After clinching the NSL Supporters’ Shield three weeks ago, AFC Toronto rounded out its regular season with a 2-1 win over Montreal Roses and lifted the inaugural Supporters’ Shield in front of their home crowd at York Lions Stadium Sunday afternoon.
“Clinching the Supporters’ Shield in our first-ever season is an extraordinary milestone for this club and for women’s soccer in Toronto,” said AFC Toronto CEO Helena Ruken. “From the very beginning, our fans, players, and staff have built an incredible community, and this success is the result of our shared vision, commitment, and hard work. This is only the beginning – we can’t wait to carry this momentum in the playoffs and into the next season.”
Nervous start gives Montreal the early lead
A callback to Toronto’s inaugural match against Montreal, a miscommunicated play at the back led to Montreal capitalizing early.
In the 11th minute, Lorie Thibault sent a ball towards the top of the box, where a miscommunication at the back led to goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde stepping high out of her box. Taking a touch to round Cota-Yarde, Hess rolled the ball into the empty net to give Montreal the early 1-0 lead.
Sustained pressure gives Toronto the lead
After the opening frame, Montreal sat back and looked opportunistically to counter Toronto’s attack. This allowed Toronto to settle into the match and control possession for the rest of the match.
In the 43rd minute, Lauren Rowe drove down the right and laid a pass across the six-yard box. Timing her run, Stratigakis latched onto the pass at the back post to level the tie 1-1 going into the break.
In the 60th minute, Toronto thought they took the lead off an intricate passing play. Esther Okoronkwo found Emma Regan streaking into the box, where she cut back a pass to Rowe. After Rowe’s shot was brilliantly saved by Montreal goalkeeper Anna Karpenko, she put back the rebound, but the goal was called off due to a foul in the six-yard box.
AFC Toronto beat Montreal Roses 2-1 in Northern Super League action Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Toronto won the NSL Supporters’ Shield. Photo: Indrawan Kumala/Total Soccer News
From there, Karpenko was called upon multiple times as Toronto increased its attacking pressure. A minute after the disallowed goal, a cross from April Lantaigne found the head of Stratigakis at the back post, but Karpenko made a great reaction save the keep the game level.
Stratigakis had another great opportunity from the top of the box as her shot was tipped over the bar from Karpenko. A minute later, Karpenko came up big again with a similar save as she tipped Small’s shot from inside the box over the bar.
In the 86th minute, Toronto finally found a breakthrough. A cross from Colby Barnett into the box ended up at the feet of Okoronkwo, who laid a pass into a path of Small. Small slid the shot past Karpenko to score her fifth goal of the season and give Toronto the 2-1 lead. With the assist, Okoronkwo finished as the league leader in assists with seven.
“We feel amazing. It’s a really rewarding feeling. Winning the league was our main goal from day one, we made that very clear, said head coach Marko Milanovic. “Now we very much look forward to winning in the playoffs. So the feeling is absolutely fantastic and we’re going to enjoy it today, and then we’re right back to work.”
Toronto finishes the season with a 16-3-6 record and ending the regular season on a seven game unbeaten streak.
Along with lifting the Supporters’ Shield, captain Emma Regan finished the season as the NSL’s Iron Woman, playing all 2250 minutes in Toronto’s 25 matches. 17-year old Kaylee Hunter also finishes the season second in the Golden Boot race with 14 goals in 22 appearances. Her stellar season earned her her first senior national team call up when they play Switzerland and the Netherlands later this month.
With the result on Sunday, the first round of the playoffs will be a rematch between the two clubs as Montreal hosts the first leg on November 1 while Toronto will return home to host the second leg on November 9 at York Lions Stadium.
