NSL roundup: Small, Hunter lift AFC Toronto to 2-1 win over Montreal Roses

MONTREAL — Nikayla Small and Kaylee Hunter scored one goal apiece in the first half as AFC Toronto extended its lead atop the Northern Super League with a 2-1 win over Montreal Roses FC on Saturday.

Small opened the scoring with a tidy finish in the 24th minute at Stade Boreale after Sarah Stratigakis found her with a well-timed through ball on the counterattack for Toronto (10-5-1).

Hunter then blasted a shot from well beyond the 18-yard box in the 37th, doubling the lead with her team-high ninth goal of the season.

Stephanie Hill pulled one goal back for Montreal (7-4-4) when she connected on a corner kick from Latifah Abdu in first-half injury time, but Toronto hung on for the win.

Toronto, with 31 points in 16 games, now has six more points than second-place Montreal in the NSL standings. Montreal, however, has one game in hand.

The two teams each have two wins in head-to-head matchups. They’ll meet once more in Toronto on Oct. 18, the final match of the regular season.

Elsewhere in the NSL on Saturday:

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WILD 1 RAPID 0

OTTAWA — Jackie Sawicki scored in the 77th minute as Calgary Wild FC defeated Ottawa Rapid FC 1-0 at TD Place.

An unmarked Sawicki pounced on a ball at the back post, knocking it off the crossbar and into the net as fifth-place Calgary improved to 5-8-2.

Ottawa (6-5-3) remained in third place, four points behind Montreal with a game in hand.

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TIDES 0 RISE 0

HALIFAX, N.S. — Goalkeepers Anika Toth of the Halifax Tides and Morgan McAslan of the visiting Vancouver Rise each recorded clean sheets in a scoreless draw at Wanderers Grounds.

The fourth-place Rise (5-5-5), who controlled possession 57 per cent of the match, were outshot 14-12, but led in on-target shots 5-3, and 3-2 on corners taken against the last-place Tides (3-9-3).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2025.