…Esther Okoronkwo named game MVP
Esther Okoronkwo was the star of the night as her sensational hat-trick powered AFC Toronto to a commanding 4–1 victory over Montreal Roses in the second semifinal of the Northern Super League (NSL) playoffs on Monday night (Tuesday morning Nigerian time) at the York Lions Stadium. The result saw Toronto advance 6–1 on aggregate over two legs.
Okoronkwo wasted no time stamping her authority on the game, completing her hat-trick within the opening 27 minutes. She opened the scoring in the seventh minute, calmly slotting home a Kaylee Hunter through ball.
Fourteen minutes later, she doubled the lead with a stunning direct free-kick before dribbling her way into the box to complete her treble and effectively put the tie beyond the visitors.
The Roses pulled one back through Tanya Boychuk in the 74th minute, but any hopes of a comeback were short-lived as Lauren Rowe struck in the 83rd minute to seal a dominant 4–1 win for AFC Toronto.
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Okoronkwo’s first-half heroics etched her name into the record books as the fastest player to score a hat-trick in the competition’s history.
AFC Toronto will now face Vancouver Rise FC in the NSL final at BMO Field on November 15 to determine the champion of the inaugural season.
Reacting to the victory, AFC Toronto head coach Marko Milanović praised his players’ intensity and teamwork.
“I thought it was a complete team effort,” Milanović said after the game. “We had good energy, and we always talk about the speed of our actions and being physically ready, and we were definitely ready to go. Even though we were up 3–0 at halftime, we knew we had to keep the pressure on for another 10–15 minutes.”
Okoronkwo, who was substituted in the 66th minute to a standing ovation, capped off her memorable night by collecting the Player of the Match award and the match ball.
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