Rowe's late goal lifts Toronto to 1-0 NSL road win over Halifax
HALIFAX — Lauren Rowe's goal in the 79th minute snapped a scoreless tie and lifted the visiting AFC Toronto to a 1-0 Northern Super League victory over the Halifax Tides on Tuesday at Wanderers Grounds.
Eight minutes earlier Toronto's Victoria Pickett drilled a shot off the goalpost as the first-place visitors applied pressure on the last-place hosts.
Toronto, which had 17 shot attempts compared to 11 for Halifax, finished with four on-target shots. They improved to eights wins, three losses and one draw for 25 points. The visitors became the first NSL team to five win straight matches.
'It (the goal) honestly didn't feel real at first — being away, I didn't hear much of a cheer, but when my teammates came over to celebrate, it hit me. It was such a special moment," said Rowe.
The Tides, who also had four on-target shots, received two of the match's four yellow cards and slipped to three wins, seven losses and one draw for 10 points.
'We played against a very organized and motivated team in front of a great home crowd,' said Toronto head coach Marko Milanovic. 'We knew it was going to be a tough game, but I'm proud of how we stayed patient and kept doing the right things. Even when the goals didn't come early, we trusted the process and we got rewarded for it.'
Toronto goalkeeper Sofia Manner recorded the clean sheet. Midfielder Nikki Small added an assist, moving her into a tie for the NSL lead with five helpers.
Attendance was announced as 4,051.
Up next
AFC Toronto: Hosts the Montreal Roses on Friday.
Halifax Tides: Host the Vancouver Rise on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
3 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bichette has key double as Blue Jays beat Yankees 4-1 and extend home win streak to record 11 games
TORONTO (AP) — Bo Bichette hit a go-ahead, two-run double in a four-run fifth, Kevin Gausman worked seven strong innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-1 on Monday night, extending their home winning streak to a franchise-record 11 games. Toronto won 10 straight at its former home, Exhibition Stadium, from July 21-Aug. 3, 1985. Alejandro Kirk had two hits as the AL East-leading Blue Jays won for the 17th time in 21 games. Since a three-game sweep of San Diego in late May, the Blue Jays have won 23 of 27 at home. Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Peraza and shortstop Anthony Volpe both made throwing errors that led to runs in the fifth. Volpe has 12 errors this season. San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames entered play Monday with a major league-leading 13. Giancarlo Stanton led off the fourth with his fifth homer, but that was all the Yankees got against Gausman (7-7). The right-hander allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked two, winning for the first time since June 26 at Cleveland. Brendon Little got one out in the eighth, leaving with two aboard. Yariel Rodríguez came on and retired Stanton and Jasson Dominguez. Jeff Hoffman struck out the side in the ninth for his 24th save in 28 chances. New York's Carlos Rodon (10-7) allowed four runs (two earned) and six hits in five innings. The Blue Jays intentionally walked Aaron Judge after Trent Grisham's two-out double in the third. Gausman then struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. Key moment George Springer walked to begin the fifth and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled before both scored on Bichette's double into the left-field corner. Key stat Toronto's Davis Schneider hit nine foul balls in a 14-pitch at-bat against Rodon in the fifth that ended with a popup to Volpe. Up next Blue Jays RHP Max Scherzer (1-0, 4.70 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler (1-0, 5.06). ___ AP MLB:
National Post
3 minutes ago
- National Post
The 'Who Jays' are in first place. How is this happening?
Article content 'It's every day,' said Lukes. 'Every day you don't know who that person is going to be in this lineup. Every day it's always someone different who comes through. That's the fun of it. Article content 'When you have a team like that, you just know people are going to produce. You just don't know who it's going to be. To me, it's an honour to be part of this group. We're special. I think the fans know it, we know it. The coaching staff knows it.' Article content And how is this possible? Vladdy Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are not MVP candidates this season. Solid as the Jays veteran rotation is, nobody is screaming Cy Young. The most likely award-winner this season — if there is one — is the manager John Schneider, and he's likely behind Detroit's A.J. Hinch in the popular vote. Article content 'This shows you what baseball is,' said Lukes. 'Small money, big money, you still have to play nine innings, you still need 27 outs. That's the beauty of it. That never changes.' Article content The Jays swept San Francisco on the weekend, just after the all-star break, and large offensive contributions came from Tyler Heineman, the veteran backup catcher; from Will Wagner, son of the Hall of Famer; from the young slugger Addison Barger and the unlikely Joey Loperfido. And a couple of key hits from Lukes in between. Article content Before the break, the Jays won seven in a row at home, including a sweep of the then first-place Yankees. The key offensive hits, except those from the old man George Springer, came from Loperfido and Davis Scheider and Barger and Ernie Clement. Article content 'We know they're playing incredibly well,' said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, again on the hot seat with a team lacking in fundamentals. 'The emergence of their supporting cast has been really good. They've performed at a very high level.' Article content All of a sudden, the Who Jays have a four-game lead on the Yankees, something that hasn't happened a lot over the past 32 years. The Jays won their most recent World Series in 1993. Article content Since then, they have won the AL East once, made the playoffs five times, won 10 playoff games in all. Article content In that time, the Yankees have been to the World Series eight times, winning five of them, and in those 32 years that the Jays won 10 playoff games, the Yankees happened to win 128 of them. Article content This race is not a first among equals. This is an anomaly worth admiring. This is the impossible suddenly becoming more than possible. Article content 'Our goal is not to think about what we're doing,' said Lukes. 'Just keep doing it. When you start picking apart your numbers in this game, that's when you get into trouble. I've been through that before. A lot of us have. The best part is, just be ready, be enthusiastic, just keep playing the way we're playing. And just keep winning.'
National Post
3 minutes ago
- National Post
Bichette leads way as Blue Jays drop Yanks for record 11th consecutive home win
Article content 'Winning helps. I mean it's something that we all had a goal of, but once you start seeing the wins come across the board, it becomes easier. Article content 'And having a bunch teammates that are willing to do whatever it takes to win makes it easier as well. So it's been a great group.' Article content The all-for-one, one-for-all chorus that is driving the narrative for these 59-41 Jays may cause cynics to roll their eyes, but with wins in 17 of their last 21 games — and now four in a row since the all-star break — there's something real about the vibes. Article content Witness the reaction to Davis Schneider, two batters after Bichette in the fifth. He fought Rodon through an epic 15-pitch at-bat that eventually resulted in an out, but it certainly softened the Yankees starter. As Schneider was being celebrated in the Jays dugout, a pair of Yankees errors helped the Jays to two more runs. Article content Put the ball in play 🤷♂️ — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 22, 2025 Article content Article content Witness the festive atmosphere all night as fans from field level to the 500s revelled in what felt like a huge win. Article content And witness the celebration as closer Jeff Hoffman recorded his 24th save on his bobblehead night, no less, as the vocal crowd erupted in approval. Article content 'I think some of it is personalities,' manager John Schneider said of the clubhouse mentality. 'Some of it is we've shown to be resilient. We've shown to just move on to the next thing, whether it's in game or after a game. They're pretty well-versed in just saying 'OK, what's important right now?' Article content 'It's nice that they're a very stable group.' Article content For further insight into what's happening with his team, Schneider was asked if he was surprised that these upstart and highly entertaining Jays have a better record than the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Article content The manager didn't flinch before his profound response. Article content 'It's baseball,' Schneider said. 'Teams on paper are teams on paper. There's certain things that aren't objectively qualified, but we've always had a lot of trust in the group. It's funny how it works out. There's still 63 games (62 after Monday's win) and a lot can happen. (But) it kind of shows what guys are made of and they believe they can play with anyone and they should. Article content 'This is where we had hoped to be, where we are really competitive in a tough division.' Article content It's also brought the Jays back to a place Bichette remembers when he first took note of the Jays back in 2015, the year before he was drafted by Canada's team. Article content 'I remember they were a super fun team to watch with a lot of great hitters,' Bichette said. 'They made splashes at the deadline. The atmosphere in the stadium was always super attractive. Article content
