Captain Desiree Scott Secures Ottawa Rapid FC Victory with First Professional Goal in Inaugural Opening Match
Ottawa Rapid FC solidified a 2-1 win over AFC Toronto in the team’s Northern Super League Debut
Korean midfielder Min-A Lee scored the first goal in club history
Toronto, ON (April 27, 2025) – Canadian national veteran and Ottawa Rapid FC captain, Desiree Scott, notched her first professional career goal as Ottawa Rapid FC kicked off their inaugural season on Sunday, April 27, securing a 2-1 victory to the visiting AFC Toronto at Ottawa’s TD Place Stadium.
Ottawa’s Min-A Lee opened the scoring in the 54th minute, striking the Rapids inaugural goal past three AFC Toronto defenders. Shortly after, Toronto’s Esther Okoronkwo had her equalizer called back due to an offsides ruling.
In front of her hometown crowd of 6,980, Desiree Scott scored her first professional goal in a defensive scramble, where the midfielder followed up her initial deflection to beat Sofia Manner.
Entering the match in the 63rd minute, AFC forward Kaylee Hunter looked to make an immediate impression. The 17-year-old netted a goal in the 93rd minute, beating goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson to calmly walk it around and slot it in. The late game tally was not enough to overcome the organized and confident Ottawa Rapid FC in their Northern Super League debut.
“I couldn’t have written it up better. It was a very scrappy goal,” said Desiree Scott, Ottawa Rapid FC captain. “This is just a very, very special and historic day. I’m very proud of the team and the grit and determination we showed, it wasn’t an easy matchup out there. To have some impact and see the start of women's pro soccer here and be a part of it all, is just the beginning for our team and I'm proud to be a part of it.”
“In our home opener Katrine Pedersen, Head Coach. “I think we had a very good start in the second half and the belief in what we want was shown in our identity on the pitch,” said Katrine Pedersen. “[I’m] Happy for the city, happy for the fans, happy for the players who work hard.”
The hard work continues as Ottawa Rapid FC looks to add to the win column, heading to Montreal to face Montreal Roses FC on Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
HISTORY MADE: Ottawa Rapid FC opened their inaugural season in front of a crowd of 6,980 at TD Place Stadium, securing a 2-1 win over AFC Toronto in their NSL debut.
DESIREE SCOTT: Desiree Scott, who served as Ottawa Rapid FC’s captain, earned her first career professional goal with a scrappy follow-up in the 81st minute.
MIN-A LEE: The midfielder from Korea earned the Best Strike of the Game and the first goal in team history with her tally in the 54th minute.
UP NEXT: Ottawa Rapid FC head East as they face Montreal Roses FC in Montreal on Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET (Stream on CBC Gem and NSL.ca)
MATCH SUMMARY
Ottawa Rapid FC - 2 AFC Toronto - 1
Venue: TD Place Stadium
Referee: Sheila Couture
Assistants: Stéphanie Fortin, Allycia Carlucci
Fourth Official: Anne-Marie Canuel
Referee Observer: Laurence Rodier
Attendance: 6,980
SCORING SUMMARY
Ottawa Rapid FC: Min-A Lee (54’), Desiree Scott (81’)
AFC Toronto: Kaylee Hunter (93’)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
N/A
STARTING LINEUP & STATS
Ottawa Rapid FC Inaugural Starting Lineup:
GK Mollie Eriksson (Ottawa, ON)
DF Olivia Scott (Aurora, ON)
DF Choo Hyojoo (Korea)
DF Jylissa Harris (USA)
MF Kayla Adamek (Ottawa, ON)
MF Ellen Gibson (Sweden)
MF Desiree Scott (Winnipeg, MB)
MF Min A Lee (Korea)
MF Melanie Forbes (CAN)
FW Johanne Fridlund (Norway)
FW Delaney Baie Pridham (CAN)
Substitutes: Melissa Dagenais (GK), Susanne Haaland (DF), Miranda Smith (MF), Julie Benati (MF), Sonia Okobi-Oke (MF), Mia Ugarte (MF), Naomi Lofthouse (MF), Stella Downing (MF)
Total Shots: 14
Shots on Goal: 7
Fouls: 9
Offsides: 0
Corner-Kicks: 3
Saves: 4
Video Highlights of Opening Game
Media can access video highlights from the opening match on the Northern Super League YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague
Match Summary
A complete summary of the opening match facts and stats can be viewed at: