Esther Okoronkwo vows to deliver more after scooping AFC Toronto’s May awards

Photo Credit - AFC Toronto.

Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo has vowed to deliver more after scooping AFC Toronto’s Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards for May.

Okoronkwo scored three goals in four appearances during the month, including a brace against Calgary Wild FC and a goal versus Montreal.

“It feels good. It feels good,” she said, as quoted by the AFC Toronto website. “Lucky. I mean, obviously it wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates. So, as much as I won that, it’s also for them as well.

“I just gotta have the same attitude and mentality for every game. To always treat every game the same. At the end of the day, we want to win… I always have the mentality to give your best on the field, work as hard as you can, and let everything work out.”

Okoronkwo added: “We’re still learning [from] each other, still trying to build chemistry. It’s a process. But it has gotten better,” she said. “We’re a culturally diverse team — I’m from Nigeria, [Sofia Manner] is from Finland, others are from different places. So, we learn from each other, and that helps. It builds chemistry in a unique way.”

Speaking about the newly launched Northern Super League (NSL), she said: “I find the NSL very competitive. There are talented players here; it’s not any different from where I’ve played before."

“This is a good league. And it’s only going to get better. More talent will come, more eyes will be on it,” she said. “If you’re mentioning women’s leagues in the future, the Canadian league will be right up there.”

On her message to the fans, Okoronkwo said: “I want them to know that if they come out and support us, they’re not going to regret it. “We’ll make sure they enjoy every bit of time they spend out there. We’re very grateful. When we see that, we just want to keep going and keep winning.”

Okoronkwo made her senior debut for Nigeria in 2021, coming on as a 43rd-minute substitute in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Jamaica. She scored her first international goal against Ivory Coast in a 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, after receiving a pass from Michelle Alozie.

That goal gave Nigeria a 1-0 away win and secured qualification for the 2022 WAFCON with a 3-0 aggregate scoreline.