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International Window: Canada loses to France 2-1 

In their one game of the April international window—and the last match before the WC roster is named—Canada fell to France 2-1. Whilst the Canadians were certainly under pressure during the first half, the Reds held the French at bay and ended the first half 0-0. Two defensive mistakes early in the second half cost Canada, and they were quickly down 2-0. Jordyn Huitema scored and reduced the deficit late in the game, after which Canada was more aggressive. While the defensive errors were grim and needed to be cleaned up, there were some bright spots. This was Huitema’s first goal against non-CONCACAF opposition and her first goal against top ten opponents. Sydney Collins made her senior team debut, and Jayde Riviere looked bright in her return from injury; it was Riviere’s first appearance for Canada since the CONCACAF final last summer. Also of note, Julia Grosso and Vanessa Gilles earned their 50th and 25th caps for country, respectively. 

England

Manchester United won a thrilling 3-2 match in their FA Cup semi-final against Brighton. Jayde Riviere was on the bench, but didn’t feature. She is still awaiting her professional debut. In the other FA Cup semi-final, Chelsea went toe to toe with Aston Villa. Kadeisha Buchanan was off the game sheet due to the injury that kept her from featuring for Canada against France, and Jessie Fleming played the last twenty minutes of the match. Chelsea won 1-0, setting up an FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United. Regular WSL play recommences this upcoming weekend.

France

Marie Levasseur went the full 90 minutes for FC Fleury in a 2-1 win against Reims. This was an important match for Fleury as they look to remain in a Champions League spot near the end of the season. Ashley Lawrence also played the full match for PSG as they beat Guingamp 1-0. Vanessa Gilles had a brilliant match for Olympique Lyonnais, including scoring a goal off a set piece. Olympique Lyonnais went on to beat Paris FC 2-0. 

Italy

Julia Grosso earned player of the match honours for her play during Juventus’ 4-3 comeback win against Fiorentina. She had 89% pass accuracy and scored the matchwinner for her side. Once again, Grosso proved how vital she is to the Italian side.

Portugal

Lysianne Proulx earned a clean sheet in SCU Torreense’s 1-0 win. In Famalicão’s 3-1 loss, Marie-Yasmine Alidou was a bright spark, scoring the team’s lone goal. Benfica thoroughly thrashed Sporting Braga in a 6-0 win. Continuing her good form, Cloé Lacasse scored two goals and had two assists in that match.

Sweden

Kristianstads bounced back after their loss before the international break with a 3-0 win against KIF Örebro. Evelyne Viens had a fantastic match with one assist and three goals. There was a Canadian clash on 17 April as Clarissa Larisey’s BK Häcken faced off against Sura Yekka and Sarah Straigakis’ Vittsjö GIK. Larisey entered in the 37th minute and scored her first-ever goal in the Damallsvenskan. Yekka played the entire match, and Stratigakis entered during the 77th minute. In the end, Häcken won 3-0. 

USA

After the international break, Adriana Leon made a club move as she joined the Portland Thorns on loan from Manchester United in hopes of gaining more playing time before the World Cup. However, Leon didn’t feature in the Thorns’ 1-1 draw against the Houston Dash as she is still waiting for her paperwork to go through. Christine Sinclair didn’t feature either, as she was rested after flight delays on her way back from France. Sophie Schmidt and Allysha Chapman featured for the Dash. In a clash between the Washington Spirit and the North Carolina Courage, Gabrielle Carle played 66 minutes for the Spirit before being subbed off due to injury. Sydney Collins remained on the bench for NCC. The score ended 2-1 in favour of the Spirit. Desiree Scott is still injured and didn’t feature for Kansas City in their 4-2 loss against the Chicago Red Stars. For the Red Stars, Bianca St Georges played 89 minutes. The OL Reign hosted the San Diego Wave for their home opener this weekend. The Reign won 1-0 after a goal in stoppage time at the end of the second half, denying Kailen Sheridan of the clean sheet after an impressive performance. For the Reign, Huitema played 87 minutes, while Quinn finally returned from their injury, subbing on to play 11 minutes plus stoppage time. 

Player of the Week: Evelyne Viens

Weekly Stats:

Goals: 10 (Alidou x1, Gilles x1, Grosso x1, Huitema x1, Lacasse x2, Larisey x1, Viens x3)

Assists: 3 (Lacasse x2, Viens x1)