It seemed to be the week of deadlocks.

AFC Toronto left TD Place Stadium just as every other team did this week. Another game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Lauren Rowe found herself on the scoresheet again, with her third consecutive match goal, as Toronto battled back from an early deficit to earn a 1-1 draw against Ottawa Rapid FC. The result extended AFC Toronto's unbeaten run to three games but leaves them trailing behind Montréal.

The match got off to a difficult start when Ottawa's D.B. Pridham struck early, as she does. The league's leading scorer needed only a glimpse of space to punish Toronto, unleashing from outside the box to give the hosts the lead.

Toronto's response was immediate.

Just minutes later, Olivia Chisholm stepped into an Ottawa goal kick and intercepted the ball high up the pitch. The Toronto native quickly picked out Rowe, who calmly finished past goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais to level the score.

The goal was Chisholm's first career Northern Super League assist and Rowe's third goal in as many games.

"I feel confident," Rowe said after the match. "I think the group helps me feel more confident to keep taking chances on goal, so I'm going to run with that going into the next game."

For a player who scored twice all season in 2025, Rowe's recent form has been a major boost for Toronto's attack. The 21-year-old continues to grow into a more prominent role and is quickly becoming one of the club's most reliable attacking threats.

Head coach Marko Milanović was particularly pleased with how his team reacted after conceding so early.

"The response was great," he said. "We allowed a little bit of lack of concentration on our part. But to be fair, D.B. finished phenomenally well from outside of the box, so that's a great goal on their part."

"But we bounced back right away. We tied it up, and I thought we played more than well enough to win the game when you look at the chances, but that's how it goes sometimes. I'm very proud of the girls and their effort, and we move forward. It's still very early in the season, not even a third done."

The equalizer settled Toronto and sparked one of the club's strongest attacking performances of the season.

AFC Toronto repeatedly forced Ottawa into mistakes and generated several dangerous opportunities through an aggressive high press. Time and again, the visitors found themselves in promising positions around the penalty area, only to be denied by Dagenais.

The Ottawa goalkeeper proved to be the difference-maker, producing a string of saves to keep the scores level despite Toronto's sustained pressure.

Still, Milanović liked what he saw from his side's attacking approach.

"Quite pleased with the chances that we created," he said. "I thought we created more than enough in the last few games to score two or three, maybe even more goals."

"But that's sometimes how it goes. You have these stretches in every season where maybe you're missing a lot of chances. But as long as we continue to create them, I know they will fall eventually."

"The key thing for us is to be defensively as solid as we have been. And then if we're able to create some of these chances, the percentages are that we're going to convert."

That defensive stability has quietly become one of Toronto's greatest strengths. The club has now conceded just seven goals this season, tied with Montréal Roses FC for the fewest goals allowed so far.

The resilience shown after Ottawa's opener came as little surprise to Milanović, who believes his young squad has already developed the mentality needed to handle difficult moments.

"We always try to play the same way and keep our emotions intact," he said. "The girls responded quite well. We've already been in so many big games, and this team has been through a lot, even though it's a very young team."

"We have a lot of experience, so I trust them. I wasn't worried that we're going to fall apart or anything like that because I just know how tough mentally we are."

Captain Nikki Small saw that same determination throughout the afternoon.

"Our continued fight," Small said when asked about the team's biggest takeaway from the match. "I think even when things weren't going our way, shots not falling, maybe passes not going the way we wanted, we still pressed as hard as we could."

"We worked together as a team, we communicated as a team, and I think throughout the season you're going to see how that's going to help us in the later stretches. We're only going up from here."

Small also praised Ottawa's goalkeeper while expressing confidence that Toronto's finishing fortunes will soon change.

"Honestly, it's just the way the game goes," she said. "I think we were giving her a lot of shots and a lot of good quality shots. Credit to her, she did really well. Next time the shots are going to fall."

Sunday's match also brought a welcome sight for Toronto supporters as Kaela Hansen made her long-awaited return from injury. The midfielder came off the bench for her first appearance of the season after missing the opening weeks of the campaign.

Milanović was encouraged by what he saw.

"Yeah, I thought she was good," he said. "She hasn't played in a long time. Obviously fitness-wise, she can't last more than 20 or 30 minutes at this point. But I thought she gave us good energy, I thought she was really good defensively, and even got forward on a few occasions."

The draw leaves AFC Toronto with a 2-3-2 record and nine points, good for fifth place in the standings.

Next weekend presents another challenge as Toronto travels west to face Vancouver Rise FC at Swangard Stadium. If Sunday's performance was any indication, AFC Toronto will arrive believing they can continue their upward trajectory.

For Vancouver, they'll need to be on guard. If Rowe's form continues and Toronto keep creating chances at this rate, bigger results may not be far away.