ALAJUELA, Costa Rica (CMC) — Canada clinched the CONCACAF Under-17 girls’ championship in workmanlike fashion on Saturday night with a 1-0 victory over Mexico at the Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium.

The United States continued their goalscoring spree in the competition to hammer hosts Costa Rica 6-0 to finish third.

In the Championship decider, Kinley McNicoll scored in the eighth minute of the match to give Canada an early lead which they never relinquished.

She ran onto a through ball from Nour Ghoneim, and flicked it past Mexican goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago, who had raced off her line to the top of the penalty area, watched helplessly as the ball bounced off the far post, and eventually roll over the line.

The Canadians were later forced to defend the goal with 10 players, after Yazmin Ongtengco — who already had been issued a yellow card — was ejected in the 57th minute for a hard sliding tackle on Mexico’s Lucera Lara.

This was Canada’s eighth CONCACAF title and first at the Under-17 girls’ level, and they will now join hosts Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico at the Under-17 girls’ World Cup in September.

After being beaten on penalties by the Canadians in Thursday’s semi-finals, the Americans needed only five minutes to score, and completely dominated the defensive-minded hosts.

Kaysie Clark gave the Americans the lead and Kaili Torres, Olivia Brannon, Lindsay Horan, Isabel Farrell and Taylor Smith all added goals for the first American female team to miss qualifying for a World Cup at any level.

It was the second rout by the United States over Costa Rica, having beaten the Central Americans 10-0 in the Group B finale on March 14.

The United States finished the Championship having outscored their opponents 38-0 in five games.

Jamaica, who competed in Group A with Canada, Mexico and Panama, finished third but were eliminated at the preliminary stage. They lost 1-4 to Canada, 0-3 to Mexico, before blanking Panama 2-0.