Esther Okoronkwo has successfully accomplished her objective of reaching the Northern Super League inaugural championship game. The 28-year-old forward netted three goals within the first 26 minutes of Monday’s snowy semifinal at York Lions Stadium, propelling AFC Toronto, the regular-season titleholder, to a 4-1 victory over Montreal Roses and a 6-1 aggregate win over the two legs. Additionally, Lauren Rowe scored Toronto’s fourth goal in the 83rd minute, while Tanya Boychuk found the net for the Roses in the 74th minute.
Toronto is set to challenge Vancouver Rise in the NSL Final at BMO Field on Saturday. Vancouver secured their spot in the final by defeating Ottawa 5-4 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw in their two-leg semifinal. The second match of the Toronto-Montreal series was postponed by a day due to adverse weather conditions and heavy snowfall in the Toronto region.
Okoronkwo, who boasted eight goals and eight assists in 1,486 minutes of regular-season play, opened the scoring in the seventh minute, doubled her tally 13 minutes later, and completed her hat trick in the 26th minute. Toronto’s coach, Marko Milanović, commended the teamwork and praised Okoronkwo’s performance, highlighting her ability to shine in crucial moments.
Midfielder Nikki Small revealed that the strategy for playing in the snow was to keep it straightforward by avoiding unnecessary risks and maintaining a direct style of play due to the challenging conditions. In the first leg of the semifinal, Toronto emerged victorious with a 2-0 win at Stade Boréale in Laval, Que., with goals from Small and Hunter.