Burns banks brace as AFC secure fourth-straight victory over Wild FC
- Daniel Carrero
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Daniel Carrero
Photos by Maggie Stemp-Turner
With a brace from Zoe Burns, AFC Toronto won 2-0 over Calgary Wild FC in their return to York Lions Stadium (YLS) on Saturday afternoon.
AFC hadn’t played at YLS since their 2-1 defeat against Montreal Roses FC on July 18, but today, in their “back-to-school” theme game, AFC greeted their fans with a victory.
Feeling the brunt of a long season and summer commitments, AFC displayed their squad with an unusual starting-11. Sofia Manner and Hye-Ji Hong were unavailable due to injury, while Kaylee Hunter was attending her brother's wedding in Calgary and Victoria Pickett was out due to a “family thing,” according to head coach Marko Milanovic. Instead, Sofia Stratigakis, Zoe Burns and Lauren Rowe played from the start, with Burns making her mark.
“We've changed our lineup quite a bit, because, truthfully, there are a lot of players who deserve to play,” said Milanovic post-game. “It's always nice when you play, step in and deliver. And it just hopefully creates that feeling for some of the players that haven't played as much, that they will get the opportunity and they can be successful.”
Calgary—who sit fifth in the standings and are in danger of missing out on qualifying for the Northern Super League playoffs—lined up with their usual starters. Their attacking front, commanded by Jorian Baucom, Serita Thurton and Kathryn Harvey, posed a threat to AFC’s back line on paper, but were held at bay in this fourth matchup between the two sides.
Despite Calgary’s tight defence, Burns' brace and an organized performance from the team as a whole were all Toronto needed to maintain an unbeaten record against Wild FC this season.
“I thought today was one of our most complete performances from beginning till the end,” said Milanovic. “I don't remember a clear-cut scoring opportunity that the other team had, which makes me really happy.”
The game kicked off with a very aggressive game style, with Toronto recovering every ball that fell just outside the opposition's box following an attack. Attempts from Esther Okoronkwo and captain Emma Regan gave hope for the home fans for an early advantage. Nevertheless, Calgary replied with lock-down defence, restricting the score to 0-0.
But after Burns had a shot in the 39th minute saved by Stephanie Bukovec, the winger had another chance in injury time of the first half.
This time, her shot on target was misdirected by Calgary’s Mikayla Moore, and after Bukovec dove the other way, the ball crawled into the back of the net, establishing a 1-0 advantage for AFC heading into the second half.
Calgary head coach Lydia Bedford said it was difficult for her team to give up a goal at the end of a half they felt was “pretty even.”
“I think that on the whole, we actually nullified many of Toronto's threats in that first half. They constantly had an overload at the back post, but they weren't really very effective at exploiting it,” she said. “The goal is obviously a deflection. So I think [Bukovec] probably is moving in the right direction to save it if it doesn't come off of [Moore].”
AFC remained in control of the game at the start of the second frame, with Burns as the most dangerous player on the field. With momentum on her side, she extended AFC's advantage in the 48th minute. After a set piece placed by Regan and deflected by Nikki Small, Burns found herself alone with the ball at the edge of the box and smacked it into the left side of the goal.
“I just started laughing, because I felt it deep in my soul,” said Burns. “I didn't know it was going to be me, but as soon as we started setting up for that free kick, I knew that we were going to convert.”
Now with the 2-0 advantage, AFC time managed the rest of the game with structured defence and possession, allowing them to offer playing time to other players. Amongst them, Olivia Chisholm made her debut for the club after subbing in for Burns in the 93rd minute. The 16-year-old was announced by Toronto prior to kick-off under a Youth Development Program.
With the win, AFC climb to 11 wins and 35 points, securing themselves a sizable lead at the top of the league (Ottawa Rapid FC sit second with 28 points). AFC have six games in the regular season and are on their last stretch to maintain a positive position and trajectory heading into the playoffs.
Milanovic said while it is a cliché, his team needs to focus on one game at a time.
“In this league, as soon as you're not at your best…as soon as you start looking too far ahead, you lose games and you don't play well,” he said. “I mean, we're in first place and we have six losses. So that tells you a lot about how tight the league is.”
In the meantime, Toronto will look to get their roster and starting lineup calibrated. Among other roster adjustments across the league, an update to AFC’s roster sees the departure of Ivymae Perez by mutual consent, according to the team via their Instagram page.
UP NEXT: Toronto will travel to the Wanderers Ground to face Halifax Tides FC, who they have beaten in all three of their encounters so far in the inaugural season. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. EST on Sept. 6.