The Canadian Women's National Team began their quest towards the London Olympics by routing Haiti 6-0 in front of 7,627 fans at BC Place Stadium.
Captain Christine Sinclair reaffirmed her status as a world class player, securing 4 goals and an assist. She's now the 5th all-time leading scorer in women's international soccer with 124 goals, just one behind the USWNT's Abby Wambach, and currently leads all-time CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying scoring with 10 goals.
Haiti maintained possession in Canada's half upon kick-off, but were unable to sustain any pressure for very long. In the 4th minute, Kelly Parker's cross was headed down by forward Melissa Tancredi, but a Haitian defender was well positioned to block the attempt.
The opening goal in the 9th minute began with a great pass by Parker to Sinclair, who squared the ball across the box for an unmarked Christina Julien to easily side-foot it past Ednie Limage. As noted during the broadcast, head coach John Herdman has had Julien study how Swedish forward Lotta Schelin makes runs at the backline in order to emulate her style.
Haiti's first shot on goal came in the 20th minute, but the ambitious effort from distance was easily caught by the Canadian goalkeeper. Karina LeBlanc wasn't particularly tested throughout the match.
Herdman's use of attack oriented fullbacks was on display involving Rhian Wilkinson and Lauren Sesselmann on the right and left sides respectively. Wilkinson sprung Sinclair to make it 2-0 after 25 minutes. Sinclair's initial shot was blocked by Limage's kick save, but the spin on the ball propelled it into the back of the net.
Ten minutes later, Wilkinson and Parker exchanged quick passes as Parker played the ball back from the end line. The dummy by Tancredi was touched off by Julien to Sinclair and into the net for a 3-0 lead.
John Herdman provides his thoughts on Canada's victory over Haiti:
On the brink of halftime, Sesselmann had a gut wrenching knee-to-knee collision with Haiti's Samantha Brand. Although Sesselmann appeared to be incredibly distressed, she returned to the bench for the second half walking on her own power with her left knee being iced. Hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin, the national team rookie was eligible to represent Canada since her father was born in Newfoundland.
Canada continued to test Haiti's defence despite the secure lead. Early in the second half, Sesselmann's replacement, Chelsea Stewart, directed a shot on goal off a Sophie Schmidt corner kick. Her effort was punched away and eventually smothered by Limage following a scramble.
The best goal of the night was scored in the 55th minute. Tancredi chested down the ball and flicked it over her head for a no-look pass to an onrushing Sinclair. The crafty play earned Sinclair her 10th career hat-trick.
A violent collision occurred 10 minutes later. Limage jumped to claim the ball and subsequently kneed her teammate, Brand, in the face. Limage landed awkwardly on her back and was later transported to hospital by on site paramedics. It's reported that Haitian coach Ronald Luxieux fears she may have sustained a spinal injury. Despite the 4-0 deficit at the time, the University of Moncton student made several great saves to keep the score line respectable, including four stops on Tancredi.
A few minutes later, Haiti managed brief spurts of possession, but was unable to capitalize on their opportunities as their lone forward, Sophia Batard, would be swarmed by Canadian defenders.
Chelsea Buckland, who was substituted on for Tancredi, tested Limage's replacement, Geralda Saintilus, in the 82nd and 83rd minutes, but both efforts from tight angles went wide of the post.
Parker sparked the Canadian offence once again. In the 86th minute, Sinclair came 1v3 against Haitian defenders and scooped the ball over their heads. Parker readied to shoot when she was grabbed by the neck and taken down in the box. Sinclair buried the ensuing penalty kick with a soft shot to the left that froze the goalkeeper.
Parker finally got a goal of her own during added time off Julien's second assist of the match. Parker's initial shot was saved by Saintilus and her rebound was deflected in to produce a 6-0 victory for Canada.
The match unfolded exactly as expected with the 7th ranked Canada dictating the game against the 62nd ranked Haiti. The odds were stacked against the Caribbean nation right from the onset, but their drive to compete was admirable. Thirty members of the Haitian Football Federation perished in 2010's devastating earthquake, and the their Women's National Team, along with Cuba's, arrived in Vancouver with inadequate equipment, but they soon became the beneficiaries of jersey donations by the Canadian Soccer Association and the BC Soccer Association. This tournament marks Haiti's first appearance in Women's Olympic Qualifying.
Sophie Schmidt discusses Canada's 6-0 win over Haiti with RedNation's Gavin Day:
Herdman had Canada lined up in a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield and a few players in new roles. Their typical attacking midfielder, Parker, joined Schmidt on the flanks while Sinclair became the lead playmaker (although she couldn't help but score a few goals herself.)
Canada will be missing a crucial element of their midfield as Diana Matheson was unable to recover in time from right knee surgery underwent in November. She's since been replaced on the roster by 20 year-old Alyscha Mottershead. Sesselmann's knee injury was reportedly not as serious as initially expected, but should any issues arise, veteran Melanie Booth is expected to get the nod at left back.
Earlier on Thursday, Costa Rica defeated Cuba 2-0. Eleven minutes into the match, a long ball played by Marianne Ugalde from the defensive half fell to Carolina Vanegas, who cut it back for Saudy Rosales to find the back of the net. Ten minutes into the second half, Mariela Campos played a through ball to Wendy Acosta and she buried the shot.
Canada sits on the top of Group A with Costa Rica in second place. On Saturday, January 21, Haiti faces Costa Rica at 8PM ET while Canada and Cuba battle it out at 10:30PM ET.
In Group B action tonight, Mexico and Guatemala will play at 8PM ET before a Dominican Republic and USA showdown at 10:30PM ET.
The top two teams from the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifiers will advance to the 2012 London Olympic Games.
While pursuing a career in non-profit event planning and fundraising, Lissa provides in depth coverage of the CanWNT for All White Kit and RedNation.
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