As far as homecomings go, the Canadian women’s team returned as conquering queens.
Out of action since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Canada completed the first leg of its “Celebration Tour” by recording consecutive wins versus New Zealand in a pair of friendlies, including a 1-0 decision on Tuesday in Montreal.
Three days earlier, the Reds dominated the Football Ferns in a 5-1 triumph in Ottawa, their first game on Canadian soil in over two years.
Both matches were played out before thousands of adoring supporters, permitting the Canadians to finally be properly fêted for their Olympic success and reconnect with their loyal fanbase.
They also had an opportunity to rub shoulders with Ottawa’s glitterati – goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé met former minister of national defence Harjit Sajjan, and defender Vannesa Gilles dropped the puck at a Senators home game.
On the field, the Canadian team took care of business to extend its winning streak to five games, and its undefeated run to 12 matches.
Overall, Canada has won nine of 15 contests (just two losses) since coach Bev Priestman’s first match in charge in February.
But it says a lot about the expectations on this team, and the higher standard it is now held to following the Olympics, that Priestman wasn’t exactly thrilled with Tuesday’s victory.
Her side dominated possession and bossed the game, but New Zealand made life quite difficult at times for Canada with its suffocating pressing style.
“What I liked, obviously, was the (shut out). We definitely didn’t want to concede. It wasn’t a great performance, I don’t think. I partly expected it with the amount of (line-up) changes, and you miss a bit of chemistry and flow with some partnerships. We had good spells, but we didn’t have sustained spells and I’m pushing the team to be more consistent back-to-back. … We just have to keep pushing,” Priestman stated after the game.
