Cloe Lacasse and Jordyn Huitema scored, and Canada defeated Jamaica 2-1 in the second leg of the teams’ Olympic qualifier to secure a berth at the Paris Games next summer
ByThe Associated Press
September 26, 2023, 9:29 PM
CORRECTS JULIA GROOS TO GROSSO – CORRECTS TO SECOND HALF – Canada’s Jordyn Huitema (9) celebrates her goal with teammate Julia Grosso during the second half of a CONCACAF women’s championship soccer series match against Jamaica in Toronto on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
TORONTO — Cloe Lacasse and Jordyn Huitema scored, and Canada defeated Jamaica 2-1 on Tuesday night in the second leg of the teams’ Olympic qualifier to secure a berth at next summer’s Paris Games.
Canada is the reigning Olympic gold medalist after winning at the Tokyo Games two years ago.
Canada went into the match with the advantage after defeating Jamaica 2-0 in the first leg of the CONCACAF play-in qualifier last week in Kingston.
The United States had already secured the first of CONCACAF’s two spots in the field for the Olympics.
Drew Spence gave Jamaica the lead with a goal on a free kick that sailed over the wall and tucked into the corner, out of reach of Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan in the 33rd minute.
After a pair of shots that hit the crossbar, Canada broke through in the 39th with a goal by Lacasse that put the team up 3-1 on aggregate.
Huitema came into the game as a second-half substitute and scored in the 50th before a packed house at BMO Field. The announced attendance was 29,212.
Canada was coming off a disappointing finish at the Women’s World Cup this summer. The Canadians didn’t advance out of the group stage. Jamaica fell to Colombia in the round of 16 at the World Cup.
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