In the 18th minute of play, Nichelle Prince was forced to turn to shoot a ball at Mexican goalkeeper Emily Alvarado, but the latter resisted.
A minute later, it was Jesse Fleming’s turn to deliver the ball to Diane Rose who overpowered the defense and goalkeeper, but her shot went within inches of the post.
The Canadians did not mitigate the attack. In the 36th minute, Nichelle Prince again tested Alvarado, who saved the ball, but the return went to Christine Sinclair who unfortunately saw her save in defense.
In the 76th minute, it was Chloe Lacasse’s turn to pass a nice diagonal pass to Jordyn Hetima who took the opportunity to launch a powerful shot towards Alvarado, but the Mexican goalkeeper expected the blow and remained steady.
Canadian goalkeeper Kaelen Sheridan has signed off on the shutdown, while midfielder Desiree Scott has been named man of the match for Canada.
These games allowed us to rate players and that’s what we remember most, that these new players were able to join us and learn our system, said Bev Priestman, head coach. We’ve gained experience we can use and prepare for qualification and beyond with some great lessons to apply when it matters most.
The Canadian women’s record in 2021 will be seven wins, seven draws and three defeats, including a 12-game unbeaten streak and an Olympic title.
“We have to start believing in ourselves and using the courage that lifted us to the heights of last summer at the Olympics,” the priest added. We are excited to start the new year and bring this collection forward and build on what has been a great year.
The 2022 season kicks off in Canada on February 17 with the team facing England in a new tournament. This will be followed by matches against Germany and Spain.
(With information from CBC.)
