Saturday vs Vancouver Rise FC at Stade Boréale : Tickets on sale now at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets
The Roses are home. After opening their 2026 campaign with a 2-0 win in Calgary last weekend, the team returns to Stade Boréale on Saturday for their first home match of the year, and their opponent sets the stage for a high-stakes matchup: the defending champions, Vancouver Rise FC.
The opener at McMahon Stadium delivered a strong opening line. Elyse Bennett, in her first match in red and blue, scored both Roses goals: a clean introduction for the American forward who arrived this winter from the Orlando Pride. Anna Karpenko handled a busy night between the posts with five saves and a clean sheet. At the back, Anne-Valérie Seto looked entirely at home in her debut, composed and ahead of the play, already comfortable in a new role that suits her well.
Saturday will mark Lisa Pechersky’s first match against her former club. The midfielder lifted the Diana B. Matheson Cup with Vancouver last November. Five months later, she lines up against them at Stade Boréale.
Worth a mention as well: Evelyn Badu, the Ghanaian international and former CAF Women’s Champions League Player of the Tournament, has officially completed her move to the club. Whether she features Saturday is a question for the team sheet, but the depth she brings to the midfield is already a meaningful boost for Robert Rositoiu’s group.
The opponent: Vancouver Rise FC
The reigning champions arrive with something to prove. AFC Toronto came to Swangard Stadium last Friday and walked out with a 3-2 win in front of a sold-out crowd, a rematch of last November’s NSL Final with the result flipped. Vancouver led 2-1 at the break, behind a debut goal from new Colombian signing Camila Reyes, but couldn’t hold the advantage after halftime.
Things have changed in B.C. The captaincy now belongs to defender Shannon Woeller, back in the squad after the ACL injury that ended her 2025 season, and to Quinn, the Canadian international with over 100 caps, who led the Rise in assists last year. On the bench, head coach Anja Heiner-Møller leads the side, alongside sporting director Stephanie Labbé, the former Canada international goalkeeper.
The off-season brought reinforcements from across the map. Two Colombian internationals arrived in Reyes, a two-time Liga Femenina champion, and Maithé Lopéz, on loan from NWSL's Angel City FC. Canadian defender Sura Yekka came on board with national-team experience, and North Vancouver's own Mia Pante is back home on loan from AS Roma. There's even a Quebec note: Laval's Audrey Francois joined the club after graduating from Harvard.
The five meetings between the two clubs in 2025 ended even, with two wins apiece, one draw, and a slim +2 edge for Montreal on goal differential. The 2026 chapter starts Saturday.
What to watch
The midfield will set the tone. For Vancouver, Quinn pulls the strings, with the kind of vision in transition that flips matches in a single ball. For the Roses, Charlotte Bilbault and Lisa Pechersky give Rositoiu a central pairing built for these games.
Up front, Bennett will look to build on her two-goal opener, with co-captain Tanya Boychuk and Korean international Chaerim rounding out the attacking options. Karpenko's calm, tested early at McMahon, will be tested again by a Vancouver side that scored twice on the road in their last outing.
Broadcast
Saturday, May 2, 2026 · 7:00 p.m. ET, Stade Boréale, Laval
Live on TSN (English) and RDS (French) in Canada. International streaming on ESPN+.
Be there: Tickets are still available at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets. Doors open 90 minutes before kickoff, and the free STL shuttle runs between Métro Cartier and the stadium throughout the evening. Stade Boréale is at its best when it's full. Let's make the home opener a loud one.