Esther Okoronkwo has successfully led AFC Toronto to the Northern Super League inaugural championship game by scoring three goals within the first 26 minutes of the Monday semifinal match at York Lions Stadium. AFC Toronto, the regular-season champion, secured a 4-1 victory over Montreal Roses, winning the two-leg aggregate 6-1. Lauren Rowe contributed a fourth goal for Toronto in the 83rd minute, while Tanya Boychuk scored for the Roses in the 74th minute.
Toronto is set to face Vancouver Rise in the NSL Final at BMO Field on Saturday. Vancouver advanced to the final by defeating Ottawa 5-4 on penalties after a tied 3-3 aggregate in their semifinal series. The second game of the Toronto-Montreal series was postponed to Monday due to inclement weather and significant snowfall in Toronto.
Okoronkwo, who had an impressive regular season with eight goals and eight assists in 1,486 minutes of play, scored her first goal in the seventh minute of the match, followed by two more goals in the 26th minute to complete a hat trick. Toronto coach Marko Milanović praised the team’s collective effort, highlighting the exceptional performance of Kaylee Hunter in setting up the first goal.
Midfielder Nikki Small emphasized the team’s strategy in playing in the snowy conditions, focusing on simplicity and direct play due to the challenging weather conditions. Toronto had previously won the first leg of the semifinal 2-0 at Stade Boréale in Laval, Quebec, with goals from Small and Hunter.