Toronto’s unbeaten streak ends at home with a loss to Montreal

Toronto, ON (August 16, 2026) – AFC Toronto (7-4-5) fell 2-0 to Montreal Roses FC on Sunday afternoon at BMO Field. The club continues to sit third in the Northern Super League table with 25 points.

AFC Toronto mounted a number of dangerous attacks in the first half, but were unable to find the scoresheet. Ten minutes into the second half, Montreal converted a penalty shot to take the lead. Later, Shelina Zadorsky buried a header, but the goal was called offside. Roses FC then added another off the foot of Elyse Bennett, putting the game away.

“Fortunately, I didn’t think the performance was bad,” said head coach Marko Milanović. “I thought we created a lot, should have scored. … We have to put the ball in the net and that’s on us, that’s something that is not luck. We have to do a better job in front of goal.”

Next weekend, AFC Toronto heads east to face Halifax Tides FC at Wanderers Ground on Sunday, August 23rd at 12:00 p.m. ET.

KAYLEE HUNTER: Kaylee Hunter had five shots on target against Montreal. The striker has a league leading 30 shots on target this season.

NIKKI SMALL: Nikki Small had five tackles on Sunday. Toronto’s captain leads the league with 77 total tackles.

BMO FIELD DEBUTS: On Sunday, defender Shelina Zadorsky and goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo made their first starts at BMO Field with AFC Toronto. Forward Lena Silano came off the bench for her first appearance at the venue,

HEAD-TO-HEAD: AFC Toronto has a 1-1-2 record against Montreal Roses FC this season.

UP NEXT: AFC Toronto visits Halifax Tides FC at Wanderers Grounds on Sunday, August 23rd at 12 p.m. ET (Available on TSN; U.S. streaming on ESPN+).

MATCH SUMMARY
AFC Toronto - 0 | Montreal Roses FC - 2
Venue: BMO Field
Referee: Anne-Marie Canuel
Assistants: Melissa Snedden, Allycia Carlucci
Fourth Official: Nava Rajabi
Referee Observer: John Oliva

SCORING SUMMARY
Montreal Roses FC: M. Alidou (55’ PEN.), E. Bennett (74’)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
None

STARTING LINEUP & STATS
AFC Toronto Starting Lineup:
GK Sabrina D’Angelo (Welland, ON)
DF Sarah Rollins (Toronto, ON)
DF Victoria Pickett (Barrie, ON)
DF Shelina Zadorsky (London, ON)
MF Colby Barnett (USA)
MF Olivia Chisholm (Toronto, ON)
MF Nyota Katembo (Montreal, QC)
MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, ON)
MF Sarah Stratigakis (Woodbridge, ON)
FW Kaylee Hunter (Calgary, AB)
FW Lauren Rowe (Conception Bay South, NL)

Substitutes: Sierra Cota-Yarde (GK), Jordan Brewster (DF), Ashley Cathro (DF), Croix Soto (DF), Zoe Burns (MF), April Lantaigne (MF), Mia Fontana (FW), Kaila Novak (MF), Lena Silano (FW)

Total Shots: 20
Shots on Goal: 9
Fouls: 13
Offsides: 1
Corner Kicks: 6
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/2026-08-16-toronto-montreal

More from the locker room:

Marko Milanović, on the league standings: “We still have nine games left. We think we’re very much in the race to win the league, even though we’re eight points behind. There’s a lot of soccer to be played and we’re not giving up.”

Milanović, on the match momentum: “I thought we had a slower start. Maybe first ten minutes or so, we didn’t look great. But then we had complete control for the next 30, 35 minutes of the first half. Second half, I thought we started well also. I thought both goals came kind of against the run of play where we created chances. … Obviously we could have done a better job stopping that transition, but it was that type of game.”

Shelina Zadorsky, on her first match at BMO Field with AFC Toronto: “I think I was just so excited to experience it with this group. They really welcomed me in right from the get go, and I think our fan base is exciting and people are involved and loud and I think that's great. Hopefully we can keep growing that. So it was just excitement being able to play (at BMO Field) for this club. … I think we have a lot of potential and we won't give up.”