Canada rout Cuba 12-0 in Women’s WCup qualifying

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Jamaica upset Costa Rica 1-0

EDINBURG, Texas, Oct 9, (AP): Adriana Leon and Jordyn Huitema each had four goals in Canada’s dominating 12-0 victory over Cuba on Monday night in the group stage of the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.

Canada, ranked No. 5 in the world, needed a big result against No. 88 Cuba after Jamaica’s surprising 1-0 upset of Costa Rica earlier in the day in Group B at HEB Park.

Leon scored in the 11th, 23rd, 55th and 59th minutes, while Huitema scored in the 13th, 37th, 52nd and 71st minutes. Christine Sinclair, Deanne Rose, Rebecca Quinn and Diana Matheson also scored.

Matheson made her 198th appearance for Canada, while Sophie Schmidt earned her 175th cap.

Group A, which is playing in Cary, North Carolina, includes the defending World Cup champion United States. The top two finishers in each group advance to play in the semifinals in Frisco, Texas, next Sunday.

The top three finishers in the tournament earn spots in the Women’s World Cup in France next summer. The fourth-place finisher goes to a playoff against Argentina for a berth.

Group B play concludes on Thursday.

In Texas, Khadija Shaw scored just after the halftime and Jamaica went on to upset Costa Rica 1-0 on Monday in the group stage of the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.

Costa Rica, ranked No. 34 in the world, was playing backup goalkeeper Daniela Solera because Maria Bermudez fractured her arm in the opening group game. Shaw’s goal for the 64th-ranked Reggae Girlz came in the 46th minute.

Group B also includes Canada and Cuba, which play in Monday’s late match at HEB Park.

Group A, which is playing in Cary, North Carolina, includes the defending World Cup champion United States. The top two finishers in each group advance to play in the semifinals in Frisco, Texas, next Sunday.

The top three finishers in the tournament earn spots in the Women’s World Cup in France next summer. The fourth-place finisher goes to a playoff against Argentina for a berth.

Jamaica, which has never made a World Cup field, fell 2-0 to Canada in the team’s opening Group B game. Costa Rica defeated Cuba 8-0 in their first game.

On Sunday, Carli Lloyd scored three goals as the United States beat Panama 5-0 Sunday to advance their bid to qualify for the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

With the win in Cary, North Carolina, the Americans have won the first two of their three group matches in the eight-nation CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

They opened with a 6-0 victory over Mexico and were assured of a semifinal spot in the regional qualifying event when Mexico beat Trinidad & Tobago 4-1 on Sunday.

The US will play their last Group A match against Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday, when Mexico will take on Panama – level on three points – in a duel for the second semifinal spot in Group A.

The top two finishers from the each of the two groups after round-robin play advance to the semi-finals in Frisco, Texas.

The semifinal winners automatically advance to next year’s World Cup in France, with the winner of the third-place playoff also advancing. The team that finishes fourth will play Argentina for a World Cup berth.

US coach Jill Ellis made nine changes from the Mexico match, retaining only midfielders Julie Ertz and defender Abby Dahlkemper in the starting lineup.

Lloyd took her tally of international goals to 105 with strikes in the 23rd, 29th and 48th minutes.

Samantha Mewis opened the scoring in the sixth minute when she headed in a corner kick by Christen Press. Press herself scored on a breakaway in the 32nd.

Despite the lopsided score, it was a solid display for 17-year-old Panamanian goalkeeper Yanith Bailey, whose eight saves in the first half were double the US goals that got through.

“Very, very impressed,” Lloyd said of her impression of Bailey. “Hopefully that gives her a lot of confidence in herself and Panama. They put the ball down and played and credit to our team for getting the job done.”

 

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