By Canadian Press

Canadian women blank Costa Rica to finish atop Group B at CONCACAF W Championship

Jul 11, 2022 | 7:10 PM

GUADALUPE, Mexico — Jessie Fleming and Sophie Schmidt scored as Canada downed Costa Rica 2-0 Monday to clinch top spot in Group B ahead of the knockout rounds at the CONCACAF W Championship.

The Canadian women had plenty of chances to add to their lead but lacked clinical finishing on a steamy night at Estadio BBVA, a 51,000-capacity venue that is home to CF Monterrey. It was 40 degrees Celsius at kickoff, which was 6 p.m. local time.

With two wins apiece before Monday’s match, both sixth-ranked Olympic champion Canada and No. 37 Costa Rica had already secured World Cup qualification by ensuring a berth in the semifinals of the eight-team tournament. Canada’s goal now is to reach the final, with Olympic qualification awaiting the eventual champion.

Finishing first in the group means avoiding the top-ranked U.S., who wrap up group play later Monday against winless Mexico, in the semifinals. Canada and the U.S. have met in five of the previous 10 CONCACAF women’s finals, with the U.S. winning all five.

In earlier group play, the Canadians blanked No. 76 Trinidad and Tobago 6-0 and No. 57 Panama 1-0, while Costa Rica defeated Panama 3-0 and Trinidad 4-0.

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Canada and Costa Rica entered the game with the same number of wins, points, goals scored (seven) and yellow cards (one).

Canada wasted little time, going ahead in the fifth minute via a sweet Fleming strike.

Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan’s clearance went to captain Christine Sinclair, who deftly flicked the ball ahead to Nichelle Prince. Her through ball found Fleming behind the defence and the Chelsea midfielder beat goalkeeper Daniela Solera with a left-footed shot for her 17th goal in 103 international appearances. 

Canada kept coming forward but was unable to add to its lead in the first half. The second half was choppier, with more breaks in play and Costa Rica managing some more possession if not scoring chances.

Schmidt doubled the lead in the 70th minute after a Canadian attack down the right flank. Janine Beckie found Adriana Leon in the penalty box and the Manchester United forward pivoted and fed Schmidt, who beat a defender and calmly curled an elegant shot off the goalpost for her 20th goal in 212 appearances for Canada. 

Solera stopped substitute Jordyn Huitema from in-close in the 85th minute, with the ensuing rebound bouncing off several bodies and then the goalpost.

Canada coach Bev Priestman made four changes to her starting lineup, slotting in Sheridan, Jayde Riviere, Vanessa Gilles and Quinn, who goes by one name.

Costa Rica was led by captain Katherine Alvarado and Raquel (Rocky) Rodriguez, a teammate of Sinclair and Beckie on the NWSL Portland Thorns and Melissa Herrera (FC Girondins de Bordeaux, France).

The Costa Rican bench included 36-year-old veteran Shirley Cruz (formerly of Paris Saint-Germain and the NWSL OL Reign). 

With Costa Rica stringing a line of defenders across the field, Priestman deployed Beckie and Prince wide with Sinclair and Fleming in the middle when Canada was on the attack. Fleming often moved up the field while Sinclair worked behind the forwards.

Headers from Beckie and Gilles were off-target in the first three minutes. Prince almost made it 2-0 in the 10th minute when Costa Rica failed to clear a corner but her on-target shot from in-close hit a Costa Rican boot. Sinclair also came close with a header in the 16th minute.

Sinclair put Beckie behind the defence with a fine ball in the 22nd minute, only to see her Portland teammate shoot wide. Beckie also fired high in first-half stoppage time.

Priestman brought on Leon and Huitema to start the second half, replacing Sinclair and Prince. For the 39-year-old Sinclair, the world’s all-time international goal-scorer with 190, it was her 313th international appearance.

Costa Rica managed to spend some rare time in the Canadian half after the break but failed to turn that into scoring chances. 

Schmidt, and Allysha Chapman, earning her 90th Canada cap, came on at the hour mark.

The Canadian women won the CONCACAF tournament in 1998 and 2010, beating Mexico in the final both times. The Americans have won the other eight editions, including the last two. 

The tournament is split into two groups with the top two from each progressing to the semifinals and qualifying directly to the 2023 World Cup in the process. The two third-place teams qualify for a World Cup intercontinental playoff. 

Winning the CONCACAF tournament comes with a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics and a berth in the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup in 2024. 

The runner-up and third-place team will meet in Olympic play-in series, scheduled for September 2023, with berths in Olympics and CONCACAF Gold Cup on the line. 

Canada had won all 14 previous meetings with Costa Rica, outscoring Las Ticas 47-6. 

The Canadians prevailed 1-0 last time out in February 2018, in the semifinal of the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Carson, Calif. Huitema’s goal in the 72nd minute qualified the Canadians for the Tokyo Olympics. 

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2022

The Canadian Press