CALGARY — Serita Thurton scored twice in the first half and the last-place Calgary Wild upset the league-leading Ottawa Rapid 4-3 in Northern Super League play on Saturday at McMahon Stadium. Kahli Johnson scored in the 15th minute to give the hosts a 1-0 lead, then Thurton made it 2-0 about 13 minutes later. Jung Min-Young scored in the 38th minute for Ottawa and Melanie Forbes tied it at 2-2 one minute into first-half stoppage time. Just before the half ended Thurton scored her second of the game and the Wild never looked back. Jorian Baucom also scored for the Wild, who now have two wins, 12 losses and two draws. Jyllissa Harris scored on a penalty in the 86th minute for the Rapid, who slipped to 10 wins, three losses and three draws. The Ottawa side also had its 10-match unbeaten streak halted. The Rapid controlled possession 54 per cent of the match, but were outshot 16-13 (9-6 on target). The Wild took six of the game’s 11 corners, while Ottawa had one yellow card and one red card. The loss was Ottawa’s first in 10 matches. ”I feel a bit older after that game,” said Calgary Wild FC assistant coach Kory Babington after the game. “The ladies are improving all of the time. We had a couple of lapses in concentration and had to fight to the end which is great for the character they are showing. “They are buying into everything we are doing so it is pleasing. Ottawa is a quality team with great players and are coached well. This result shows that when we play how we know we can, every game will be competitive.” Thurton paid tribute to the fans, who celebrated Pride Saturday afternoon at McMahon. “Ottawa is such a strong team. It is always great to have a win, especially at home. These fans deserved it,” said Thurton. “The ball T (Taegan) played in was amazing, “I found the open space and just wanted to get my head on it, but all credit goes to Taegan. The rough start we had to the season is why we can really appreciate these wins and appreciate the work we are putting in. We are getting better each week and that is something we should be proud of.” It was the Wild’s third straight win, after defeating Club Soccer Mont-Royal Outremont in a W Canadian Championship match, followed by a 3-2 road win over the Vancouver Rise. “A lot of credit has to go to the staff who were here from the beginning and the new staff who have come in. They have given us the tools to be successful. The new players added also bring quality talent and energy. All of that combined has helped us with having this success,” added Thurton. Next up for the Wild is an Aug. 23 match in Montreal against the Roses. Elsewhere in the NSL on Saturday: Rise 2, Tides 1 Jessica De Filippo scored in the 57th minute to tie the game, and then added a second goal five minutes into second-half stoppage time to lift the Vancouver Rise to a 2-1 win over the Halifax Tides at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C. Jordyn Rhodes scored in the 19th minute to give the fourth-place Tides a 1-0 lead. The fifth-place Rise controlled 56 per cent of ball possession in the match and outshot the visitors 18-13, including 6-4 on target. The Tides took four of the game’s six corners, while the Rise received two of the three yellow cards handed out. With files from The Canadian Press
