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Saorla Miller gave Halifax some hope with a 44th-minute equalizer, but Miller and the Tides couldn’t get any closer after hitting the post 10 minutes later and their Super League North postseason dreams were dashed in a 1-1 draw with AFC Toronto on Monday.
Kaylee Hunter gave the home team a 1-0 lead at BMO Field in the 28th minute. Miller tied the game 16 minutes later, but the Tides — needing a regulation win to move past Vancouver Rise into the fourth and final playoff spot — couldn’t score a second-half winner.
Finishing the season with 29 points – seven wins, 10 losses and eight draws – the Tides had to settle for fifth place, two points off promotion.
AFC Toronto could have finished second with a win in regulation, but instead had to settle for third with 39 points – 10 wins, six losses, nine draws – one point behind second-place Ottawa Rapid and six behind league leader Montreal Rose.
The Calgary Wild finished last in the six-team circuit with 21 points and a 5-14-6 record.
On Monday, Toronto held a slight advantage in possession (52 percent to 48), outscored the Tides 19-14 (6-4 on field goals) and took 12 of the game’s 19 corners.
The playoffs will start this weekend. Toronto hosts the Rapid on Saturday in the first leg of a two-legged semi-final, while Rise host the Roses on Sunday in the semi-final opener. Total goals from both legs will determine which teams advance to the NSL Final and compete for the Diana B. Matheson Trophy.