Ottawa grabs lead early and doesn't look back in 3-0 win over Wild FC
Florence Belzille put the visitors ahead by a goal at the 12 minute mark, followed just before half time by Delaney Bale, who became the first player in the Northern Super League to notch 10 goals.
Three minutes in to the second half, Ottawa got its third when the ball ricocheted off Wild FC goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec.
'I think that while the set pieces dictated the score of the game, they didn't dictate the game,' said Wild FC head coach Lydia Bedford. 'We are obviously really upset to concede two set pieces, but our play didn't create that much, and they did dictate the tempo of the game.'
'We really struggled to get a foot hold,' Bedford added. 'I think the players kept fighting which is important. They tried to solve problems at the half, but just were less successful, and too far off it on the whole today.'
Calgary's record dropped to 4-6-2 as the season hit the midway point.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canada's Rebecca Marino eager for 'electric feeling' of playing National Bank Open
Bright lights. Big opponents. Canadian fans chanting her name. Rebecca Marino remembers every detail of her run at the 2021 National Bank Open. "Having that first match with [American Madison] Keys on centre court, a night match, and I just remember the crowd being so encouraging and really pushing me to win that match," she said of the first-round victory. "It was just kind of like this electric feeling. I was like, 'Oh, I want more of that.' "Those are the things you remember, more like the emotion and that sort of thing, not necessarily the points or like something specific that happened, but just that atmosphere." It's a feeling Marino will look to recapture this weekend when she returns to the tournament in Montreal. The 34-year-old Vancouver native received a wild-card spot in the main draw earlier this week and will be one of a record-high eight Canadian women competing at the hard-court event. "It's very rare we get opportunities to compete in tournaments at home, and the National Bank Open is the largest event we have," she said. "So it's really just exciting to play at home, in front of family and friends there. It's really incredible." The Canadian contingent includes a mix of up-and-coming players such as Carson Branstine and Victoria Mboko, and longtime favourites Leylah Fernandez, Bianca Andreescu and Genie Bouchard. Bouchard recently announced that the tournament will be her last as a professional tennis player. Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., is also set to retire after the men's tournament in Toronto. Both are players Marino has grown to know well during her career and, if a tribute video is played on the big screen, she expects to be among those in the stadium wiping tears from their eyes. "It's interesting seeing my peers start to retire," she said, noting that both Bouchard and Pospisil have been "integral" to Canadian tennis. "They had a huge amount of Canadian pride. So I think it's going to be really special for them to compete one last time in front of the home crowd. It's pretty crazy, but I'm very happy for them. It's like a celebration." WATCH | Canadian Vasek Pospisil announces retirement from tennis: Canadian tennis pro Vasek Pospisil announces retirement from the sport| Hanomansing Tonight 1 day ago Marino has no plans to hang up her racket. Currently ranked No. 118 in the world, Marino is pleased with how she's been playing, even through the grass season — which she admits is not her favourite. She conquered the tricky surface at the Ilkley Open, a WTA 125 event in the U.K. last month, where she made it to the final before falling to American Iva Jovic. "I've embraced the grass, and I've learned to love it," Marino said. "Hard court is my bread and butter, particularly this North America hard court swing. And right now I'm feeling fit, I'm feeling healthy, I feel like my game is heading in the direction I want it to head in." Earlier in the year, the six-foot-tall right-hander briefly climbed back into the WTA's top 100 players, hitting No. 98 ahead of the Australian Open in January. Marino dropped a tightly contested first-round match to Britain's Katie Boulter in Melbourne, but says she's been playing consistent tennis all year. "I feel like I just have to retain or maintain that sort of feeling that I belong with that top level, and I can compete with that top level," she said. "And in tennis, you have to pick yourself up every single week. Regardless of what happens, only one person wins the entire tournament. "But look, I feel like I'm right there and it can click at any moment. And in Ilkley, I had a great week, and it clicked. And then I'm hoping I can have another moment like that." WATCH | What's happening with the National Bank Open?: What's happening with the National Bank Open? 11 hours ago Learning to accept the ebbs and flows of the sport has been a process for Marino. After hitting a career-high No. 38 in June 2011, she stepped away from the professional game in 2013 after dealing with depression and cyberbullying. She went back to school, joined the University of British Columbia's rowing team, and learned how to believe in herself. Five years later, Marino returned to tennis with a new outlook. "[The time away] allowed me to reflect and re-centre my identity and how tennis is a part of that, and not this whole part of my identity," she explained. "It's a piece of the Rebecca pie, so to speak." Adjusting her perspective allowed Marino to fall back in love with her sport. And as long as she's in love with tennis and feeling healthy, Marino plans to keep playing. "When I came back to tennis, it allowed me to appreciate it in a different way. And it was 100 per cent my choice. I wasn't just going through the motions of it. I wanted to be there. I loved being there," said Marino, who's also found love off the court. She recently got engaged to her partner, James Wasteneys. Balancing her busy tournament schedule with planning a wedding will be a challenge, Marino admitted, but one she's eager to embrace. For now, though, she's focused on Montreal and the unique opportunity to play in Canada.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
From Uber Eats to Wimbledon, Canada's Carson Branstine climbing tennis ranks
Carson Branstine of Canada returns the ball to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during their first round women's single match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) MONTREAL — Carson Branstine remembers collecting cans and bottles with her mother and two sisters to help pay for gas and groceries after her family 'lost everything' about a decade ago. At the beginning of this year, she was modelling, teaching tennis and delivering food for Uber Eats to fund her fledgling tennis career — one that, beyond the financial barriers, was interrupted by a long string of injuries. It hasn't been an easy road, but Branstine says doing it the hard way is paying off. 'I didn't have any shortcuts to get to where I am, and I think that's made me really tough, to be able to compete and beat girls that have everything,' she said. 'They have all these fancy coaches and stuff, and then it's just me.' A confident self-starter, Branstine has mounted a spirited defence against obstacles to get to centre court. 'Nothing really fazes me,' she said in a phone interview. 'I don't care what it takes to win. Like I'll literally fight my brains off until the last point, I don't care.' Branstine competes for Canada, but she grew up in Orange County, Calif. Her mother, Carol, is from Toronto. A 24-year-old dual citizen — and cousin to Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman — Branstine enters the National Bank Open as a wild card this weekend in Montreal, riding a wave of momentum after sweeping through Wimbledon qualifying last month. The big-serving Branstine defeated French Open semifinalist Lois Boisson and longtime friend Bianca Andreescu en route to her first Grand Slam main draw. Then she lost in the opening round to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka — on Court No. 1 at the All England Club — to cap a whirlwind few days. 'Took me a good week to fully settle down and be able to sleep well at night without my brain running like, 'Oh my gosh, what just happened?'' she said. 'Now that it's over … reality sets in that I'm still ranked (191), there's so much to do before actually making it. 'I always thought I should be top 100 and it was just a matter of time, or I was injured or whatever it was. Now that it's happening and I'm not just winning matches, I'm winning really difficult matches back to back, it's proving to myself that I'm exactly where I should be.' Branstine always believed, because she's been among the world's best before. The five-foot-11, right-handed hitter ranked No. 4 on the ITF's junior tour in 2017, a year she also won two Grand Slam junior doubles titles with Andreescu. Rather than jumping directly to the pros like many of her contemporaries, Branstine took the college route, a decision shaped largely by her injuries and the high cost of globe-trotting on the tennis circuit. Branstine said her family's financial status growing up was 'middle-class for the most part.' She even attended a private school for a few years. But when she was about 13, everything changed. As Branstine describes it, her father Bruce, a financial adviser, 'was really fighting for us and trying to do something big, and things just didn't work out.' 'My family lost everything,' she added. 'It went from living a very middle-class, solid, stable life to having to eat at my grandma's, and my parents couldn't even hardly pay for gas. 'I think a lot of people look at me and they're like, 'Oh, you're from Orange County' and all this stuff. It's not as glamorous as it looks when your parents are living paycheque to paycheque.' In 2016, Branstine moved to Montreal to train at Tennis Canada's national centre and began representing her mother's native country the following year. Representing Canada over the United States was something she had envisioned even in her early tennis days. 'I'm a first-generation American on my mom's side of the family, and it's a way of honouring that. And it's like, I am Canadian at the end of the day, I truly feel like I identify as a Canadian,' she said, giving credit to Tennis Canada for its support since 'Day 1.' 'I love playing for Canada. It's the best thing ever.' Valérie Tétreault, a former player who now serves as tournament director for the National Bank Open in Montreal, remembers Branstine arriving on the Canadian scene with powerful groundstrokes — and isn't surprised to see her rise up the ranks. 'Speaks to the fact that you should always continue to believe in yourself,' she said. 'That was a great effort even against Aryna at Wimbledon. I didn't feel at all like she was overpowered on the court. 'She can see that there's a path, there's a way that she can get to the top 50 and then really make a living out of the sport.' As a next step to reach that goal, Branstine is investing in her career and hiring Belgian coach Gerald Moretti for the Montreal tournament. 'I can only afford that for however many months and weeks right now,' she said. '(But) I know if I want to make it top 100, top 50 and beyond, you have to do things the right way. There's no cutting corners.' The recent success is also growing her following and opening the door to more opportunities for brand deals. She also plans to continue balancing her tennis career with modelling. The Uber Eats deliveries? 'Absolutely not,' she said. 'That ship has sailed.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Canada's Rebecca Marino eager for ‘electric feeling' of playing National Bank Open
Canada's Rebecca Marino plays a shot during her loss to Poland's Magda Linette at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Bright lights. Big opponents. Canadian fans chanting her name. Rebecca Marino remembers every detail of her run at the 2021 National Bank Open. 'Having that first match with (American Maddison) Keys on centre court, a night match, and I just remember the crowd being so encouraging and really pushing me to win that match,' she said of the first-round victory. 'It was just kind of like this electric feeling. I was like, 'Oh, I want more of that.' 'Those are the things you remember, more like the emotion and that sort of thing, not necessarily the points or like something specific that happened, but just that atmosphere.' It's a feeling Marino will look to recapture this weekend when she returns to the tournament in Montreal. The 34-year-old Vancouver native received a wild-card spot in the main draw earlier this week and will be one of a record-high eight Canadian women competing at the hard-court event. 'It's very rare we get opportunities to compete in tournaments at home, and the National Bank Open is the largest event we have,' she said. 'So it's really just exciting to play at home, in front of family and friends there. It's really incredible.' The Canadian contingent includes a mix of up-and-coming players such as Carson Branstine and Victoria Mboko, and longtime favourites Leylah Fernandez, Bianca Andreescu and Genie Bouchard. Bouchard recently announced that the tournament will be her last as a professional tennis player. Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., is also set to retire after the men's tournament in Toronto. Both are players Marino has grown to know well during her career and, if a tribute video is played on the big screen, she expects to be among those in the stadium wiping tears from their eyes. 'It's interesting seeing my peers start to retire,' she said, noting that both Bouchard and Pospisil have been 'integral' to Canadian tennis. 'They had a huge amount of Canadian pride. So I think it's going to be really special for them to compete one last time in front of the home crowd. It's pretty crazy, but I'm very happy for them. It's like a celebration.' Marino has no plans to hang up her racket. Currently ranked No. 118 in the world, Marino is pleased with how she's been playing, even through the grass season — which she admits is not her favourite. She conquered the tricky surface at the Ilkley Open, a WTA 125 event in the U.K. last month, where she made it to the final before falling to American Iva Jovic. 'I've embraced the grass, and I've learned to love it,' Marino said. 'Hard court is my bread and butter, particularly this North America hard court swing. And right now I'm feeling fit, I'm feeling healthy, I feel like my game is heading in the direction I want it to head in.' Earlier in the year, the six-foot-tall right-hander briefly climbed back into the WTA's top 100 players, hitting No. 98 ahead of the Australian Open in January. Marino dropped a tightly contested first-round match to Britain's Katie Boulter in Melbourne, but says she's been playing consistent tennis all year. 'I feel like I just have to retain or maintain that sort of feeling that I belong with that top level, and I can compete with that top level,' she said. 'And in tennis, you have to pick yourself up every single week. Regardless of what happens, only one person wins the entire tournament. 'But look, I feel like I'm right there and it can click at any moment. And in Ilkley, I had a great week, and it clicked. And then I'm hoping I can have another moment like that.' Learning to accept the ebbs and flows of the sport has been a process for Marino. After hitting a career-high No. 38 in June 2011, she stepped away from the professional game in 2013 after dealing with depression and cyberbullying. She went back to school, joined the University of British Columbia's rowing team, and learned how to believe in herself. Five years later, Marino returned to tennis with a new outlook. '(The time away) allowed me to reflect and re-centre my identity and how tennis is a part of that, and not this whole part of my identity,' she explained. 'It's a piece of the Rebecca pie, so to speak.' Adjusting her perspective allowed Marino to fall back in love with her sport. And as long as she's in love with tennis and feeling healthy, Marino plans to keep playing. 'When I came back to tennis, it allowed me to appreciate it in a different way. And it was 100 per cent my choice. I wasn't just going through the motions of it. I wanted to be there. I loved being there,' said Marino, who's also found love off the court. She recently got engaged to her partner, James Wasteneys. Balancing her busy tournament schedule with planning a wedding will be a challenge, Marino admitted, but one she's eager to embrace. For now, though, she's focused on Montreal and the unique opportunity to play in Canada. 'Every chance I get, still, I feel is an amazing opportunity that I didn't think I'd have,' Marino said. 'So I just enjoy every moment, because this is my choice, and I love it.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
