ANALYSIS – AFC Toronto’s Kaylee Hunter was a big reason why the club won their third-straight game today. She was involved in all three goals, including two goals scored, which helped the team secure the victory.
AFC Toronto’s Kayle Hunter Helps the Club Secure Victory
Three Keys to the Game
Kaylee Hunter and Esther Okoronkwo’s Partnership Was Excellent
The game was tied 1-1 before the two players assisted on each other’s goals. Examples of this include:
- Okoronkwo found Hunter in a dangerous position to score, as she put the ball into the back of the net.
- Okoronkwo got Hunter’s pass, and with some fantastic footwork, was able to get past Hunter and put the ball into the back of the net.
Hunter really played well for AFC Toronto. Her ability to get herself into good goal-scoring opportunities was evident throughout the game. She was also on the receiving end of passes in other parts of the game by Emma Regan and Esther Okoronkwo, but she was unable to convert on them.
Hunter talked about what it was like playing with Okoronkwo (a question asked by the author of this article), and what she meant to AFC Toronto:
“Playing with Esther is super fun. We got a good relationship, and we understand each other on the pitch, and we work off each other, so she is off the front, and I am in behind and vice-versa.”
Working off each other can clearly be seen throughout the game. The “work off each other, so she is off the front, and I am behind and vice-versa,” was how Hunter and Okoronkwo scored the two decisive goals in the second half.
READ MORE: Esther Okoronkwo: AFC Toronto’s Leading Goal Scorer
AFC Toronto Applied a Lot of Pressure on the Halifax Tides FC
AFC Toronto, throughout the game, pressured the Halifax Tides FC and made sure that Halifax had to defend itself.
- Emma Regan passed the ball to Sarah Rollins, who had a shot on goal.
- Nikayla Small’s shot was deflected as the danger was averted.
Halifax Tides FC goalkeeper Erin McLeod really played well and made some big saves in the first half for the team to keep the game tied. However, she could not stop Hunter’s first goal, which might be the goal of the week.
READ MORE: AFC Toronto and CANWNT Player Profile: Emma Regan
Halifax Tides FC Did Not Have Many Chances Against AFC Toronto
The Halifax Tides FC did not create many scoring opportunities against AFC Toronto. They did have a few opportunities, including:
- Saorla Miller’s pass which ended with AFC Toronto scoring its own goal.
- Megumi Nakamura found Milly Clegg in a dangerous position to score, but AFC was able to just defend it as Clegg could not get to the ball.
Saying that, Halifax did play well defensively, and McLeod, when she was playing in the first half, played well enough to keep the game tied heading into the second half. Unfortunately, that relentless pressure was a bit too much to handle as they only had two shots on goal.
Other Factors: Erin McLeod Injury
At the beginning of the second half, McLeod was replaced by Anika Toth. The head coach of the Halifax Tides FC, Lewis Page, had this to say about her, and why she did not play in the second half in the post-game conference:
“A bad bruise on the bottom of her foot.”
It is unfortunate that McLeod was injured, as everyone wishes her a fast and speedy recovery.
As for other news, two CANWNT/CANXNT players were seen watching the game on Saturday, with both Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan at the game. It was great to see national team players coming to the games and supporting the league.
These two players will likely play on Friday as the CANWNT hosts Costa Rica at BMO Field on Friday at 7:30 pm ET.
READ MORE: Kaela Hansen: AFC Toronto’s Important Defender
Games Coming Up for AFC Toronto
READ MORE: Nikayla Small: A Standout AFC Toronto Midfielder
Because of the international break, AFC Toronto will not be playing for two weeks. Their next game will be against their provincial rivals, Ottawa Rapid FC, at York Lions Stadium on July 10 at 7:00 pm ET. It will be a rematch of the game that took place last month, where Ottawa beat Toronto 4-0.
This is while the Halifax Tides FC will also host a home game (at Wanderers Grounds) to begin July. At 5:30 pm ET, they host the Calgary Wild FC on July 7.
Both games will be shown live on TSN+, ESPN+, and nsl.ca (Source: NSL Website).
Fans can watch the post-game press conference of the AFC Toronto game on their YouTube Account. Also, the attendance of the Pride Night game on Saturday, as provided by the Canucks At Home Bluesky Account, was 3,098 fans.
Photo Credit: CREO Vision/AFC Toronto on June 21, 2025.
