Reggae Girlz fall short in Olympic bid – lose to Canada in second leg
TORONTO (AP) — 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.
The Canadians are 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 were 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.
