a Toronto side unbeaten in four.

The breakthrough came in the 55th minute. Mimi Alidou stepped up to the penalty spot and made no mistake, putting the Roses ahead with her second goal in four matches in red, white and blue.

Toronto thought they had levelled the match in the 68th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Six minutes later, Elyse Bennett doubled the Roses’ lead instead. It was her ninth goal of the season, her first since July 29, and the one that moves her clear at the top of the NSL Golden Boot race.

Toronto pushed to the finish without finding a way through. In goal, Anna Karpenko recorded a sixth clean sheet of the season.

MATCH STATISTICS

• Possession: Montreal 48% – Toronto 52%
• Shots: 7 for Montreal (5 on target) – 20 for Toronto (9 on target)
• Completed passes: 420 for Montreal – 447 for Toronto
• Corners: 6 for Montreal – 1 for Toronto
• Yellow cards: 0 for Montreal – 0 for Toronto

Venue: BMO Field

Referee: Anne-Marie Canuel

Assistant Referees: Melissa Snedden, Allycia Carlucci

"I’m proud of the way this team came out for this match. We knew it would be demanding, but the girls really embraced the grind. When you take pride in doing the hard work together, you create great moments and find ways to capitalize. That’s what allowed us to walk away with three points. Now, we turn the page quickly. We have a big home match waiting for us next Sunday against Calgary." — Maryse Bard-Martel, Montréal Roses Interim Head Coach.

With nine matches to play, Montreal sit three points off first place. The Roses return to their supporters on Sunday, August 23, when they host Calgary Wild FC at Stade Boréale. Tickets for upcoming home matches are on sale now from $28 at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets.