Esther Okoronkwo has kicked off the new season on a high note. It’s the first match of the campaign, and she already delivered a Player of the Match performance, scoring one goal and providing an assist to lead AFC Toronto to a hard-earned away victory.

The Super Falcons star registered her first assist of the new season before opening her goal account on matchday one of Canada’s Northern Super League, Footballrover reports.

Esther Okoronkwo shines with goal and assist in AFC Toronto comeback win

Okoronkwo set up the equaliser for her team and later scored the winning goal as AFC Toronto came from 2-1 down to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory over Vancouver Rise at Swangard Stadium.

The Nigerian international marked her return for a second campaign in style, although she featured for 84 minutes before being replaced by Kaila Novak.

Following a historic inaugural season, the second season of the Northern Super League kicked off with a rematch between last season’s finalists in the opening fixture.

Last season, the two sides met five times in the regular season, with Toronto recording two wins, two losses, and a draw.

They have now picked up right where they left off, with another exciting win.

Interestingly, the 29-year-old Nigerian forward recorded four goal contributions against the same team—two goals and two assists.

This time around, the five-goal thriller on Saturday morning delivered huge drama as Toronto edged past Vancouver in an entertaining comeback win.

The visitors struck first inside eight minutes when Zoe Burns finished off a slick move set up by Sarah Stratigakis.

Okoronkwo continues strong form in Northern Super League opener

But Vancouver responded with real intent—Camila Reyes levelled things just eight minutes later before Latifah Abdu turned the game on its head five minutes before the break to make it 2-1.

After the restart, Toronto found another gear. Stratigakis stepped up again, this time getting on the scoresheet herself in the 61st minute, finishing off an assist from Esther Okoronkwo to restore parity.

With momentum firmly on their side, Okoronkwo completed the turnaround 11 minutes later, firing home what proved to be the winner and capping a decisive second-half display.

A game of swings, sharp finishing, and big moments—Toronto simply had the final say.

Last season, Esther Okoronkwo’s numbers told a clear story. She finished the league campaign with 11 goals and eight assists in 1,486 minutes, tallying 27 goal contributions in 29 matches for the club.

Now, she is on a mission to surpass that tally—and she has started early.

Recall that she recently extended her contract with the club until 2027.

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Last Updated on April 25, 2026 6:59 am by footballrover