One goal away: Halifax’s season ends at BMO Field

AFC Toronto 1:1 Halifax Tides · October 26, 2026 · BMO Field, Toronto

Halifax needed a win to take back fourth place. They got a draw. Saorla Miller’s stunning equalizer just before halftime cancelled out Hunter’s opener, and the Tides threw everything forward in the second half, but D’Angelo and the Toronto back line held firm. The 1–1 result ends Halifax’s season and sends Vancouver into the playoffs.

AFC Toronto came out flying at BMO Field, a home stadium they have a love-hate relationship with. For the first 35 minutes, they had 60% of the ball, and Halifax spent most of that time absorbing wave after wave of pressure.

Lena Silano was at the centre of it early. In the 2nd minute, her dribbling created space at the top of the box, but her shot missed the target. Six minutes later, her shot from the six-yard box was blocked after a Hunter cross. In the 14th, Lauren Rowe’s short-range effort from the edge of the six-yard box was saved by Toth.

Toronto won five corners in the opening 20 minutes, but the delivery left something to be desired. In the 24th, Silano raced away from her defenders onto a Hunter slip pass and got around the keeper, only for Weichers to sweep her tight-angle shot off the line with a strong recovery run.

In the 28th minute, Hunter finally broke the deadlock, and BMO erupted. Small won the ball back in midfield and dropped it between the Tides’ centre-backs, where Hunter controlled it with her chest and fired a half-volley past Toth. Unstoppable.

Halifax finally started to progress the ball into Toronto’s half after the 35th minute. Rowe missed a pair of chances between the 38th and 40th minutes that would have doubled the lead, and Toronto paid for it.

In the 44th minute, captain Saorla Miller rescued the Tides. Vallerand found her in the box, Miller shook her defender and fired off a rocket. D’Angelo had no chance.

Halifax coach Hart sent on Tiffany Cameron at halftime, and she provided an immediate offensive spark. Whatever was said in the locker room worked, and the Tides pushed hard for the winner in the first 20 minutes of the half.

In the 47th, Barnett cleared Miller’s cross out of the six-yard box. In the 54th, Miller collected the ball at halfway, bodied her defender and fired a shot over the bar from 25 yards. Halifax’s best chance of the half came in the 59th, when Miller found Rhodes on the right side of the box, but Rhodes couldn’t beat D’Angelo from close range.

Toronto’s best chance to retake the lead came in the 63rd. Rowe laid the ball off to Hunter at the penalty spot, but Hunter fluffed the shot, a moment that summed up Toronto’s recent scoring concerns.

By the 65th minute, the game was wide open. Chisholm’s arrival pushed Small higher up the pitch, and with plenty of space and time, she caused a lot of trouble in the final third. The final product was missing at both ends, though. In the 65th, Lantaigne’s volley went just over the bar. Ten minutes later, Rhodes broke away but couldn’t get a shot off, thanks to another block from Barnett.

The last five minutes were end-to-end and increasingly panicked as Halifax searched for the goal that would clinch their playoff spot. In the 87th, Pedersen couldn’t get a decent shot off from a good position at the top of the box. In the 89th, Allen couldn’t connect cleanly with Tiff Cameron’s cross. In the 90+2nd, D’Angelo palmed a Sarah Taylor corner over the bar.

The last chance of the game fell to Cardoza in the 90+4th. Cameron fired a shot from the top of the box, and Cardoza got a foot on it but couldn’t redirect it past D’Angelo.

So close, but no cigar. Halifax couldn’t get it done, and they miss the playoffs for the second straight year. They still have plenty to be proud of. They weathered the early storm in this game, Miller dragged them level with a true captain’s goal, and Cameron’s arrival made them the more dangerous team for long stretches of the second half. In the end, they were a toe away. D’Angelo and Barnett deserve as much credit as anyone for keeping them out.

Toronto, meanwhile, finish third and limp into the playoffs. A week ago they were still in the race to defend the Supporters’ Shield. Now they’ve let it go to Montréal and rediscovered the BMO curse in a game they dominated for 35 minutes. They finished with 19 shots and 12 corners and came away with one goal, which won’t be enough in a semifinal. Their injury list is also becoming very concerning at exactly the wrong time with Shelina Zadorsky and Zoe Burns unavailable for this match.

Halifax’s season is over. The draw sends Vancouver through in fourth place to face the Shield-winning Montréal Roses. Those teams have had some incredible battles this season, more on that later this week.

Third-place Toronto meet Ottawa in the other semifinal, with the first legs next weekend.