Summer Universiade (Aug. 15): Canada on to quarter-finals in women's soccer

Photo credit Freestyle Photography

Aug. 15, 2011

SHENZHEN, China (CIS) – In large part due to two first half goals and a strong defensive stand, the Canadian women’s soccer team qualified for the quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 win over Taiwan in front of a boisterous crowd at the 26th Summer Universiade.

STATISTICS: CAN vs. TAI

Canada (2-0-1) needed a win or a tie in their final group A match to assure themselves a spot in the quarter-finals. Their next match will be on Wednesday when they face an opponent yet to be determined.

“We asked the team yesterday that we needed to come out with a big performance, and that is exactly what they did tonight, we had all the momentum,” said Team Canada head coach Graham Roxburgh. “Taiwan worked hard, but our defence, particularly our centreback, did all the work to impede their ability to score.”

Determined to control their destiny, the team wearing red and white didn’t waste any time getting on the score sheet. Their strategy proved fruitful, as the Canadians scored two goals in the first 13 minutes.

Benefiting from a pass from Jasmine Wright, captain Alyssa Lagonia of Kitchener, Ont., fired a shot and beat keeper Mingjung Tsai to open the scoring in the eighth minute. Only five minutes later, Daniela Gerig, was tackled hard in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Canucks. Andréanne Gagné of St-Hyacinthe, Que., took advantage of the opportunity, burying her strike for her second goal in three games at the tournament, being Tsai to the left side to put Canada ahead 2-0.

“We were moving the ball well and as a unit we are getting much better match after match,” added Gagné, a member of the Vert & Or at the University of Sherbrooke. “We have passed an important stage at this tournament, and we have a lot of confidence moving forward. We have three more games to play, and we will have success if we play our style in them.”

After Taiwan had two scoring chances in the second half, Gillian Baggot, an Ottawa native, potted a header on a Gagné corner kick to triple the Canadians lead and put the match in the bag.