SAN CRISTÓBAL, Dominican Republic — Canada made a statement in its opening game at the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship Qualifying tournament.
Olivia Smith and Nyah Rose each had a hat trick as the Canadians thumped Martinique 15-0 in Group A play Friday night at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.
Anabelle Chukwu had two goals while Thaea Mouratidis, Florianne Jourde, Ella Ottey, Jeneva Hernandez, Zoe Markesini, Rosa Maalouf and Jaime Perrault also scored.
The 10 different goal-scorers are a record for a Canadian national team. Goalkeeper Coralie Lallier recorded the shutout.
“We want to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and we're using every day as an opportunity, so even in games like this, it’s important for the players to stay focused and build for the next day," said Canada coach Cindy Tye. "We’re happy with the result, but now we’ll rest and reset for our match against St. Vincent and the Grenadines."
That comes Sunday. Then it's Cuba on Thursday and El Salvador on April 22.
The 32-teams at the qualifying event have been split into six groups for round-robin play. The group winners advance to the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship May 24 to June 3 in the Dominican Republic, joining the U.S. and Mexico.
The top three teams will represent CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, at next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Canada has qualified for eight of the 10 previous FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups, finishing runner-up to the U.S. at in 2002 when Canada hosted the event.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2023
The Canadian Press
