Canadian women beat Brazil 2-0 in Halifax

HALIFAX –

A sellout crowd of 6,421 soccer fans braved near-freezing temperatures Tuesday night to watch Canada beat Brazil 2-0 in women’s soccer at Halifax’s outdoor stadium, the Wanderers Grounds.

It wasn’t until midway through the second half that Toronto fullback Ashley Lawrence was able to get a solid cross in to Chilliwack BC forward Jordyn Huitema, who was ready at the far post to head the ball straight past Brazilian goalkeeper Luciana and into the back of the net about 70 Minutes after the start of the friendly match.

Canada’s second goal of the night came in the 89th minute when Deanne Rose of Alliston, Ontario, carried the ball upfield and fired a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area after a header pass from striker Cloe Lacasse of Sudbury, Ontario, putting the Reds on the line White-clad crowd in chants and cheers that echoed through downtown Halifax.

Goaltender Sabrina D’Angelo of Welland, Ont., earned the shutout for Canada by stopping two shots on goal.

The match between Canada and Brazil was the second of two friendlies in four days for the international rivals. Brazil won the first game 1-0 on Saturday in front of another sold-out Saputo Stadium in Montreal.

However, the real Canadian hysteria came when Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair ran onto the field in the 78th minute, replacing scorer Huitema, but giving fans a long-awaited glimpse of the 40-year-old striker on Nova Scotia turf.

The game was Sinclair’s third-to-last international appearance. After becoming the world’s top goalscorer with 190 goals in 289 appearances for the senior national team, she will retire after her final two games in her home province of BC. The first game is Dec. 1 in Langford on Vancouver Island, with the second scheduled for Dec. 5 in Vancouver, which is next door to Sinclair’s hometown of Burnaby.

Canada has officially qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2023.