Sierra Cota-Yarde Records Fourth Clean Sheet as AFC Toronto Defeats Halifax Tides FC 1-0
NSL AFC Toronto

Sierra Cota-Yarde Records Fourth Clean Sheet as AFC Toronto Defeats Halifax Tides FC 1-0

Published on September 7, 2025 under Northern Super League (NSL)
AFC Toronto News Release


Esther Okoronkwo's fifth of the season delivers Toronto's third one-goal win over Halifax Toronto remains unbeaten in the season series and three points reinforce AFC's position at the top of the table

Halifax, NS - AFC Toronto continued their winning ways in Halifax with a familiar scoreline, edging the Tides 1-0 for the third time this season on Saturday afternoon. The decisive moment came just before halftime when Esther Okoronkwo struck her fifth goal of the campaign. The backline of Croix Soto, Kaela Hansen, and Sarah Rollins held firm throughout the match, limiting Halifax to half-chances and ensuring goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde collected her fourth clean sheet of the season. Cota-Yarde's first NSL shutout also came at Wanderers Grounds back on May 17.

Assistant coach Sylvia Forbes: "Today we came in with a simple objective, and that was to get a result. Obviously, Halifax is a good team. I don't think the indication of where they're in the standings has anything to do with their skills. We came into the game just as we would for any other game - every single game is a big game, and I think the players understood that that was our objective today."

Defender Sarah Rollins: "Halifax always has the energy from the crowd. They have a great stadium, great fans, and it's their home turf and they play really well on it, so you've always gotta be ready for everything they bring."

Next, AFC Toronto returns to York Lions Stadium to host Vancouver Rise FC on Saturday, September 13 at 2 p.m. ET.

SIERRA COTA-YARDE: AFC's defensive backbone was on full display as goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde secured her fourth clean sheet of the season making three saves.

ESTHER OKORONKWO: Back in the goal column, forward Esther Okoronkwo notched her fifth of the season just before halftime.

RISING TIDES: In the fourth match of their five-game season series against Halifax, Toronto remains unbeaten with a 4-0-0 record.

UP NEXT: AFC Toronto face Vancouver Rise FC at York Lions Stadium on Saturday, September 13 at 2 p.m. ET (Watch on CBC and NSL.ca).

MATCH SUMMARY

AFC Toronto - 1 | Halifax Tides FC - 0

Venue: Wanderers Grounds

Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin

Assistants: Natalie Berry, Laura Hall

Fourth Official: Laura McNicholas

Referee Observer: James Keast

SCORING SUMMARY

AFC Toronto: Esther Okoronkwo (35')

Halifax Tides FC: 0

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

33' - Yellow: Sara Olai (Halifax Tides FC)

72' - Yellow: Annika Leslie (Halifax Tides FC)

88' - Yellow: Sydney Kennedy (Halifax Tides FC)

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 Sarah Stratigakis (Toronto, ON)

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), Aoi Kizaki (MF),

April Lantaigne (MF), Cloey Uddenberg (MF), Victoria Pickett (MF), Jade Kovacevic (FW),

Lauren Rowe (FW)

Total Shots: 12

Shots on Goal: 5

Fouls: 15

Offsides: 5

Corner-Kicks: 7

Saves: 3

Video Highlights of Game

Media can access video highlights from the match on the Northern Super League

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague

Match Summary

A complete summary of the match facts and stats can be viewed at:

https://www.nsl.ca/games/halifax-toronto-2025-09-06

More from the locker room:

Assistant coach Sylvia Forbes on Esther Okoronkwo's goal: "The 'ugly' goal has occurred. We've been talking about that all season - we want to get some ugly goals, we're going to need to get ugly goals as the season continues and gets closer to the end. And that involves desire and the willingness to put your body on the line. Esther did a great job of putting her body on the line, Croix did an excellent job of making sure the ball went back into that chaos, and they did really well to get onto it. That's a testament to their desire to score."

Forbes on AFC's backline: "Their communication has improved tremendously and that's a testament to them buying in and leaning into what we're asking them to do... Keeping themselves organized, keeping themselves honest, having a little bit of an edge as I tell them before the match to be prepared for anything. They've adjusted and continue to improve each and every week."

Forbes on goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde: "She has good confidence. She doesn't get phased too much. She's really good at staying locked in and making sure that she's focused on the task at hand. She doesn't allow herself to get too rattled."

Defender Croix Soto: "I think our communication was really good today as well as our determination. We kind of knew it was gonna be a difficult game, like every time we come here. It's a dog fight. We knew what we had to do to get the job done, and that's what happened."

Forbes on Sarah Stratigakis' play: "She's just a top person on and off the field. She is clever enough to know the ball's going in the goal, and she wants to make sure it gets there. I think she was making sure she obviously wasn't outside. She didn't want to touch or affect it, and she did just that. She's the ultimate teammate."

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Northern Super League Stories from September 7, 2025


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