Super Falcons and AFC Toronto forward Esther Okoronkwo delivered a first-half hat-trick in Monday’s snow-affected semifinal, propelling her club to a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Roses at York Lions Stadium. Her performance secured a 6-1 aggregate win, sending Toronto into the inaugural Northern Super League (NSL) championship game against Vancouver Rise.
Okoronkwo, 28, who recorded eight goals and eight assists in 1,486 minutes during the regular season, opened the scoring in the 7th, 20th, and 26th minutes, establishing early dominance for the regular-season champions. Lauren Rowe added Toronto’s fourth goal in the 83rd minute, while Tanya Boychuk scored Montreal’s consolation in the 74th minute.
The first leg, played on 1 November at Stade Boreale in Montreal, had ended in a 2-0 victory for Toronto, with goals from Small and Kaylee Hunter. The second leg was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday due to heavy snowfall in Toronto.
Toronto coach Marko Milanović praised Okoronkwo’s contributions:
“It was a complete team effort. The work up top from Kaylee Hunter, alongside Esther, was incredible until she came off. She also set up the first goal. We know what Esther is capable of — she’s a big-time player who always delivers in crucial moments. We hope to see more of that in the final.”
Fans and pundits lauded Okoronkwo’s performance on social media, highlighting her as “Africa’s next big star”, drawing parallels to her pivotal role in Nigeria’s 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinals, where she scored three goals. She was also named Nigeria’s Baller of the Week in September following her goal contributions in Toronto’s 7-0 victory over Vancouver Rise.
Toronto will meet Vancouver Rise in the NSL Final on Saturday at BMO Field. Vancouver advanced after defeating Ottawa 5-4 on penalties following a 3-3 aggregate in their semifinal matchup.#newsafro_
