The Halifax Tides FC played the Montreal Roses FC in a crucial Northern Super League (NSL) match on Oct. 2, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The game was the final matchup this season between three McGill Martlets Soccer alumni: Sophie Guilmette (MA ‘25), Mara Bouchard (BA ‘24), and Stéphanie Hill (BSc ‘23, MSc ‘24).
Guilmette signed with the Tides in March 2025 and plays goalkeeper for the team. In an interview with The Tribune, she expressed her excitement about playing against her former teammates.
“It’s just joy, honestly. Mara and Steph are [some] of my closest friends,” she said. “And at the end of the day, win or lose, those are my people.”
Founded in April 2025, the NSL is Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league. Its season spans eight months, starting in February and ending in October, and features six clubs: Calgary Wild FC, the Halifax Tides FC, AFC Toronto, the Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, and Vancouver Rise FC. Over the course of the regular season, each team plays a total of 25 matches, facing every opponent five times.
Bouchard, who is a midfielder for the Roses, explained the uncertainty that comes with playing in a new league in an interview with The Tribune.
“I guess the first thought is, I don’t know what to expect,” she said. “Everyone is just jumping in the league where no one has any idea of how [it’s] gonna turn out.”
Guilmette discussed how part of the NSL’s importance lies in its novelty.
“Up until this year, it was not possible to play [professional women’s soccer] in Canada,” she emphasized. “I’m super privileged to be able to do that at home in front of my family and friends [now].”
Although still in its early stages, the league has already drawn significant attention from Canadian fans, attracting over 14,000 spectators to its opening matches in Vancouver and Toronto. The NSL has also secured multiple broadcasting agreements with major streaming platforms, including CBC, TSN, and the francophone Réseau des sports.
The Tides-Roses match came just two weeks before the NSL playoffs, for which the top four seeds have already been determined. Still, it was an important match, as the Roses aimed to surpass the Rapid to become the second playoff seed, while the Tides looked to end their winless streak dating back to July 12.
“We already qualified for playoffs, so for us, [we treated] this match like a playoff game,” Bouchard explained. “We’ve always had a tough time playing against Halifax this season.”
Despite numerous scoring attempts from both sides in the opening half, a breakthrough did not come until the 36th minute, when Tides midfielder Saorla Miller capitalized on a free kick. Montreal responded in the 68th, with Lorie Thibault threading a pass to fellow midfielder Charlotte Bilbault, who chipped the ball past Tides goalkeeper Anika Tóth to bring the Roses level.
Just two minutes later, Miller restored Halifax’s lead, scoring her second goal. But the advantage was short-lived—only four minutes later, Montreal’s Chaerim Kang tipped the ball past Tóth to secure a draw.
Hill, one of the Roses’ starting defenders, sat down with The Tribune to reflect on the team’s performance.
“We were having a hard time scoring and keeping the momentum,” she said. “We were perhaps making them look quite good at some moments, and that’s on us to step it up.”
For Hill, the intensity of the game highlighted the changes between playing professionally and collegiate competition. While both seasons end in late October, McGill’s preseason starts in early August, whereas the NSL preseason begins in February, extending players’ calendars significantly.
“It’s just so different,” she explained. “I’m getting paid to do this. It’s my full-time job. We train every day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. With McGill, academics always came first. So it was school all day, and then practice [at] 6:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m.”
Despite these challenges and adjustments, all three former Martlets spoke with gratitude about their journey to the NSL.
“I want to remove the negative connotation that comes with the word ‘challenge’ because I think it’s something that’s to be embraced,” Hill said. “Work hard, and let’s see what kind of magic can happen.”