AFC Toronto Drops Inaugural Opening Match 1-0 to Montreal Roses FC
Roses’ Tonya Boychuk scored the lone goal in the club’s historic opening match in front of a sold out crowd
Toronto, ON (April 19, 2025) – AFC Toronto kicked off their inaugural season on Saturday, April 19 in front of a sold out home crowd of 14,518 at BMO Field, as they fell 1-0 to the visiting Montreal Roses FC. 24-year-old Tonya Boychuk opened the scoring early at the two minute mark, which remained the only tall in a tight defensive matchup.
With relentless effort offensively, AFC attacked the pitch with tenacity but were unable to equalize through the match.
“I thought we were a bit impatient in possession at times, especially in the first half,” said Marko Milanovic, Head Coach. “The second half was a lot better with a few of the adjustments we made at halftime. Overall, it’s a performance I don’t think we can be really satisfied with.”
“It’s about hard work, I think you saw that from our team - it’s something that we take pride in being part of our identity. We’re playing until the end, we’re not going to give up, we’re going to work hard,” said Emma Regan, AFC Toronto Captain. “Although we didn’t get the goal, or the result, we were pushing until the end. I think that’s a very important message.”
The hard work continues as Toronto looks for their first victory in club history, heading to Ottawa to face Ottawa Rapid FC on Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m. ET.
HISTORY MADE: AFC Toronto opened their inaugural season in front of a sold out crowd of 14,518 at BMO Field, edging out Vancouver Rise vs. Calgary Wild FC’s BC Place attendance of 14,018.
EMMA REGAN: Emma Regan, who served as AFC Toronto’s captain, put in a solid offensive effort in the debut, recording a shot on post and a corner kick.
TONYA BOYCHUK: The opposing team’s forward notched the lone goal in the match, becoming the first player in Montreal Roses FC history to score.
UP NEXT: AFC Toronto head East as they face Ottawa Rapid FC in Ottawa on Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m. ET (TSN/US Streaming ESPN+)
MATCH SUMMARY
AFC Toronto - 0 Montreal Roses FC - 1
Venue: BMO Field
Referee: Carly Shaw-Maclaren
Assistants: Gabrielle Lemieux, Melissa Snedden Fourth Official: Isabelle Duclos
Referee Observer: Alexis Vaughan
Attendance: 14,518
SCORING SUMMARY
AFC Toronto: N/A
Montreal Roses FC: Tonya Boychuk (2’)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
66’ – Yellow: C. Bilbault (Montreal Roses FC)
STARTING LINEUP & STATS
AFC Toronto Inaugural Starting Lineup:
GK Sofia Manner (Finland)
DF Hong Hye-Ji (South Korea)
DF Kaela Hansen (Burnaby, BC) MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, ON) MF Emma Regan (Burnaby, BC) MF Nyota Katembo (Montreal, QC)
MF Cloey Uddenberg (St. Kitts & Nevis) MF Colby Barnett (United States)
MF Victoria Pickett (Barrie, ON)
FW Shaina Ashouri (USA)
FW Esther Okoronkwo (Nigeria)
Substitutes: Sierra Cota-Yarde (GK), Ashley Cathro (DF), Sarah Rollins (DF), Croix Soto (DF), Sonia Walk (DF), Aoi Kizaki (MF), April Lantaigne (MF), Ivymae Perez (MF), Kaylee Hunter (FW)
Total Shots: 15 Shots on Goal: 6 Fouls: 8 Offsides: 2 Corner-Kicks: 5 Saves: 1
Video Highlights of Opening Game
Media can access video highlights from the opening match on the Northern Super League YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague
Match Summary
A complete summary of the opening match facts and stats can be viewed at:
