AFC Toronto Edges Closer to Supporters' Shield After 1-0 Win in Ottawa
NSL AFC Toronto

AFC Toronto Edges Closer to Supporters' Shield After 1-0 Win in Ottawa

Published on September 27, 2025 under Northern Super League (NSL)
AFC Toronto News Release


Ottawa, ON - AFC Toronto edged one step closer to the Supporters' Shield with a composed road performance at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa on Friday night. The club defeated Ottawa Rapid FC 1-0 to even the five-game season series at two wins apiece, with one draw.

Toronto's breakthrough came in the first half when Esther Okoronkwo threaded a perfectly timed ball to a streaking Kaylee Hunter. The 17-year-old buried her 13th goal of the season and her third at TD Place - making up ground in the Golden Boot race behind Ottawa's DB Pridham. AFC's cohesive backline held the league-leading scorer off the sheet, and secured goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde another clean sheet.

With the victory, AFC Toronto move one step closer to locking in the league's inaugural Supporters' Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. The result also sets the stage for an intense playoff race, as Toronto continue to chase top seeding while Ottawa, sitting in second, look to close the gap.

Head coach Marko Milanovic on their remaining matches: "We definitely celebrate our wins but we also know the job is not done and we do need to get a result against Calgary next week to win the league - unless something happens tomorrow that's out of our hands. We like to finish the job ourselves and not rely on other people."

Next, AFC Toronto heads to Calgary to take on Calgary Wild FC at McMahon Stadium on Saturday, October 4 at 4 p.m. ET.

SERIES SPLIT: The "Battle of Ontario" ends dead even, with Toronto and Ottawa each winning twice and drawing once across their five-game season series.

KAYLEE HUNTER: The AFC forward scored her 13th goal of the year, her third at TD Place Stadium, keeping pace near the top of the Golden Boot race.

SHIELD IN SIGHT: With the win, AFC Toronto move one step closer to securing the inaugural Northern Super League Supporters' Shield.

UP NEXT: AFC Toronto faces Calgary Wild FC at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Saturday, October 4 at 4 p.m. ET (Watch on CBC and stream on CBC Gem).

MATCH SUMMARY

AFC Toronto - 1 | Ottawa Rapid FC - 0

Venue: TD Place Stadium

Referee: Isabelle Duclos

Assistants: Allycia Carlucci, Natalie Berry

Fourth Official: Sheila Couture

Referee Observer: Eric Roy

Attendance: 3,004

SCORING SUMMARY

AFC Toronto: Kaylee Hunter (32')

Ottawa Rapid FC: 0

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

36' - Yellow: DB Pridham (Ottawa Rapid FC)

43' - Yellow: Colby Barnett (AFC Toronto)

STARTING LINEUP & STATS

AFC Toronto Starting Lineup:

GK Sierra Cota-Yarde (Toronto, ON)

DF Kaela Hansen (Burnaby, BC), DF Croix Soto (USA), DF Sarah Rollins (Toronto, ON), DF Zoe Burns (CAN)

MF Cloey Uddenberg (SKN), MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, ON), MF Emma Regan (Burnaby, BC), MF Colby Barnett (USA)

FW Kaylee Hunter (Calgary, AB), FW Esther Okoronkwo (Nigeria)

Substitutes: Danielle Krzyzaniak (GK), Ashley Cathro (DF), Hong Hye-Ji (DF), April Lantaigne (MF), Nyota Katembo (MF), Olivia Chisholm (MF), Victoria Pickett (MF), Jade Kovacevic (FW), Kaila Novak (FW)

Total Shots: 16

Shots on Goal: 5

Fouls: 9

Offsides: 2

Corner-Kicks: 6

Saves: 4

Match Summary

A complete summary of the match facts and stats can be viewed at: https://www.nsl.ca/games/ottawa-toronto-2025-09-26

More from the locker room:

Head coach Marko Milanovic on playing at TD Place Stadium: "It's two really good teams and really, really competitive players on the field... This is one stadium that we haven't won at so far this year. So this is a big result for us."

Midfielder Cloey Uddenberg on starting: "I think today just goes to show like you always have to be ready and as the season has gone on, you don't know when your name's gonna be called and when you need to be there for the team and step up into a role. In terms of preparation, you need to prepare every single day as if you're going to be starting the next day... It's easy to step in when you have this support around you."

Milanovic on Okoronkwo-Hunter connection: "They have a really strong connection off the field as well. They really get along even though there is an age gap. They have some great chemistry there for sure."

Milanovic on Hunter's goal: "She's scored every time she's been in this stadium, we're grateful that we're watching her live and that we have some part in our development."

Defender Kaela Hansen on the push for the Supporters' Shield: "It was a great win tonight and a much needed win. We're obviously not going to get complacent and there's obviously still a job to do. We still have two more games to go. It's definitely something that we'll be looking ahead to be focusing on those next two games coming up and getting those wins"

Milanovic on Kaela's performance: "We've been very good defensively the last stretch of four or five games - it wasn't just tonight. Kaela played phenomenally well today. She puts her body on the line, she's a real fighter, plays with a lot of heart... That passion is not something that we can teach as staff."

Hansen on playing in Ottawa: "I feel like in moments when they have a crowd that is very, very loud and very supportive of Ottawa, it's important to stay focused within the four lines and not let it bother you... The more they get louder, and the more they get mad, I feel like as a team, we're doing something right then."

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Northern Super League Stories from September 27, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central