Halifax Tides miss NSL playoffs after draw with AFC Toronto
The Tides needed a regulation win to pass Vancouver but finished fifth, two points out of the final postseason spot.
TORONTO · The Halifax Tides failed to secure a Northern Super League playoff berth after a 1-1 draw with AFC Toronto on Monday at BMO Field. Saorla Miller scored a 44th-minute equalizer for the Tides, who needed a regulation win to leapfrog the Vancouver Rise into the fourth and final postseason spot. Kaylee Hunter had given Toronto a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute. The Tides could not find a winning goal in the second half, ending their season in fifth place.
The Tides finished the season with 29 points from seven wins, 10 losses and eight draws. That left them two points behind the fourth-place Vancouver Rise. AFC Toronto, which could have clinched second place with a win, settled for third with 39 points from 10 wins, six losses and nine draws. They finished one point behind the second-place Ottawa Rapid and six behind the league-leading Montreal Roses. "Saorla Miller gave Halifax some hope with a game-tying goal in the 44th minute, but after ringing a second shot off the post 10 minutes later, Miller and the Tides couldn't get any closer and their Northern Super League post-season dreams were crushed," the match report stated. Toronto held a slight 52 per cent possession advantage and outshot Halifax 19-14, with six shots on target to the Tides' four.
The NSL playoffs begin this weekend. AFC Toronto will host the Ottawa Rapid on Saturday in the first leg of their semifinal series. On Sunday, the Vancouver Rise will host the Montreal Roses in their opening semifinal leg. The aggregate goals across both legs will determine which teams advance to the NSL Final to compete for the Diana B. Matheson Cup. The Calgary Wild finished last in the six-team league with 21 points and a record of five wins, 14 losses and six draws.
With files from CBC News