Canada opened the group stage at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship with a 2-0 win over Jamaica on Friday at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Texas. The victory gives Canada three points in Group B. Nichelle Prince scored two goals and Stephanie Labbe got the shutout. Jessie Fleming was the Player of the Match.
“We knew that Jamaica was a hard team to beat. They’re very organized and have very skilled players up front,” said Canada head coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller. “We kept a clean sheet, that was important for us. Overall, to start the tournament with a clean sheet and three points, that’s not a bad way to start.”
Canada dominated possession for the first 30 minutes, but were unable to get shots through on goal. In the 31st minute, after Jamaica was unable to deal with a Canada corner, an Allysha Chapman ball into the box fell to Prince who pounced to bury Canada’s first. Prince also got Canada’s second, scoring on a through ball from second half substitution Adriana Leon.
“It’s really great to finally get to start the tournament, and this was not an easy game, Jamaica. They put a good team out there and they worked really hard, and defended as well,” said Prince. “It was really great to end the game with two goals and the win. We’re happy about what we put out there, and we’re happy we got the win.”
Canada’s second group stage match against Cuba takes place Monday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. local (5:30 p.m. PT) followed by Canada v Costa Rica on Thursday, October 11 at 9 p.m. local (7 p.m. PT). Following the group stage, all matches will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Fans can watch all of Canada’s matches online for free at cwc.concacafgo.com.
In Group B action earlier in the day, Costa Rica defeated Cuba 8-0. On the other side of the table, Group A opened the tournament in Cary, NC with the USA overwhelming Mexico 6-0 and Panama defeating Trinidad and Tobago 3-0.
The winners of the two semi-final matches on Sunday, October 14 will automatically qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as the winners of the third-place match scheduled for Wednesday, October 17. The final taking place on Wednesday, October 17 will determine the continental champions.
