ANALYSIS – AFC Toronto holds on to a 2-1 win at McMahon Stadium against the Calgary Wild FC as they continue their hot form in the NSL regular season.
AFC Toronto Holds on to a 2-1 Win At McMahon Stadium
AFC Toronto Found Ways To Get Behind Calgary Wild FC’s Backline
This is probably the biggest reason why AFC Toronto won the game. In many moments in the game, especially in the first half, AFC Toronto found a way to find the open player inside Calgary’s box. Some examples include:
- Kaila Novak found Kaylee Hunter, who was able to score the first goal of the game.
- Nyota Katembo passed an excellent pass to Cloey Uddenberg inside Calgary’s box to score what would be the game-winner in Calgary, Alberta.
There were also other instances where AFC had chances to score, with Hunter finding Novak inside Calgary’s box two times early in the game, but Novak was unable to capitalize on her scoring chances.
READ MORE: Kaylee Hunter: Promising Canadian Teenager for AFC Toronto
Emma Regan and Danielle Krzyzaniak Made Some Big Plays
The one play everyone is going to remember was the save Danielle Krzyzaniak made in the first half. She looked sharp in her first game. There was really nothing she could do on the goal she conceded late in the first half. There was only one play where she could have left the ball for out-of-bounds, but overall, it was a great game played by Krzyzaniak.
As for Emma Regan, in certain moments, she stepped up for her club. Some of these examples include:
- Made great defensive plays in the 16 and the 19th minute of play.
- AFC’s captain got a key defensive block in the 87th minute of play from a Calgary Wild FC shot.
Sometimes it is the little things that get the job done. Calgary had lots of scoring opportunities, especially when Calgary was a player up for most of the second half. However, AFC was able to hold on and get the W on the road.
READ MORE: AFC Toronto and CANWNT Player Profile: Emma Regan
Calgary Wild FC Had Many Scoring Chances That They Did Not Convert
The Calgary Wild FC was up one player for most of the second half after Novak got a red card in the 62-minute of play. The Wild had many scoring opportunities throughout the game, with some of them being:
- Meggie Dougherty Howard had many scoring chances to score, including the 77-minute of play, where her shot hit the top crossbar.
- There was an instance where Dougherty Howard had a shot on goal inside AFC Toronto’s box, but her shot was not powerful enough, and Krzyzaniak made the easy save.
For the Wild, they seemed to find life in the game after Jorian Baucum scored late in the first half. There were some positives to take from Saturday’s game as Calgary still has two more home games before it concludes its season in the NSL this year.
Kaylee Hunter Delivered for AFC Toronto
READ MORE: AFC Toronto Teenager, Kaylee Hunter, Shines in Toronto
In her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Hunter scored one goal and created two clear-cut goal-scoring chances for Novak early in the game. She was AFC’s best player of the game today. This is what Hunter said about scoring a goal in her hometown of Calgary, Alberta, on the Northern Super League X (Twitter) Account:
At only 17 years old, Hunter leads the club with 14 goals scored and is currently second in the league in goals scored, only behind Delaney Baie Pridham’s 18 goals scored for the Ottawa Rapid FC.
Also, the squad rotation (having a lot of players, who are not regular starters, to be in the Starting 11 in the game) AFC used highlights the team’s depth. AFC Toronto head coach Marko Milanovic brought in some of the main players of the team in the second half.
The Calgary Wild FC head coach, Lydia Bedford, saw something from her team today, especially in the second half, as she said this to the Our Sports Central website:
“I was really pleased with the intent and energy we brought into the second half,” said Bedford. “Jorian’s scoring right before half is really important for the team, and it gave the team that kind of drive. For us, we now have to reflect on the quality that we bring in pressure moments, and we want to have that response going into the Halifax game next week.”
Games Coming Up For Both Teams
READ MORE: Zoe Burns Has A Memorable Game at York Lions Stadium
For AFC Toronto, there is only one game left in the season. That game will take place on Sunday, August. 19 at York Lions Stadium against the Montreal Roses FC. The game will be shown live on nsl.ca and CBC Gem. The game will also be shown live on RDS at 12:00 pm EST. In that game, AFC will hoist the first-ever Supporters’ Shield after playing their final regular-season game.
As for the Calgary Wild FC, they have two home games left. Their next game will be against the Halifax Tides FC at 12:00 pm MDT (2:00 pm ET). Then their final game at home and the regular season will be against the Vancouver Rise FC at 7:00 pm MDT, which is 9:00 pm ET.
The game against Halifax will be shown on CBC Gem and televised live on CBC. This is while the game against Vancouver will be shown on TSN+ in Canada. Fans from everywhere can watch the game on nsl.ca, and the game will be available for people in the U.S. on ESPN+.
For the Wild, they will look to close the season on a happy note and give their fans something to cheer for, as both the Wild and the Tides did not make the NSL playoffs this year.
Note: It was also an important game as funds raised for this game went to the Canadian Cancer Society (for breast cancer research), which is Canada’s largest charitable funder of cancer research in Canada, as mentioned by Relay for Life. They provide the best information possible when it comes to cancer information for every Canadian. They also try to “promote cancer prevention and provide targeted support to help people with cancer, their families and caregivers cope,” as mentioned on the Canadian Cancer Society website.
Photo provided by AFC Toronto on October 4, 2025.
