DALIAN, China – The Laval Rouge et Or women’s soccer team delivered a commanding performance on the final day of group stage play at the FISU University World Cup, dominating France’s Université Polytechnique de Hauts-de-France by a score of 8-0 on Sunday.
From the opening whistle, Laval established control of the match. The offensive pressure paid off early when striker Mathilde Beaudry opened the scoring in the 6th minute, assisted by Mathilde Rousseau. The floodgates opened from there, with Emmanuelle Collin (11′), Anaïs Bujold-Samson (39′), and Émilie Grondines (45+1′) all finding the net before halftime to give Laval a formidable 4-0 lead.
The second half was more of the same, as Laval continued its relentless attack. Mélodie Lavigueur scored just 55 seconds after the restart, followed by goals from Elsa Lessard (68′) and two more from Beaudry (80′, 90+1′) to complete her hat-trick and bring her tally to four goals for the tournament. Alexie Poirier was a maestro in the midfield, contributing two assists in the victory.
The Laval defense was impenetrable, allowing zero shots on goal and granting goalkeeper Rosalie Stabile her first clean sheet and win of the tournament. The French side struggled to generate offense, managing only three total shots, all off target.
With this decisive victory, the Laval Rouge et Or finish first in Group B with a 2-0-1 record. They are now set to face the University of the Extreme South of Santa Catarina (UNESC) from Brazil in the tournament semifinal. The match is scheduled for Thursday at 2 a.m. Eastern Time.
FINAL GROUP STANDINGS
| Group A | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Dif | Pts | ||||||
| Shanghai Univ. of Sport (CHN) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 6 | ||||||
| Extreme South of Santa Catarina (BRA) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 | ||||||
| Valencia (ESP) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | -9 | 0 | ||||||
| Group B | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |
| Laval (CAN) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 7 | |
| Beijing Normal (CHN) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | |
| Sydney (AUS) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 4 | |
| UPHF (FRA) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | -11 | 0 | |
Group B results:
Tuesday: Sydney 3 UPHF 2
Wednesday: Laval 1 Beijing Normal 1
Friday: Beijing Normal 2 UPHF 0, Laval 4 Sydney 0
Sunday: Beijing Normal 1 Sydney 1, Laval 8 UPHF 0
SCHEDULE (All times Eastern)
Knockout Round
Wednesday – Fifth-place game
- Valencia vs. Sydney, 11:30 p.m.
Thursday – Semifinals
- Shanghai University of Sport vs. Beijing Normal, 2 a.m.
- Laval vs. Extreme South of Santa Catarina, 2 a.m.
Friday
- Bronze Medal Game, 10:30 p.m.
Saturday
- World Cup Final, 3:30 a.m.