Canada a win away from Cyprus Cup final

Canada’s women’s national team will face Russia on Tuesday for first place in Group B at the 2009 Cyprus Women’s Cup. Canada needs a win to ensure its place in the 12 March final. Canada is leading Group B with four points and a +1 goal differential after two games in the round-robin action. Russia and Netherlands each have three points, but Russia sits in second with a +1 goal differential. New Zealand is in last with just one point.



“We would like to find some continuity in the team,” said coach Carolina Morace who is looking to build on her first win as coach of Canada. “It is important that we keep our concentration during the match. As the leaders of Group B, I think the team has more confidence and strength as we go into the last match.”



Coach Morace warned that the Russians will be dangerous in attack. “We need to be careful in the dangerous parts of the field as the Russians will commit five or six players to attack, so we need to ensure we win the ball back quickly.”



The team took training in Larnaca, Cyprus today in cool temperatures under a light drizzle. After practice, captain Christine Sinclair said the team was looking forward to the upcoming match with Russia. “As a team, we’re a pretty relaxed group, but we know when it’s time to go to work,” said Sinclair. “Our coaching staff does a great job preparing the team, so we’re ready to go.”



The Canadian defence has given up the fewest goals through the tournament thus far (two goals allowed, tied with England and France). Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc is focused on keeping Canada solid defensively going into the match against Russia. “We need to focus on our shape, our communication, and staying compact and tight,” said LeBlanc. “With Carolina, we’ve found a way to organize the entire field from one end to the other. It will be a good game as they have just come off a four goal performance against New Zealand, so clearly they can find the back of the net.”



Canada has played two games thus far at the Cyprus Women’s Cup, drawing 1:1 with New Zealand and winning 2:1 over Netherlands. Canada has an all-time record of one win and one loss against Russia at the international level. In the most recent meeting, Canada won 2:1 over Russia in the opening match of the 2008 Cyprus Cup.



In the Cyprus Women’s Cup Group A, England is in first place with four points and a +6 goal differential. France is in second place with four points and a +2 goal differential, one point ahead of third place South Africa. Scotland is in last place with no points.



For more information on the Cyprus Women’s Cup, please visit www.cypruswomenscup.com.



For more information on Cyprus, please visit www.visitcyprus.com.