Cameron, Okoronkwo find the net as Tides lock down AFC for 1-1 draw

(DANIEL CARRERO/INTERMISSION SPORTS)

By Daniel Carrero

Photos by Daniel Carrero

AFC Toronto tied 1-1 against Halifax Tides FC in their fifth and final encounter of the inaugural Northern Super League (NSL) season on Sunday at York Lions Stadium (YLS).

Toronto arrived at the matchup with high spirits following their 7-0 victory over Vancouver Rise FC, which was enough to make them the first team to clinch a spot in the NSL playoffs.

Halifax, on the other hand, remain last in the standings and haven’t won a game since July 12, a 1-0 victory over Montreal Roses FC. Already statistically eliminated from the playoffs, the Tides consider the draw a triumph in what has been a long season.

“We've obviously had a challenging season. For us to be resilient and to show up to every game with the mentality that we can beat any team in this league is really big for us,” said Tides midfielder Sarah Taylor. “But today, I think we had a good game as a group, and fought the whole 90-plus. So it's a good performance, and it's always good to have those.”

Toronto lined up with the same starting-11 from their last game, featuring Zoe Burns and Colby Barnett to exploit the wings, while Halifax displayed their 4-1-4-1 formation with Tiffany Cameron leading the attack and Anika Tóth in goal as a replacement for Erin McLeod, who announced her retirement following a season-ending foot injury early this month.

Before kick-off, Toronto celebrated their Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) theme night, an occasion that aimed to raise awareness, support and help people with cancer. Coaches and players wore a daffodil flower pin, which, according to the CCS, “represents strength, resiliency, courage and hope” for those living with cancer.

“We cannot get enough awareness for this horrible disease. And if football has the platform to do that, we should be grateful and push and push and keep pushing,” said Tides’ head coach Stephen Hart. “There's not a single person in this room who hasn't been touched by that disease. So it's great to use this game, this platform, to raise some awareness.”

Both teams kicked off the game with a high emphasis on possession and pressure, utilizing balls over the top as their primary attacking strategy.

Despite chances from Esther Okoronkwo and Kaylee Hunter, defensive efforts from Halifax’s Tóth and Kiley Norkus kept AFC at bay—including a massive clearance on the line by Norkus in the 17th minute.

Halifax’s tidy defensive line did all the job to keep the board scoreless, but moreover, they were able to threaten on attack. In the 28th minute, Norkus placed a precise lobbed pass to Cameron, and with two touches to the ball, she hooked a soft shot that crept off the post and in, marking a 1-0 lead for the Tides.

“It was amazing,” said Cameron about scoring her first NSL goal. “It's been quite the journey here…I was playing overseas for about 10-11, years. When I realized that the NSL was going to be a thing, the league was opening up, I didn't even hesitate, I said, ‘This is an amazing opportunity to be a part of.’”

The Jamaican international also shared that before kick-off, McLeod visited the changeroom and riled up the team.

“[McLeod] had a really beautiful speech, and she spoke about pride. It's been a rough season for all of us, but she said, ‘At the end of the day, we can control our effort,’” said Cameron. “We all felt something different in our hearts before we got out there. We played for her, we played for ourselves, we played for the club and it showed on the field. We gave everything.”

Norkus orchestrated everything in attack and defence, but one mistake in the 39th minute cost Halifax the lead. After Burns placed a harmless cross into the box, Norkus accidentally tripped Hunter, prompting the referee to call a penalty. Okoronkwo stepped up to the spot, and with a powerful strike, the Nigerian international sent Tóth the wrong way. 

Okoronkwo now has eight goals for the season, including goals in each of her last three appearances.

With the score tied 1-1 at the end of the first half, AFC head coach Marko Milanovic had the opportunity to regroup his team and talk about how to dismantle a team sitting back on defence.

“We just talked about different solutions to break that compact block that they had,” said Milanovic. “We also talked about remaining very aware of the transition opportunities for Halifax, because when teams sit like that, there's a lot of space behind your back line, and when you lose the ball, that can become really dangerous."

In the second half, the game slowed down, mainly due to both teams' off-the-ball work rate. In an effort to gain momentum, Milanovic brought on Victoria Pickett for Sarah Stratigakis in the 62nd minute. Despite bringing some energy into the game, it wasn’t enough for Toronto and the 2,825 fans at YLS to celebrate another goal.

Tides FC replicated the intention and used all of their five substitutions. While their tight defensive block continued to fend off Toronto, their 11 shots and five on target throughout the game were not enough for Halifax to take their own lead.

In the 72nd minute, Pickett—a loan from the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League—blocked a ball with her ankle unlocked. After some minutes trying to recover, she was subbed off for Cloey Uddenberg in injury time.

Toronto tried everything to break Halifax’s defence, but the game ended in a 1-1 lock, bringing the season series to four wins and a draw. Milanovic said his team expected a challenge from their opponents, but not as organized as Halifax was today—something other teams in the league might replicate.

“We knew that it wasn't going to be easy, and that's what we got, but definitely something that we can take moving forward…it's going to make us better if we take the right lessons from it,” said Milanovic. 

NEXT UP: Toronto will travel to the nation’s capital to face Ottawa Rapid FC—who secured their own spot in the NSL playoffs on Saturday—in the battle of Ontario on Sept. 26. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m.