Esther Okoronkwo has delivered a commanding first-half hat-trick to send AFC Toronto into the inaugural Northern Super League final with a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Roses in a snow-blanketed semifinal second leg.
The Nigerian forward struck in the 7th, 21st and 27th minutes to build a 3-0 cushion before Lauren Rowe added a fourth in the 84th. The aggregate score read 6-1 in favour of Toronto after the first leg.
The match had been postponed from Sunday because heavy snow fell across Toronto, yet the conditions failed to diminish Okoronkwo’s precision.
Toronto had entered the tie after winning the first leg 2-0 away, granting a platform which Okoronkwo exploited ruthlessly.
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Montreal’s only goal arrived in the 74th minute via Tanya Boychuk, but by then the outcome was decided. Torontonians celebrated a landmark victory.
How it started
Okoronkwo, 28, joined the club in February and has now posted eight goals and eight assists in the regular season.
Her performance drew praise across social platforms. She has also been nominated for the 2025 CAF Women’s Player of the Year award, with her comeback especially notable after two anterior-cruciate-ligament surgeries earlier in her career.
Toronto will now face the Vancouver Rise at BMO Field on Saturday in the final. Vancouver advanced through a dramatic penalty shoot-out.
This victory marks a high point in the NSL’s debut season and shows the league’s growing competitiveness and appeal.
