Esther Okoronkwo has successfully achieved her objective of reaching the championship game of the Northern Super League inaugural season. The 28-year-old forward netted three goals within the first 26 minutes of the semifinal match on Monday at the snow-covered York Lions Stadium, propelling AFC Toronto, the regular-season champions, to a 4-1 victory over Montreal Roses. The two-leg aggregate score ended 6-1 in favor of Toronto, with Lauren Rowe securing the fourth goal for the team in the 83rd minute. Tanya Boychuk managed to score a consolation goal for the Roses in the 74th minute.
Toronto is now set to clash with Vancouver Rise in the NSL Final at BMO Field on Saturday. Vancouver advanced to the final after defeating Ottawa 5-4 in a penalty shootout, following a 3-3 aggregate tie in their two-leg semifinal series.
The second leg of the Toronto-Montreal series was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday due to adverse weather conditions and heavy snowfall in Toronto. Okoronkwo, who showcased an impressive performance throughout the regular season with eight goals and eight assists in 1,486 minutes of play, opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the match, adding two more goals in quick succession to complete a first-half hat trick. Toronto coach Marko Milanović praised the team’s collective effort and highlighted Okoronkwo’s significant contribution to the victory.
Midfielder Nikki Small revealed that the game plan in snowy conditions was to simplify play by avoiding unnecessary risks. Toronto had previously secured a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the semifinal at Stade Boréale in Laval, Quebec, with goals from Small and Hunter.
