Toronto scored the fastest goal in franchise history on Saturday as the club extended its unbeaten streak to five matches
Halifax, NS (September 19, 2026) – AFC Toronto (9-7-5) earned a 1-1 draw against Halifax Tides FC on Saturday afternoon at Wanderers Grounds. The club remains second in the Northern Super League table with 34 points.
AFC Toronto came out hard on Saturday, earning a corner in the first minute. Victoria Pickett took the kick, powering the ball towards Halifax’s net, where it went off goalkeeper Anika Tóth and in to give Toronto its fastest-ever goal. The goal was recorded as an own goal by Tóth. Nearing the hour mark, Halifax responded with a goal from Julianne Vallerand. Toronto continued to push late into the game, but were ultimately forced to settle for a third-straight draw.
“I thought the draw was fair considering both teams created chances, both teams fought.” said head coach Marko Milanović. “You can tell that both teams are in need of points. We're maybe fighting for different things, but we're both fighting for something. I thought our best attacking stuff came after we conceded the goal because we played with more urgency and played with better tempo. That's something that we definitely have to fix moving forward and look to play that way before we concede a goal. Similar thing happened in our last game against Montreal. We really have to address that and try to play with the same urgency from the beginning.”
Next weekend, AFC Toronto returns to York Lions Stadium to host Ottawa Rapid FC for the first of a four-game homestand to wrap the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 at 2 p.m. ET.
IRON WOMAN: Sarah Rollins has played every minute of every game so far this season for Toronto, totalling 1890 minutes.
FASTEST GOAL: Saturday’s game-opening goal was the fastest in AFC Toronto history, scored just 53 seconds into the match.
LEAGUE’S BEST DEFENCE: Toronto remains tied with Halifax for the fewest goals against this season, each with 21 conceded through 21 games. Toronto has conceded just one goal to Halifax this season and three all-time.
UNBEATEN STREAK: Toronto is unbeaten in five-straight matches for the second time this season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Toronto has two wins and two draws against Halifax this season. The club remains unbeaten against Tides FC all-time, with a 6-3-0 record. The two sides meet one more time this year on October 26 at BMO Field.
UP NEXT: AFC Toronto hosts Ottawa Rapid FC at York Lions Stadium on Saturday, September 26 at 2 p.m. ET (Available on CBC).
MATCH SUMMARY
AFC Toronto - 1 | Halifax Tides FC - 1
Venue: Wanderers Grounds
Referee: Salma Flores-Desrochers
Assistants: Önder Yilmaz, Travis Lefebvre
Fourth Official: Angelina Baldino
Referee Observer: James Keast
SCORING SUMMARY
AFC Toronto: A. Toth (1’ OG)
Halifax Tides FC: Julianne Vallerand (59’)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
None
STARTING LINEUP & STATS
AFC Toronto Starting Lineup:
GK Sabrina D’Angelo (Welland, ON)
DF Victoria Pickett (Barrie, ON)
DF Sarah Rollins (Toronto, ON)
DF Shelina Zadorsky (London, ON)
MF Colby Barnett (USA)
MF Zoe Burns (USA)
MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, ON)
MF Sarah Stratigakis (Toronto, ON)
MF Cloey Uddenberg (Richmond Hill, ON)
FW Lauren Rowe (Conception Bay South, NL)
FW Lena Silano (USA)
Substitutes: Sierra Cota-Yarde (GK), Ashley Cathro (DF), Croix Soto (DF), Jasmine Vilgrain (DF), Zoe Hasenauer (MF), Nyota Katembo (MF), April Lantaigne (MF), Mia Fontana (FW), Gabriela Istocki* (FW)
*Youth Development Permit (YDP)
Total Shots: 12
Shots on Goal: 3
Fouls: 8
Offsides: 1
Corner Kicks: 5
Saves: 3
Video Highlights
Media can access video highlights from the match on the Northern Super League YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague
Photo Highlights
Media can access photo highlights from the match here.
Match Summary
A complete summary of the match facts and stats can be viewed at:
www.afctoronto.ca/games/2026-09-19-halifax-toronto
More from the locker room:
Sarah Rollins, on the team’s defensive performance: “I think we held it down pretty well. People made some crucial blocks and saves. Yeah, we all kind of stepped up for each other. We made too many mistakes at the back and in the middle, but we were covering for each other well enough. But it needs to be better next game.”
Milanović, on the draw: “We see it as a point gained, but we also see it as two points lost, because we're looking for wins. I think Halifax deserved a draw today based on their performance. We know they're fighting for playoffs as well and we obviously wish them all the best with that, but I thought a draw was fair considering the performances of both teams.”
Milanović, on the set piece battle: “To be honest, I thought our first goal was lucky. Ball went in on the front post, it wasn't by design, to be perfectly honest. We did have some other opportunities from set pieces that I thought were drawn up and executed pretty well, but we also conceded on a set piece that we didn't defend well. Halifax is one of the better teams in the league when it comes to set pieces and I thought we did well for most of the game, but on that one occasion they were able to get that goal.”