ANALYSIS – AFC Toronto advances to their second straight NSL Final on Saturday. They dominated the game, and their passing play was exceptional. The players who stepped up in the first leg did the same in the second, as they were clearly the better team on Saturday.
AFC Toronto Earns a Second Straight NSL Final Berth with a 4-0 Win at TD Place Stadium
Melissa Dagenais’ Injury Played a Role
It is hard to dispute this, even though this writer does not like saying injuries are game-changing in a game like this. From the video above, this does not seem to warrant a red or even a yellow card from Lena Silano. She caught Dagenais off guard and did not really make contact with the goalkeeper.
However, that said, the game should have been temporarily stopped. If the goalkeeper was moving, she might have stopped the shot from AFC Toronto forward Kaylee Hunter. Regardless, the injury to goalkeeper Dagenais looked like it changed the momentum of the game as Mollie Eriksson came into the game instead. That early momentum and enthusiasm abruptly ended, as it was all AFC Toronto afterwards.
The Passing of AFC Toronto Was Excellent
Three of the four goals scored by AFC Toronto were scored via crosses and/or passes. They were not individual plays of brilliance, but it was fantastic teamwork. It was all about finding players within the box and taking advantage of those opportunities.
The one that was most impressive was the cross Zoe Hasenauer provided to Kaylee Hunter. This was an incredibly difficult cross and shot to execute. It was also a significant moment for Hasenauer, as she earned her first-ever assist in the NSL. When Toronto scored this goal, they were four goals up in aggregate at the time (6-2), and it felt the game was getting away from Ottawa from that point on.
The other ones included:
- Lauren Rowe found Lena Silano to score AFC Toronto’s third goal of the game.
- Hunter set up the play. She passed it to Rowe, who found Nikayla Small for the goal.
READ MORE: Nikayla Small: A Standout AFC Toronto Midfielder
There was another play where Hunter’s cross following a corner in the 23rd minute went straight in the centre of Ottawa’s box. Unfortunately, no one was able to get to the ball. This was though just one example of what the Mighty Maroons were able to do at TD Place Stadium.
There was another play where Hunter’s cross following a corner in the 23rd minute went straight into the centre of Ottawa’s box. Unfortunately, no one was able to get to the ball. It does show, though, the ability of AFC to create scoring chances for their teammates via passing throughout the game.
AFC Toronto’s Defence Was Solid
People talk about the offence, but another thing to point is a clean sheet secured in the second leg of the 2026 NSL Semifinals.
- Kaylee Hunter was quite sharp defensively and cleared the ball at least two times throughout the game.
- Shelina Zadorksy headed the ball away in the 71st minute of play.
Ottawa looked dangerous at moments late in the game, but at that time it was clear that Toronto was going to come away with the win.
Other Factors: AFC Toronto Applied a Lot of Pressure
One thing AFC Toronto has done in both legs of this playoff series is to be on the front foot. This was something midfielder and captain, Nikayla Small, said about this according to the AFC Toronto YouTube Account:
“I think as you’ve seen throughout the season, if we start on the front foot, we’re obviously winning the game. And I think last game, the first leg, we started off on the front foot and it went well for us,” Small said. “So we had that mindset going into this game, of just scoring a goal early, putting the tie away. But obviously we weren’t satisfied with one goal, so we got multiple.”
READ MORE: Kaylee Hunter: Promising Canadian Teenager for AFC Toronto
That was reflected in the total scoring chances both teams had across both legs. One example of this was the number of corners AFC Toronto had in this game. This included one corner which Lena Silano and Hunter forced.
READ MORE: AFC Toronto’s April Lantaigne Scored First NSL Goal on Saturday
NSL Final Coming Up
AFC Toronto has only one game left this year in the NSL. That game will take place on November 14 against the defending NSL Supporters’ Shield winners, the Montreal Roses FC.
READ MORE: Okoronkwo Helps AFC Toronto Earn a Spot in the NSL Final
Both teams met in the 2025 NSL semi-finals, where AFC Toronto won both legs and were clearly the better team. However, this Montreal team has improved greatly since last year and will also give Toronto trouble.
That game will be on at TD Place Stadium at 2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT). The game will be televised in Canada on TSN, RDS, and CBC. It will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Photo Credit: Sean Pollock for AFC Toronto, of a Zoe Hasenauer headshot, on November 7, 2026.
