AFC Toronto became the first NSL club to clinch a playoff position with a statement defining 7-0 win over Vancouver Rise FC on Saturday afternoon at York Lions Stadium.
Led by braces from Kaylee Hunter and Esther Okoronkwo, the rest of the scoresheet was filled out with debut goals from Kaela Hansen, Sarah Stratigakis, and Jade Kovacevic.
“We really enjoyed the game today,” said Toronto assistant coach Sylvia Forbes, “Obviously, we’ve been working on a lot of stuff this season, and to see it all come to fruition this afternoon in front of our home crowd that has been supporting us along the way, it was a really good feeling … now our eyes are set forward onto the next challenge, which is finishing out the season on a high note.”
Set-pieces give Toronto the early lead
In the 6th minute, Toronto opened the scoring off a set-piece from the top of the box. Standing over the free-kick, Okoronkwo hit a curling shot over the wall and into the top right corner to give Toronto the early lead.
In the first minute of added time in the first half, Toronto doubled its lead. After an interception by Nikayla Small in the middle of the pitch, Okoronkwo laid a pass to Hunter, who cut and drove past Vancouver centerback Kennedy Faulknor into the box and fired a shot far post past Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan to give Toronto the 2-0 lead.
Just before the break, Toronto scored another set-piece goal. A corner sent in by Emma Regan was flicked by Sarah Rollins at the near post into the center of the box, where Hansen tipped the ball with her body into the back of the net for her first goal of the season. This was also Toronto’s first goal off a corner kick this season.
“We really wanted to get that one for Sylvia, said Regan on the corner goal. “She’s been amazing coming up with different set pieces for us, down to the detail, every week. And finally, we put one in off a set piece for her. We honestly are so thankful for all the staff, but Sylvia in particular, on those set pieces. We know she puts a lot of work into that.”
Toronto adds to the scoresheet in the second half
In the 50th minute, Toronto’s summer signings connected to give Toronto the 4-0 lead. Down the right side, Zoe Burns sent in a perfectly weighted direct cross to the backpost, where Stratigakis headed the ball from the run of play into the back of the net to score her first goal of the season.
In the 65th minute, Toronto’s bench set up its fifth goal of the afternoon. Collecting the ball on the right side, Nyota Katembo sent in a pass to Hunter, who quickly laid it back to Aoi Kizaki in the middle of the pitch. Noticing the Vancouver defensive line out of position, Kizaki lifted a ball over the top into the path of Okoronkwo, who made no mistake driving in on goal and slotting it into the back of the net to score her seventh goal of the season.
Minutes later, in the 69th minute, Hunter scored her second of the game. In the middle of the pitch, Kizaki laid a pass to the left for Stratigakis, who then sent a ball down the left side, catching Hunter on the run. With her first touch, Hunter hit a sharp-angled shot that squeaked by McAslan to score her twelfth goal of the season.
In the 86th minute, Toronto capped off its historic afternoon with its seventh goal of the game. An interception by Rollins in the middle of the pitch sent a ball into the path of Hunter, who then laid a pass across the box for Kovacevic. With a nifty turn to get away from Vancouver defender Jasmyne Spencer, Kovacevic hit a sharp shot into the bottom left corner to score her debut goal of the season.
“It feels really good, said Kovacevic on her first goal, “I think like Emma said, it was us peaking at the right moments. To be able to get myself on the game sheet today, it’s a part of how training has gone for me week over week. It feels really good for me to see that product come out in a game.”
For all the fanfare on the scoresheet, Forbes also commented on the team’s defensive success. “The back line has been really good as of late. They’ve been working hard in training. Sometimes you hear defenders say they take the brunt of that type of stuff through games and training, because those little details are so important when you have tight games. So their focus and their determination to take on the information that we’ve been giving them has been really good. They’ve come together as a group, the whole set of defenders … clean sheets are great, right?”
This was Sierra Cota-Yarde’s fifth clean sheet of the season, and Toronto has not conceded a goal in three consecutive matches. With the win, Toronto clinched a playoff position, extended its lead at the top of the table with 41 points, and ended Vancouver’s eight-game unbeaten streak.
Vancouver Rise FC will look to bounce back as they return home in their next match against Ottawa Rapid FC on Saturday, September 20. AFC Toronto’s next match will be at home as they host Halifax Tides FC on Sunday, September 21, at York Lions Stadium.
