Canada came from behind to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup with a 5:3 a.e.t. victory over Costa Rica at the 2023 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship. Down 3-2 after 45 minutes, Olivia Smith equalised in the 73rd minute and then Annabelle Chukwu scored twice in extra time to qualify Canada for the 2024 FIFA tournament.
“I’m really proud, our number one objective for this tournament was to qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and we did that,” said Cindy Tye, Canada Soccer’s Women’s U-20 Head Coach. “They had no doubts going into this match and that’s all we needed. All the players stuck to the process and showed it through their resilience and their mindset in today’s comeback.”
Canada finished in third place at the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship after playing an incredible five matches in a short 10-day tournament at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Mexico won the tournament after a 2:1 score over the United States in the Concacaf Final. In Canada’s Match for 3rd Pace, Ella Ottey and Florianne Jourde scored in the first half for the 2-1 lead, but Marian Soloano, Sheika Scott and Josselyn Briceño all scored for Costa Rica to give them the 3-2 lead after 45 minutes.
With the win, they became the first Canadian women’s youth team to score a qualification match winner in extra time and the first Canadian women’s youth team to qualify after trailing in their decisive match. Canada had qualified twice before on kicks from the penalty mark, but Chukwu is the first Canadian women’s youth player to score a FIFA qualification winner in extra time.
MATCH CENTRE & MATCH REPORT CANADA SOCCER :
https://canadasoccer.com/national-team-match-past/?matchId=4466
CONCACAF MATCH CENTRE :
https://www.concacaf.com/en/women-s-under-20/game-details?matchid=700717
In all, Canada scored 16 goals across the five matches with both Smith and Chukwu the co-leaders with four goals each. With 24 career youth international goals, Smith moved past Jordyn Huitema for second most all time in Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Teams Youth Program behind only Christine Sinclair (27 goals).
CANADA SOCCER’S WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada are Olympic champions (Tokyo in 2021), two-time bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016), and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and four consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2021). At Tokyo 2020, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team became the first Canadian team to win three consecutive medals at the Summer Olympic Games and just the third nation in the world to win three medals in women’s soccer.
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for eight editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all seven editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).
CAN 5 : 3 CRC
2023-06-04 Santo Domingo, DOM
OneSoccer ; Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez
Referee / Arbitre : Odette Hamilton (Mijensa Rensch, Brooke Mayo, Astrid Gramajo)
Goals / Buts
CAN 16′ Ella Ottey (right foot / pied droit) 1-0 (interception)
CRC 23′ Marian Solano (left foot / pied gauche) 1-1 (a.Priscilla Rodriguez)
CAN 27′ Florianne Jourde (left foot / pied gauche) 2-1 (a.Olivia Smith)
CRC 45’+1 Sheika Scott (PK right foot / pied droit) 2-2
CRC 50’+6 Josselyn Briceno (FK left foot / pied gauche) 2-3
CAN 73′ Olivia Smith (left foot / pied gauche) 3-3 (a.Kayla Briggs)
CAN 101′ Annabelle Chukwu (right foot / pied droit) 4-3 (a.Ella Ottey)
CAN 120’+1 Annabelle Chukwu (right foot / pied droit) 5-3 (a.Kayla Briggs)
CANADA – 20 GK Faith Fenwick, 12 Nyah Rose (19 Jadea Collin HT), 5 Clare Logan, 4 Zoe Markesini, 3 Ella Ottey (2 Mya Archibald 101′), 18 Jeneva Hernandez Gray, 8 Ella McBride (6 Thae Mouratidis 70′), 13 Florianne Jourde, 16 Renee Watson (9 Annabelle Chukwu HT), 10 Olivia Smith (15 Jaime Perrault 96′),11 Rosa Maalouf (17 Kayla Briggs HT). Coach / Entraîneure Cindy Tye. Unused substitutes / substituts non utilisés :1 GK Coralie Lallier, 21 GK Noelle Henning; 7 Amanda Allen. Absent/absents : 14 Sophie Murdock INJ.
Performance Player of the Match / Performance Joueuse du match:
Florianne Jourde : https://canadasoccer.com/profile?id=7035&teamId=2088
Canada Soccer’s canw20 Concacaf hub page / Page hub de la Concacaf canw20 de Canada Soccer: https://canadasoccer.com/national/camps/?camp_id=1659
Canada Soccer Flickr page / Page Flickr de Canada Soccer:
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=46765827@N08&view_all=1&text=20230604
MEDIA CONTACTS
Marianne Gagné
Women’s National Team Communications Manager |
Responsable des communications de l’équipe nationale féminine
mgagne@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.402.3869
Philomène Sully-Bitsi
Communications Coordinator | Coordonnatrice des communications
media@canadasoccer.com
Paulo Senra
Head of Public Relations & Communications |
Responsable des relations publiques et des communications
psenra@canadasoccer.com