Marie-Yasmine Alidou netted the decisive goal from a penalty kick in the 55th minute, propelling the Montreal Roses to a 2-0 victory over AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League match on Sunday. Elyse Bennett, scoring her ninth goal of the season, provided additional security for the Roses, who hold the second position with a record of 9-4-3. This match marked their debut under the guidance of interim head coach Maryse Bard-Martel.
Although Shelina Zadorsky seemed to equalize for Toronto, her goal in the 68th minute was disallowed due to an offside ruling. Roses’ goalkeeper Anna Karpenko displayed a stellar performance, facing a total of 20 shots, with nine on target, to secure a clean sheet.
On the opposing side, Toronto’s goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo confronted seven shots, with five on target. The Roses took the field for the first time following the dismissal of head coach Robert Rositoiu, who was terminated after their surprising 1-0 loss to semi-professional team Simcoe County in the W Canadian Championship.