As the final whistle blew on Wednesday night, the home crowd at TD Place Arena cheered on Ottawa Rapid FC for the last time this regular season.
Even though Ottawa was shutout 2-0 against the Vancouver Rise, the team and its fans roared for veteran captain Desiree Scott’s last regular season match.
The midfielder is set to retire after Ottawa’s chase for the championship in the 2025 Northern Super League playoffs.
“We are obviously not satisfied [with the game], but we still see this game as a big celebration for one of our players,” Ottawa head coach Katrine Pedersen said after the game.
“[She’s] been a very important player in our team and a part of the culture in the club and the city.”
Before kickoff, Scott was honoured with a video tribute of past and present players who’ve been a part of her long career.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe then declared Oct. 8 will serve as Desiree Scott Day in the city, recognizing the veteran’s legacy and contributions to women’s soccer.
“She’s inspired a young generation of athletes through her leadership, resilience and dedication to the game,” Sutcliffe said before the game.
Nicknamed “the Destroyer,” Scott came out of retirement at 38 to help lead Ottawa to a playoff berth in the league’s inaugural season. In international play, Scott represented Canada in 188 matches, including three FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Since joining Ottawa, Scott has made an immediate impact on the pitch.
Often sporting her trademark pink headband, Scott scored the game-winning goal in the club’s first game in April and has continued to be a big factor in the club’s success across her 1,603 minutes played.
“It’s been an honour to help get this league off the ground,” Scott said after the game.
“I wouldn’t want to do it with any other club.”
MATCH RECAP
Both teams traded offensive chances early, but Vancouver broke the deadlock in the fifteenth minute.
Latifah Abdu ran onto a bouncing ball with enough to place it out of Ottawa goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais’s reach, scoring her ninth goal of the season.
Just three minutes later, Vancouver was hungry for more.
Attacker Jessica De Filippo connected on an uncontested header in the box to double Vancouver’s lead.
Ottawa looked for an answer from league-leading scorer Delaney Baie Pridham, who found herself with several high-quality scoring chances but either hit the crossbar, missed the net or was denied by Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan.
Pridham has found herself on the scoresheet in every game against Vancouver this season, but on Wednesday, the streak was broken.
In the second half, Vancouver kept frustrating the Rapid through their possession game and tight defense.
Ottawa often found themselves offside when in prime scoring positions, nearly racking up double digits in the stat.
Scott saw a chance to regain momentum halfway through the second half with a shot in the box, but the sliding kick landed wide.
In the 72nd minute, Scott was substituted off the pitch. She acknowledged the crowd who rose to their feet to honour her.
“It means everything. We are nothing without our fans,” Scott said.
“Tonight was also about appreciating them, so to see that love from the people who supported us week in and week out has been immense and very heartfelt for me.”
Scott handed her captain’s armband to defender Olivia Scott.
“We call each other big sis and little sis,” Scott said.
“She’s been my favourite player growing up … and to be able to spend the last season that she’s playing with her, it’s been unreal.”
After the substitution, the Ottawa offense kept pushing late, but the disciplined Vancouver defense shut everything down to secure them three valuable points in the league standings.
PLAYOFF BOUND
Although Ottawa remains in second place in the NSL standings, the loss — their second in a row — tightened the gap, leaving them tied with Montreal and Vancouver.
No matter where Ottawa finishes in the league standings, they will give their fans at least one more home game in the championship semi-finals. The squad earned a top-four spot to clinch the playoffs a month ago and is guaranteed a home playoff game, thanks to the home-and-away aggregate playoff series.
Ottawa will travel to face a struggling Halifax team to close out their regular season schedule, looking to grab a crucial win to solidify second place. Kick off goes 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15.
Featured image provided by Ottawa Rapid FC
