Kaylee Hunter notches the club’s lone goal as the club fell 2-1 to Vancouver Rise FC
Toronto, ON (November 15, 2025) – AFC Toronto closed out their historic inaugural season campaign at Toronto’s BMO Field on Saturday afternoon, as the club fell 2-1 to Vancouver Rise FC in the NSL Final. Rookie of the Year Kaylee Hunter delivered once again on the biggest stage, scoring her 16th goal of the season – and second of the postseason – to cap off a record-setting campaign for the league’s first Supporters’ Shield winners.
Hunter opened the scoring in the 19th minute, bursting through Vancouver’s back line and finishing with trademark composure just moments before a lightning delay paused the match. When play resumed, Vancouver equalized in the 54th minute as a Nicole Stanton corner kick was redirected and slipped past goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde.
In the 68th minute, Holly Ward broke down the flank and fired low past Cota-Yarde to give Vancouver the go-ahead goal. Despite a late push, AFC Toronto couldn’t find the equalizer, concluding a groundbreaking first season that set the standard for excellence in the NSL’s debut year.
Head coach Marko Milanović: “Congrats to Vancouver on winning the playoff Championship… I thought we played really well, most of the game, and created a number of opportunities that we just didn't put away. And sometimes in football, that's what happens… Very proud of my group. Very proud of my captain. They've done everything I've asked them to do all season. I couldn't be proud of them.”
Captain Emma Regan: “I think this group is resilient and it didn't go our way today, but that doesn't make me any less proud of our season.”
KAYLEE HUNTER: Forward Kaylee Hunter notched her second postseason goal, finishing her rookie campaign with 16 across all competitions.
SEASON WRAPPED: AFC Toronto closes their inaugural year as Supporters’ Shield winners and NSL Finalists.
MATCH SUMMARY
AFC Toronto - 1 Vancouver Rise FC - 2
Venue: BMO Field
Attendance: 12,429
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin
Assistants: Stéphanie Fortin, Camille Raymond
Fourth Official: Carly Shaw-MacLaren
Fifth Official: Gabrielle Lemieux
Referee Observer: Alexis Vaughan
SCORING SUMMARY
AFC Toronto: Kaylee Hunter (19’)
Vancouver Rise FC: Nicole Stanton (54’), Holly Ward (68’)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
26’ - Yellow: Sarah Stratigakis (AFC Toronto)
51’ - Yellow: Esther Okoronkwo (AFC Toronto)
71’ - Yellow: Sam Chang (Vancouver Rise FC)
73’ - Yellow: Sarah Rollins (AFC Toronto)
73’ - Yellow: Colby Barnett (AFC Toronto)
81’ - Yellow: Latifah Abdu (Vancouver Rise FC)
81’ - Yellow: Victoria Pickett (AFC Toronto)
90’+3’ - Yellow: Jasmine Spencer (Vancouver Rise FC)
STARTING LINEUP & STATS
AFC Toronto Starting Lineup:
GK Sierra Cota-Yarde (Toronto, ON)
DF Ashley Cathro (Victoria, BC), DF Sarah Rollins (Toronto, ON), DF Zoe Burns (Canada)
MF Colby Barnett (USA), MF Victoria Pickett (Newmarket, ON), MF Emma Regan (Burnaby, BC), MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, ON), MF Sarah Stratigakis (Toronto, ON)
FW Kaylee Hunter (Calgary, AB), FW Esther Okoronkwo (Nigeria)
Substitutes: Danielle Krzyzaniak (GK), Kaela Hansen (DF), Cloey Uddenberg (MF), April Lantaigne (MF), Aoi Kizaki (MF), Nyota Katembo (MF), Jade Kovacevic (FW), Lauren Rowe (FW), Kaila Novak (FW)
Total Shots: 16
Shots on Goal: 8
Offsides: 5
Fouls: 8
Corner-Kicks: 12
Saves: 2
Video Highlights of Game
Media can access video highlights from the match on the Northern Super League YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague
Match Summary
A complete summary of the match facts and stats can be viewed at: https://www.nsl.ca/games/nsl-nsl-2025-11-15
More from the locker room:
Milanović on his championship team: “Our goal from the beginning of the season was to win the league and to win everything that we play in, obviously over the course of the season. We feel like, not because we didn't win this one, but I've been saying since the beginning of the season, I think the league champion is the best team in the league. One game – a lot of things can happen. But nevertheless, I don't want to diminish or reduce the celebration that [Vancouver] should be having. Congrats to Vancouver – they deserved it.”
Captain Emma Regan on the locker room: “It obviously would be a little happier if we won, but I think we win and we lose as a team – it's never on any one person. We play a team sport for a reason, people are down, myself included, but we'll pick each other back up.”
Milanović on the club’s season: “We're going to take a lot of positives from this year. We were extremely consistent throughout the season. Emma [Regan] mentioned resilience, I would add courage."
Regan on the club’s season: “The relationships built on this team will last a really long time. I'm really proud of what we did.”
Regan on what’s next: “We're looking forward to the tournament in Florida now that we have coming up. We're going to represent the league as best as possible. Not just the league, but this country in general as a whole.”
