Defender Shelina Zadorsky and goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo help Toronto to a clean sheet in their NSL debuts, Lauren Rowe and Kaylee Hunter score key goals in win for Toronto

Laval, QC (July 24, 2026) – Shelina Zadorsky and Sabrina D’Angelo made their AFC Toronto debuts on Thursday night, helping the club to a 2-0 win over Montreal Roses FC at Stade Boréale. Picking up three points, Toronto (5-3-4) improves to third in the Northern Super League table with 18 points.

The first half was marked by strong defensive efforts on both ends of the pitch, keeping the score even through 45 minutes. Toronto finally broke through early in the second half, when Lauren Rowe chased down a long through ball from Kaylee Hunter and put it past Montreal’s goalkeeper for her sixth of the year. Hunter earned her second assist of the season on the goal.

Later in the second half, Roses FC midfielder Chloe Minas was assessed a second yellow and sent off after a tackle outside of Montreal’s penalty box. Kaylee Hunter converted on the ensuing free kick for Toronto, earning her fourth goal of the year. In stoppage time, goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo made a diving save to put the game away and lock down her first clean sheet in her first NSL start.

“I thought we defended quite well, we were organized,” said head coach Marko Milanović. “We normally play really well on the road, and that again proved to be true. And we finished our chances today, finally. This year we have been creating a lot more than we did last year, but they just haven’t been going in. So it was really nice that both our front players scored. And obviously very proud of the defensive effort all across.”

Shelina Zadorsky on her NSL debut: “It's pretty surreal to say that I'm playing professional football in my home country. I think it's still sinking in, but to do that here today and get the win and the clean sheet, and just to be welcomed into this group from the staff and the players, I think it's been really special. So it's a performance to build on and I'm really happy to be home.”

Next week, Toronto returns home to host Calgary Wild FC at York Lions Stadium on Tuesday, July 28th at 7 p.m. ET.

NSL DEBUTS: Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo and defender Shelina Zadorsky both made their first NSL start on Thursday, helping Toronto to its fourth shutout of the season.

LAUREN ROWE: Lauren Rowe has six goals in her last eight games. The 22-year-old striker now moves into sole possession of third place in the Northern Super League’s Golden Boot race.

KAYLEE HUNTER: Kaylee Hunter had a goal and an assist on Thursday. The 18-year-old striker has four goals and two assists on the season, and leads the league in total shots (43) and shots on target (20).

NIKKI SMALL: Toronto captain Nikki Small leads the league in total tackles (63).

HEAD-TO-HEAD: AFC Toronto has a 1-1-1 record against Roses FC this season. AFC Toronto remains undefeated at Laval’s Stade Boréale, with four wins in four matches at the venue all-time, including playoffs. The two clubs meet again back in Toronto on August 16th at BMO Field.

UP NEXT: AFC Toronto hosts Calgary Wild FC at York Lions Stadium on Tuesday, July 28th at 7 p.m. ET (Available on TSN; U.S. streaming on ESPN+).

MATCH SUMMARY
AFC Toronto - 2 | Montreal Roses FC - 0
Venue: Stade Boréale
Referee: Sheila Couture
Assistants: Melissa Snedden, Natalie Berry
Fourth Official: Carly Shaw-MacLaren
Referee Observer: Robert Schaap

SCORING SUMMARY
AFC Toronto: L. Rowe (49’), K. Hunter (74’)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
19’ - Yellow: Sarah Rollins (AFC Toronto)
29’ - Yellow: Cloey Uddenberg (AFC Toronto)
32’ - Yellow: Chloe Minas (Montreal Roses FC)
52’ - Yellow: Nikki Small (AFC Toronto)
73’ - Second Yellow, Red: Chloe Minas (Montreal Roses FC)

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 Zoe Burns (USA)
MF April Lantaigne (Ashburn, ON)
MF Nikayla Small (Pickering, ON)
MF Sarah Stratigakis (Woodbridge, ON)
MF Cloey Uddenberg (Richmond Hill, 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), Nyota Katembo (MF), Olivia Chisholm (MF), Mia Fontana (FW), Kaila Novak (FW), Lena Silano (FW)

Total Shots: 8
Shots on Goal: 4
Fouls: 17
Offsides: 3
Corner Kicks: 7
Saves: 3

Video Highlights
Media can access video highlights from the match on the Northern Super League YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@NorthernSuperLeague

Match Summary
A complete summary of the match facts and stats can be viewed at: www.nsl.ca/games/2026-07-23-montreal-toronto

More from the locker room:
Marko Milanović, on the importance of earning three points: “It was a very important game for us, especially after two losses. And we obviously had a bit of a slower start this year. And you don't want to fall too far behind. Even though there's a lot of soccer to be played, you almost have to be perfect to catch up, and we definitely didn't want that. So yeah, massive three points.”

Milanović, on shutting out Montreal: “Montreal has so many weapons up top, now with Mimi (Alidou) coming on board too. She’s one of the best players in the league automatically. So it’s difficult, there’s a number of players that can hurt you. So you have to be very organized. I thought we did really well today with that, and I thought that was probably the key to our win.”

Milanović, on the team bouncing back after last week’s loss: “There wasn't much difference this week compared to last week. We just had a very uncharacteristic start against Vancouver in those first 10, 15 minutes. We obviously allowed three goals. We came out very flat. We tried to analyse why that happened, but we couldn't find the reason why. There's obviously two major differences (today), Shelina and Sabrina being on the field. They definitely gave us a lift and I think a sense of security and confidence for the players around them. And they obviously performed quite well. (Shelina) wasn't supposed to play 90 minutes, but we ran out of subs purposely.”

Milanović, on playing at Stade Boréale: “It's always a pleasure to come to Montreal. I think it's a very intimate venue, it's very nice to play here. I think the only thing that could be better is obviously the surface. And Rob (Robert Rositoiu) will tell you the same thing. I think that's going to be changed next year, from my understanding. But outside of that, it's a really nice venue. It feels like football when you come here and it's always nice.”

Shelina Zadorsky, on the competitiveness in the NSL: “From afar I've been watching, and I think it's exciting to see the growth in the league. It's competitive. Players are fit, they're hardworking. You can see teams playing out, you can see tactics out there. So I think that's really good. And yeah, it's a challenge and I'm enjoying it so far. I think each team will pose different threats, and as a defender, that's what you want. And then now we're adding new players to the league, which is exciting. Yeah, I'm loving it so far.”