Rise FC spoil AFC Toronto's return to BMO Field with 1-0 result

(DANIEL CARRERO/INTERMISSION SPORTS)

By Daniel Carrero

Photos by Daniel Carrero

With only 10 players from the 40th minute, Vancouver Rise prevailed 1-0 over AFC Toronto at BMO Field on Sunday night.

This marked the second time AFC played at BMO Field, the first being their inaugural match 1-0 loss against Montreal Roses FC. Now, with two losses in the same stadium—and the league announcing that the final will take place in this same venue—AFC’s target is still the same.

“We're going to do absolutely everything to be back here again on Nov. 15. That's the goal,” said Toronto head coach Marko Milanovic. “We love playing here, even though the results didn't go our way both times…but we feel the energy from the crowd. The venue is incredible, and we're very grateful to be here.”

AFC returned to Toronto after playing on the road for a month, where they recorded two wins, a tie and a loss—a 2-1 defeat against Vancouver on July 24. During this time, AFC became the first team in the Northern Super League to reach 10 wins, cementing themselves at the top of the standings with 32 points.

Even with positive results in away games, AFC have played three games in eight days. According to Milanovic, stamina could’ve been a factor for losing the game, but not a deciding factor. Still, the 7,771 fans who attended the game and received free admission to the Canadian National Exhibition may be looking for more.

“When we get opportunities like this to play in front of a big crowd, we're really grateful and privileged to get that opportunity. So we want to give them a show and obviously get the win,” said AFC’s Kaela Hansen. “But this won't be the last time we're back here. We're going to put ourselves in a position to be back here and give the fans what they deserve.”

Toronto entered their pitch with their usual 3-5-2 lineup, featuring Kaylee Hunter and Esther Okoronkwo—who was celebrated by the team and fans before kick-off for winning the Women’s African Cup of Nations 2025 championship with Nigeria—as their attacking force. Vancouver displayed their 4-3-3 lineup with Quinn as their defensive midfielder and striker Jessica Di Filippo commanding the attack.

Toronto kicked off the match with high possession of the ball and plenty of close chances in the first 30 minutes of play. Okoronkwo and Nikayla Small posed the greatest threat as they orchestrated the attack from their respective wings, however, nothing came to fruition.

Vancouver gained momentum following a free kick from the left side of the pitch. The ball dropped on Lisa Pechersky’s foot, and with goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde completely beaten, the Toronto product fired a shot on goal, but AFC’s Croix Soto saved the day, clearing the ball off the line.

Not long after, Pechersky placed a lobbed cross towards Jessika Cowart, who headed it just beside the post.

Despite Vancouver’s promising attacking and control of the game, they got in their own way. Jasmyne Spencer received her second yellow card of the game in the 40th minute—after kicking Okoronkwo on a counterattack—leaving Vancouver with 10 players left for the remainder of the match.

With the first half coming to an end, the score locked at 0-0 and only 10 players, Vancouver needed to change their original approach to the game.

“It's about getting the organization right and figuring out if we needed to make any substitutions right away, or if we could make it to the half,” said Vancouver head coach Anja Heiner-Moeller. “I think the team reacted really well to our organization and also mindset around: How do we defend strongly when we are one player down?”

Di Filippo kicked off the second half in quick fashion with a goal in the 46th minute. Following a misplaced pass from captain Emma Regan and a defensive error from Soto, she placed a low-driven shot past Cota-Yarde to give Rise FC the lead.

“It means a lot to our team, especially since we have a lot of players from Toronto, and I think as a unit, we really wanted to come to this city and make an impact,” said Di Filippo about the game at BMO Field. “We made a message at the beginning that together we're going to get it done. And I think we did that tonight. So super excited to get it done at BMO.”

For the remainder of the game, AFC attempted to break Vancouver's tight defence, but the match became scrappy and physical. In the 57th minute, a collision between Quinn and Victoria Pickett sent the Vancouver midfielder to the dressing room due to concussion protocols.

Milanovic attempted to regain control of the match by subbing in Aoi Kizaki, Jade Kovacevic and Lauren Rowe, but none of them were able to turn the tide in Toronto’s favour.

In injury time, AFC pressed with everything they had in the tank, but Kovacevic and Hunter hit the crossbar twice and Rise goalkeeper Morgan McAslan kept away a strong shot from Emma Regan. Despite their high pressure and efforts—finishing the match with 14 shots and 55 per cent of possession—the match came to an end with McAslan recording her sixth clean sheet of the season.

"It's a very disappointing result for us, especially playing 11 versus 10 for more than a half," said Milanovic. "We created enough chances to score, but it just wasn't meant to be. Credit to Vancouver, they defended really well and put their bodies on the line."

Now with six games left in the season and playoffs well in sight, AFC will have to quickly bounce back from the loss.

“It's not a great feeling to be sitting here with the loss, but I think we're a resilient team, and we somehow find a way to kind of turn this stuff around,” said Regan. “We want to put ourselves in the best position we can going into the playoffs, and that's going to be our frame of mind.”

UP NEXT: AFC will now use 12 days between games to shift their focus to a matchup with Calgary Wild FC at York Lions Stadium on August 30.