Kaylee Hunter scored her second goal in as many games, Kaila Novak earned her first start and assist of the season to extend AFC Toronto’s unbeaten streak to five matches

Halifax, N.S. (July 5, 2026) – Kaylee Hunter scored her third of the year on Sunday afternoon to help AFC Toronto to a 1-0 win over Halifax Tides FC at Wanderers Ground. Toronto (4-3-2) is now unbeaten in five straight matches and has back-to-back wins for the first time this season. With the victory, the club moves into third place in the Northern Super League table with 15 points.

Early in the first half, Kaila Novak played a ball into the box to Kaylee Hunter, who struck it past Halifax’s goalkeeper for her third of the year. Making her first start of the season, Novak earned her first assist of the year on the goal. Toronto goalkeeper Sofia Manner remained characteristically strong in the win, earning her second clean sheet of the season.

“It was a difficult game,” said head coach Marko Milanović. “It's something that we expected. Every time we come here it's difficult, and today was no different. We played against a team that's very organised and hardworking, and it's always hard to get a result here. But I told the girls, teams that end up winning titles and winning trophies, they find ways to win these types of games. … we were able to get the result and that's the quality of a top team.”

Next weekend, Toronto returns home to host Ottawa Rapid FC at York Lions Stadium on Saturday, July 11 at 4 p.m. ET.

KAYLEE HUNTER: Kaylee Hunter scored her third goal of the year and second in two games on Sunday. The 18-year-old striker leads the league in total shots (32) and is tied for the league lead in shots on target (17).

KAILA NOVAK: Kaila Novak earned her first start and first assist of the season on Sunday.

SOFIA MANNER: The 28-year-old goalkeeper earned her second clean sheet of the season and fourth all-time on Sunday. Manner has started all five matches for AFC Toronto across the club’s current unbeaten streak.

GOALS AGAINST: AFC Toronto has the fewest goals against this season, with just eight conceded in nine matches.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: AFC Toronto remains unbeaten against Tides FC, with a 5-2-0 record against the club all-time. This year, Toronto has a win and a draw in two matches versus Halifax.

UP NEXT: AFC Toronto hosts Ottawa Rapid FC at York Lions Stadium on Saturday, July 11 at 4 p.m. ET (Stream on TSN+ and NSL.ca; U.S. streaming on ESPN+).

MATCH SUMMARY
AFC Toronto - 1 | Halifax Tides FC - 0

Venue: Wanderers Ground
Referee: Salma Flores-Desrochers
Assistants: Marie-Han Gagnon-Chretien, Allycia Carlucci
Fourth Official: Scott Bowman
Referee Observer: Juan Marquez

SCORING SUMMARY
AFC Toronto: K. Hunter (12’)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
71’ - Yellow: Nikayla Small (AFC Toronto)
85’ - Yellow: Kaylee Hunter (AFC Toronto)
90+1’ - Yellow: Linda (AFC Toronto)

STARTING LINEUP & STATS
AFC Toronto Starting Lineup:

GK Sofia Manner (FIN)
DF Jordan Brewster (USA)
DF Ashley Cathro (USA)
DF Sarah Rollins (Toronto, ON)
MF Colby Barnett (USA)
MF Zoe Burns (USA)
MF Kaila Novak (London, ON)
MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, ON)
MF Sarah Stratigakis (Woodbridge, ON)
FW Kaylee Hunter (Calgary, AB)
FW Lauren Rowe (Conception Bay South, NL)

Substitutes: Danielle Krzyzaniak (GK), Kaela Hansen (DF), Nyota Katembo (MF), Olivia Chisholm (MF), Linda (MF), April Lantaigne (MF), Cloey Uddenberg (MF), Mia Fontana (FW), Esther Okoronkwo (FW)

Total Shots: 11
Shots on Goal: 3
Fouls: 9
Offsides: 4
Corner Kicks: 6
Saves: 1

Photo Highlights
Media can access photo highlights here.

Video Highlights
Media can access video highlights from the match on the Northern Super League YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague

Match Summary
A complete summary of the match facts and stats can be viewed at: www.nsl.ca/games/2026-07-05-halifax-toronto

More from the locker room:

Marko Milanović, on the club’s success through the three-game road trip: “We've been on the road quite a bit, but we always find ways to do well on the road for reasons that I mentioned many times before. But I think it says something about how much we like to spend time with each other and we get to spend even more time when we're away like this. Now we come home and we can't wait to play in front of our fans. … Obviously we're going to enjoy this win today, but then we're going to start preparing for next week.”

Kaila Novak, on earning her first assist in her first start of the season: “It's really nice. I love this team so much, so whatever role I'm given, I'm happy to play it. I'm just glad that on a start, I can contribute to Kaylee's goal. But Kaylee makes it very easy to do so. I'm just happy to be a part of it.”

Zoe Burns, on the team returning home next weekend: “I think after being on the road so much, we're really excited to see the fans. We have some really dedicated fans, so to be able to bring them some momentum as we start to really grow into ourselves as the season continues, I'm really excited for our audience to see that.”