The Canadians were welcomed by 29,212 fans at BMO Field in Toronto as they looked to book their ticket to Paris 2024. They were in control in the early stages, but a brilliant Drew Spence free kick saw Jamaica lead the game 1-0. Six minutes later, Adriana Leon’s corner kick fell perfectly to Cloé Lacasse’s head as she scored only her second for Canada—and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Tied at the half, Bev Priestman’s substitutions once again proved effective. Jordyn Huitema, a half-time substitute for Nichelle Prince, got the game-winner for Canada in the 50th minute thanks to a cross from Ashley Lawrence. The 2-1 final score in favour of Canada meant Canada qualified for the Olympics 4-1 on aggregate. Next, the team will look to prepare for the Olympics in the October and November international windows—Brazil has announced its squad to “take on Canada” at the end of October.
England
The WSL season kicked off on Sunday, with many Canadians in action. Adriana Leon made her debut for her new club Aston Villa against none other than her former club, Manchester United. Shortly after coming on in the 66th minute, Leon earned an assist on Villa’s goal, but they fell late to Manchester United in a 2-1 loss. Despite manager Marc Skinner saying that Jayde Riviere was “in contention” for the match after a knee injury kept her from international duty, Riviere was an unused substitute for United. Deanne Rose made her club debut for Leicester City—she too entered in the 66th minute and earned an assist. Leicester City won 4-2 over newly-promoted Bristol City. Cloé Lacasse earned her first WSL start as she played 63 minutes for Arsenal in a surprising 0-1 loss to Liverpool. Sabrina D’Angelo once again served as Arsenal’s backup keeper. Ashley Lawrence made her debut for Chelsea, coming on in the 77th minute in a 2-1 over Tottenham. Jessie Fleming also entered in the 77th minute, whilst Kadeisha Buchanan and Shelina Zadorsky were unused substitutes for their respective clubs.
France
Marie Levasseur played the full match for Montpellier in a 1-1 draw against Saint-Etienne. In a heavyweight matchup, Lyon beat PSG 1-0. Vanessa Gilles played the entire match for Lyon.
Italy
Evelyne Viens came off the bench for AS Roma in the 59th minute in their match-up against Como. After scoring a goal that was ruled offside, Viens finally scored her first goal for her new club in the final minutes of the match. This sealed the win; Roma won 4-1. Julia Grosso played 15 minutes for Juventus in a 4-1 win over UC Sampdoria.
NCAA
In Wisconsin’s first match of the week, Ella Ottey played the full ninety in a convincing 3-1 win over Minnesota. In their second match, Wisconsin continued their good form in a 2-1 win over Purdue. Ottey played 83 minutes and had one shot.
The USC Trojans battled back from behind to win 2-1 against Washington State. Zoe Burns played the full match, and Simi Awujo played 32. Youth players Florianne Jourde and Brooklyn Courtnall also played. The Trojans also won their second match of the week in convincing fashion, beating the University of Washington 3-0. Burns earned an assist and played 67 minutes. Awujo featured for 60 minutes; Courtnall and Jourde also saw the field, with Jourde adding a goal.
The Harvard Crimson returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win over Columbia University. Jade Rose started and played the full match, with two shots on target.
NWSL
The Washington Spirit came from behind to win 2-1 against Kansas City. Gabby Carle started the match, and assisted on the stoppage time game-winner. Bianca St-Georges helped the Chicago Red Stars keep their play-off hopes alive as she scored the game-winning goal against Racing Louisville. Kailen Sheridan played the full match for San Diego Wave and earned the clean sheet in a 2-0 win over the Portland Thorns. The win clinched a play-off spot for the Wave. On the other side, Christine Sinclair came on in the 84th minute for the Thorns. Later, the Houston Dash won 2-0 over Gotham FC. Allysha Chapman is still on an excused absence and did not feature for the Dash. Nichelle Prince and Sophie Schmidt both earned the start, and Prince assisted the Dash’s first goal. OL Reign and the NC Courage battled to a 1-1 draw. Coming off an impressive performance for Canada, Sydney Collins earned the start for the Courage and acquitted herself well at centreback. Victoria Pickett was an unused substitute for the Courage. For the Reign, Jordyn Huitema and Quinn both came off the bench, in the 71st and 88th minutes, respectively. Lastly, Amanda Allen was once again left out of Orlando Pride’s game-day squad as the Pride won 1-0 over Angel City.
Portugal
Olivia Smith entered at the half for Sporting CP in their match against Vilaverdense. Unfortunately, she missed a penalty in extra time, and Sporting lost the match 2-0. Mimi Alidou came on in the 65th minute for Benfica and earned an assist on their 5th goal of the day; Benfica destroyed Martimo 5-0.
Sweden
Sarah Stratigakis had a great game for Vittsjö as she scored both goals for her team in a 2-1 win over Linköpings. Vittsjö are now three points back of Champions League Qualifiers qualification. Sura Yekka was an unused substitute for Vittsjö. Clarissa Larisey is still injured, but her club, BK Häcken, did well to win 1-0 over IFK Norrköping and is sitting second in the league.
Weekly Stats
Player of the Week: Sydney Collins
Goals: 6 (Huitema x 1, Lacasse x 1, St-Georges x 1, Stratigakis x 2, Viens x 1)
Assists: 8 (Alidou x 1, Burns x 1, Carle x 1, Lawrence x 1, Leon x 2, D. Rose x 1, Prince x 1)
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