Exclusive: Trailblazer Quinn Nets First Goal in NSL History as Vancouver Rise Start Strong

Quinn, midfielder for Vancouver Rise FC and the first out non-binary transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics, made history on April 16, 2025, by scoring the club’s first-ever league goal — a 22nd-minute penalty — in a 1-0 win over Calgary Wild FC. 

The match marked the inaugural game of the Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league.

First goal in the new league

The 29-year-old Toronto native chalked up the experience, “it was a pretty cool moment, not one I think I would have I score goals few and far between I think it was exciting for our team to get on the scoreboard,” said, they speaking to SportsBoom.com. 

“It was a relief for us it was such a team effort just getting to that point and it was really exciting to celebrate as a team.”

“It was bigger than I was expecting I’ve been in some really big games and I thought that this would be easy to handle but definitely stepping on to the pitch and seeing (NSL co-founder) Diana Mathieson and (team co-owner) Christine Sinclair with the ball and just sinking in how much work has been done to get to this moment I think I just took the time it was a pretty surreal moment for me. It hit my heart in a different way than I thought it would for sure,” said they who wore number 5 for the Vancouver Rise FC on the pitch. 

New league, new team

Quinn has made the transition to playing soccer in Canada in 2025 specifically Vancouver, British Columbia after playing six seasons with the Seattle Reign FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) as a midfielder scoring one goal and two assists and helping contribute to winning the league a NWSL Shield in 2022.  

They also have represented Canada having 106 appearances for the Canadian Women’s National Team with 68 starts scoring six goals and four assists helping the team to an Olympic Bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and an Olympic Gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 and wants to continue that winning mentality in Vancouver.

“My goal is collectively to win the league, and I hope to play a part in that and to create [and] to win the league act as a mentor to the younger players and look to be a leader.” 

The Vancouver Rise FC is off to a great start winning their first game at BC Place Stadium. The team will play their remaining 11 home games at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. 

“I think it’s a very competitive league [and] I think that we are seeing this is in the first two games,” said they. 

“It’s very tight and competitive. There are top National team players competing and looking to excel and play at a very high level. It will only continue to attract top level players in this league.”

The popularity of the sport was evident as fans packed BC Place Stadium for the opening match of the NSL with 14,018 fans in attendance. 

The Vancouver Rise FC is the first professional women’s sports team on the Westcoast of British Columbia, Canada and they make up one of six teams in Canada’s new league. The six teams will each face each other five times across the season with the top four going into the semifinals before a Championship game in November over the course of the 25-game season. 

Representation matters in soccer

“Having inclusive policies is important [for the game] and making sure soccer is accessible [and] getting rid of discrimination.”  

They went on to say, “soccer is the most accessible sport in the world and getting rid of discrimination is important for sure.”

“It's the reason I came out I want it to be more acceptance [and] to be them as they play in their neighbourhoods or school team,” said they in an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.com. 

“I want it to be celebrated in this league.” 

The Vancouver Rise FC midfielder points to the fact that there is good chemistry on the team, and they hope to add to the overall success throughout the season. 

“On the ball I am a player who can dictate the tempo creating rhythm which allows for effective passes which leads to the build-up."