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Jordyn Huitema runs with the ball against Brazil in Halifax (Photo: Canada Soccer)
RECAP: Huitema, Rose score as CanWNT beat Brazil in Halifax
2023-10-31
by
Benedict Rhodes, CanPL.ca Contributor (@BTFR17)
Canada Soccer CANWNT

The Canadian women’s national team battled to a 2-0 win at Wanderers Grounds in Halifax on Tuesday night, beating Brazil with second-half goals from Jordyn Huitema and Deanne Rose.

After a pregame ceremonial kit swap between two legends of the game, Christine Sinclair and Brazil’s Marta, the teams came out fighting, looking to make a quick first impression. It was the visitors who had the majority of the ball early on, pressing high up the pitch to win it back and hitting Canada consistently on the counter-attack. When Canada pressed back, Brazil was comfortable passing the ball around the back and holding onto possession, looking for their opportunity to strike.

Marta and Christine Sinclair swap kits before the match. (Photo: Canada Soccer)

Marta came close to scoring just before the half-hour mark, firing a low shot across goal that just wrapped around Sabrina D’Angelo’s back post, waking up Canada a bit more. Les Rouges were struggling to retain possession in the early stages of the match, but had their first half-chance moments later. Adriana Leon fired a dangerous-looking free kick across the box, but none of her teammates were able to get a head on it and redirect it on target.

Moments after re-entering the pitch following some treatment for a knock to the head, Jordyn Huitema nearly created the opening goal. She played a cross into a promising position, where it deflected off Brazilian defender Lauren, and nearly redirected into the net. That would be the closest Canada came to scoring in the opening 45 minutes, and the two sides entered the break scoreless.

Fifteen minutes after the break, and moments after she came off the bench to replace Adriana Leon, Cloé Lacasse came within inches of giving Canada the lead. She was able to open up a lane to shoot, but her effort struck the inside of the left post before bouncing away from danger.

Canada finally found the first breakthrough of the match in the 69th minute. Ashley Lawrence ran onto a pass toward the goal line, and with her first touch lifted a cross to the back post. Huitema was there to meet it, heading it into the back of the net to give Canada the lead and ignite the crowd at Wanderers Grounds.

The fans in Halifax were back up on their feet a few minutes later, this time to give Christine Sinclair a standing ovation as the Canadian captain came off the bench for what is her third-last appearance for Canada before retiring from international duty at the end of the year.

The party in Halifax didn’t end there, as Deanne Rose put the icing on the cake with a late goal to double Canada’s lead. After Lacasse headed the ball between a pair of Brazilian defenders from a long kick down the pitch by D’Angelo, Rose chased it down and took a couple of touches to set her feet, before calmly slotting the ball past Letícia to make it 2-0.

D’Angelo made a big stop moments later to keep her clean sheet intact, and Canada would see out the last few minutes to hang on to a 2-0 victory.

They split the two-game series with Brazil after a 1-0 defeat in Montreal on Saturday, and will next prepare for two more friendlies in early December against Australia. The first match will take place at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC, before the second one at BC Place in Vancouver, as Canadian fans get a final chance to say farewell to Christine Sinclair.

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