Lena Silano scored her first two NSL goals on Saturday afternoon as AFC Toronto clinched a spot in the 2026 NSL Playoffs

Toronto, ON (September 26, 2026) – Lena Silano scored her first NSL brace on Saturday to help AFC Toronto clinch a playoff spot with a 3-0 victory over Ottawa Rapid FC at York Lions Stadium. Sarah Stratigakis had the other goal for Toronto, while Sabrina D’Angelo secured her sixth clean sheet. Earning three crucial points, Toronto (10-7-5) leapfrogs Ottawa in the Northern Super League standings and now sits second with 37 points––just two behind the league-leading Montreal Roses FC.

AFC Toronto had a slow start on Saturday, but began to find momentum and composure midway through the first half. The club finally broke through near first-half stoppage time, when Lena Silano pressured goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson, stealing the ball and burying it for her first career NSL goal. Four minutes into the second half, Silano completed the brace, taking a feed from Nikki Small and striking it from inside the box to double Toronto’s lead. Small was credited with her second assist of the season on the goal. Late in the game, Sarah Stratigakis drove in a ball and buried a strike from the top of the box to put the game away for Toronto. The goal marked Stratigakis’ fifth of the year.

“Obviously very pleased with the result and the performance,” said head coach Marko Milanović. “I thought we played a pretty complete game, outside of a few chances that Ottawa created. But when you’re playing a very good attacking team, you’re always going to give up something. In those moments, Sabrina (D’Angelo) was huge for us and made incredible saves. As a result, we keep the clean sheet and grab a really big win for us.”

Next weekend, AFC Toronto hosts Vancouver Rise FC at York Lions Stadium. The match will double as a quarterfinal for the 2026-27 W Canadian Championship. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, October 4 at 1 p.m. ET.

LENA SILANO: Forward Lena Silano scored a brace on Saturday, burying her first two NSL goals.

SARAH STRATIGAKIS: Sarah Stratigakis scored her fifth goal of the year on Saturday.

SABRINA D’ANGELO: Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo made four saves for her sixth clean sheet of the season.

IRON WOMAN: Defender Sarah Rollins has played every minute of every game so far this season for Toronto, totalling 1980 minutes.

LEAGUE’S BEST DEFENCE: Toronto currently holds the league’s best defensive record, averaging less than a goal against per game with just 21 goals conceded through 22 games.

UNBEATEN STREAK: Toronto is unbeaten in six straight matches. The club has just one loss across its last 11 matches.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Toronto wins the season series over Ottawa with a 2-2-1 record. The club holds a 4-4-2 record over Rapid FC all-time.

UP NEXT: AFC Toronto hosts Vancouver Rise FC at York Lions Stadium on Sunday, October 4 at 1 p.m. ET (Available on TSN; U.S. streaming on ESPN+). The match will double as a quarterfinal for the 2026-27 W Canadian Championship.

MATCH SUMMARY
AFC Toronto - 3 | Ottawa Rapid FC - 0

Venue: York Lions Stadium
Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren
Assistants: Stephanie-Dale Yee Sing, Melissa Snedden
Fourth Official: Nava Rajabi
Referee Observer: Justin Tasev

SCORING SUMMARY
AFC Toronto: L. Silano (44’, 49’), S. Stratigakis (82’)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
None

STARTING LINEUP & STATS
AFC Toronto Starting Lineup:
 

GK Sabrina D’Angelo (Welland, ON)
DF Colby Barnett (USA)
DF Sarah Rollins (Toronto, ON)
DF Shelina Zadorsky (London, ON)
MF Olivia Chisholm (Toronto, ON)
MF Kaylee Hunter (Calgary, AB)

MF Nyota Katembo (Montréal, QC)
MF April Lantaigne (Ajax, ON)
MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, 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 Burns (MF), Zoe Hasenauer (MF), Sarah Stratigakis (MF), Cloey Uddenberg (MF), Mia Fontana (FW)

Total Shots: 21
Shots on Goal: 8
Fouls: 10
Offsides: 6
Corner Kicks: 4
Saves: 4


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/2026-09-26-toronto-ottawa


More from the locker room:

Lena Silano, on her first two NSL goals: “I feel like as a team we’ve been working really hard. And I think press is something that’s our strength. So really happy that we were able to get a goal off that and just give us some good momentum going into the second half, and then getting another goal.”

Marko Milanović, on chasing the Supporters’ Shield: “We’re gonna give everything we have. Obviously it’s not fully in our control, because Montreal is ahead of us at the moment. But it’s up to us to win our games, and hopefully that will be enough to win the league again. But even if we don’t, it’s about continuing to get better and being ready for the playoffs.”

Milanović, on keeping Silano as a starter amidst players returning to the lineup: “I think Lena has done enough since she has come to the club to earn that spot in the starting XI. She doesn’t necessarily have to score to be productive. Defending back, that’s one of her biggest strengths. You saw how well she defends, how well she plays back to goal. Helps with set pieces both ways, offensively and defensively. Doesn’t necessarily need to score goals, although it helps, obviously. … But what I like about her is that she can still be very effective even if she doesn’t score. And that’s why she was in the lineup.”