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Morgan McAslan, Holly Ward, and Kaylee Hunter all made headlines in the inaugural NSL title decider.

British Columbia is the first destination for the Northern Super League trophy after Vancouver Rise beat AFC Toronto in the competition’s inaugural final.

More than 60 former League1 Canada players stepped up to sign professional contracts in the new top flight for women’s soccer in this country, and a trio of League1 BC alumni had a big impact in the title decider at the weekend.

Kaylee Hunter has been a star for AFC Toronto this year, winning the NSL’s Rookie of the Year award, and was the player who initially put the Ontario-side ahead. Goalkeeper Morgan McAslan was named the Final MVP after making a series of important stops for the Rise, with teammate Holly Ward netting the eventual match winner.

Goalkeeper McAslan, who was a League1 BC and Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship winner with Whitecaps FC Girls Elite (now Vancouver Rise Academy), was called into action three times in the first 20 minutes of the game. She denied Nikayla Small twice and parried away a long-range Sarah Stratigakis effort at full stretch.

Stratigakis – a former League1 Ontario player – was key in AFC Toronto’s opener as she fed Hunter who fired past her old Whitecaps teammate from a tight angle.

McAslan made more saves to keep the Rise in the game, and it paid dividends. Nikki Stanton’s corner in the 54th minute was parried into the Toronto goal and tied the game, before Ward emphatically gave the Rise the lead.

Ward, who starred for Burnaby in the 2024 League1 BC campaign, latched onto an inviting pass down the left wing and beat Toronto defender Zoe Burns for pace, before slotting into the bottom corner.

McAslan was on hand again to protect the lead as the clock ticked on, making herself big to thwart Toronto’s Lauren Rowe who was playing in League1 Ontario earlier this year. It was another crucial save from the Final MVP that helped Rise hold on to victory and the inaugural Northern Super League crown.

Jessica De Filippo, who was pivotal for Whitecaps in the 2024 Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship, was also in the starting lineup for the Rise, while inaugural League1 BC champion Emma Regan started for AFC Toronto after being named the NSL’s Midfielder of the Year.