Rovers women clinch playoff spot as the men inch closer to winning the league.
Two games in one weekend? No problem for TSS Rovers. It was crunch time in a season nearing its conclusion, with plenty to play for. The women’s side could seal their play-off spot with the right results, while the men’s side could all but confirm their status as regular league champions, while also securing their spot in next season's Canadian Championship.
TSS Rovers Women vs Burnaby FC
The weekend's action kicked off on Friday night as TSS welcomed Burnaby FC to the picturesque Swangard Stadium. In the first Burnaby derby of the season, TSS’s women conceded at the death in the return defeat back in May; an improved result could be expected given their on-field improvement since.
The women’s opener started slowly, forgivable as the afternoon sun bore down on the players, slowly retreating behind the main stand adjacent to the dugouts. When the game finally sprang to life, it was Burnaby who found the first-half breakthrough. Just a minute after Jenna Baxter sent her shot straight into the hands of Burnaby’s Sarah Loewen, the visitors would open the scoring. Holly Ward made a great run down the left flank, outpacing her defender, before sending a low ball into the TSS penalty area that trickled its way to Raegan Mackenzie, who pivoted well before sending her first-time effort past Kirstin Tynan. Baxter had another good chance before the half, but blazed over from close range. It remained 1-0 to Burnaby at the interval.
After holding off early second-half pressure, TSS equalised through Stella Downing, who finished well following a perfectly-weighted Jenna Baxter through ball. The half continued with TSS looking most likely to score again, but it was against the run of play that Shanya Dhindsa restored Burnaby’s lead, heading home well following Holly Ward’s cross. TSS remained eager for at least a point, and in the 89th minute, they secured it. Alyssa Scott sent a high ball over the top of the Burnaby defenders, before, unexpectedly, TSS’ Kaitlan Cerney nonchalantly volleyed the ball past Loewen and into the back of the Burnaby net. The game finished 2-2, a fair reflection of a balanced tie.
The break between women’s and men’s matches may have left some feeling deprived of entertainment. Fortunately, on Friday, there was an important tie taking place down in Texas to keep the Swangard crowd indulged. Perfect timing allowed groups to gather around their phones and watch Canada’s historic penalty shoot-out win over Venezuela in the Copa America quarterfinals. There were joyous scenes when Ismaël Koné fired in the winning spot kick, the crowd now full of excitement as the men’s teams graced the pitch for the second match of the evening.
TSS Rovers Men vs Burnaby FC
Bottom side Burnaby were desperately seeking some positivity after a miserable first season in League1 BC. After some excellent link-up play by Koji Poon and Michael Hennessy, Massud Habibullah opened the scoring for TSS twenty minutes into the match, adding to the misery.
It was Habibullah again 16 minutes into the second half, doubling TSS’s lead and appearing to take the tie out of Burnaby’s hands. Ali Zohar’s stunning delivery allowed Habibullah to jump high and head home his second of the night and his fourth in two games. There was a glimmer of hope for Burnaby in the 74th minute when Stuart Klenner capitalised on TSS’s failure to clear from a corner kick, smashing it past the lunging defenders and into the middle of the net, leaving TSS keeper Justyn Sandhu little time to react. Despite a valiant effort from Burnaby, the game ended 2-1 for TSS, partly thanks to the finishing abilities of Massud Habibullah.
TSS Rovers Women vs Altitude FC
The women’s match-up was a must-win for Altitude, who had to win and hope TSS lost their remaining games in order to seal the final play-off spot. For TSS, it was simpler; they beat Altitude, and the final play-off spot is theirs.
It was the perfect start for TSS, who had themselves in front six minutes in. Altitude’s Sophie Hill lost the ball in her own half, allowing Stella Downing in on goal as she fired home the opener. Things went from bad to worse for the home side when TSS made it 2-0 five minutes later. Altitude keeper Ashley Strand saved well from Claire Ye, but Devon Kavanagh was quick to react to the loose ball, giving TSS a healthy lead after just 11 minutes.
The second half began with the same TSS intensity that the first half produced. Two goals before the 50-minute mark from Claire Ye and Stella Downing gave TSS an unassailable lead. In temperatures that floated around the 30°C mark, quick bursts of intensity were enough to overwhelm the Altitude defence. As the game wore on, Altitude began to make inroads, finally scoring in the 64th minute following a fine long-range strike from Julia Balchen. Six minutes later, Altitude netted a second, this time through captain Avery Tulloch. Altitude had the momentum going into the final 20 minutes, but TSS remained calm, continuing to test the Altitude defence and eventually coming out on top as the referee blew the final whistle. It was job done for TSS, securing a play-off spot while holding off the comeback threat of Altitude.
“I cannot state how challenging it is for the players to have played two games in that heat within 48 hours,” said women’s head coach Kevin Booker.
“To come out and play as we did against a team whose season is on the line, I'm extremely pleased with that, and the players should be extremely proud.
“We managed to rotate some players who hadn’t had a lot of minutes; it's not an easy situation to be thrown into, but they did very well.”
TSS Rovers Men vs Altitude FC
The men’s match-up promised to be a tight affair, with both teams vying to finish top and claim that coveted Canadian Championship berth. Following a short delay due to issues with the nets, it was Altitude who almost made the breakthrough, with Ambrose Tinmouth hitting the crossbar three minutes in. The half continued but lacked quality, with the heat contributing to a lack of forward running and numerous loose passes. Massud Habibullah’s header was TSS’s best chance of the half, but was well tipped over by Altitude keeper Marshall Herald.
Two minutes into the second half, in-form Habibullah pounced on a mistake from Herald, leaving himself with little else to do besides roll into the empty net. TSS had the advantage and went searching for a second, with Habibullah, Ivan Mejia, and Tyler Dhillon all going close but to no avail. The positive play ramped up the away crowd; they made their voices heard throughout the second half, including some back and forth between a lone Altitude fan who seemed unhappy at the number of Swanguardians in attendance, the Altitude fan offering plenty of vocal derogatories while keeping his distance.
Altitude almost had an equaliser with five minutes remaining when Elliot Riches’ acrobatic effort went just over the crossbar. As the game neared its conclusion, an unfortunate incident occurred: Altitude keeper Marshall Herald collided with Massud Habibullah at speed, taking down his man and suffering a horrific leg injury in the process that required an ambulance on scene. Herald was sent off, and after a lengthy stoppage, the final two minutes were played without action. TSS's victory, which took them one win away from the regular league crown, also gave them a spot in the 2025 Canadian Championship
