Canada finishes second at Peace Queen Cup

Canada’s women’s national team had another succesful run at the Peace Queen Cup, but again the team finished second behind the top-ranked United States. In what was the fourth 2008 contest between the two sides, Canada lost 0:1 after Angela Hucles scored off a free kick in the 90th minute.



“It was a good game, a fast-paced game, and a game with a lot of drama,” says coach Even Pellerud. “It was very good from the get-go because you had two teams that wanted to attack.”



Captain Christine Sinclair won the Golden Shoe as the top goal scorer (five goals) and the Silver Ball as the MVP runner-up.



It was the second time this year that both sides played in a competitive final. In April, Canada came back to earn a 1:1 draw with the United States in the CONCACAF Women’s Qualification Tournament. The United States won the tournament after penalty shots. In the Peace Queen Cup final, Canada nearly drew even in injury time after the 90th minute, but Sinclair’s excellent shot was stopped by American goalkeeper Hope Solo. Coach Pellerud says the team’s performance against the United States was even better in June than it was in April.



It is also the second time that Canada has finished second to the United States at the Peace Queen Cup. In 2006, Canada also lost 0:1 in the final to its CONCACAF rival.



Canada played four games at the 2008 Peace Queen Cup. Canada won 5:0 over Argentina on 14 June, 3:1 over Korea Republic on 16 June, and 2:0 over New Zealand on 18 June. Coach Pellerud took 20 players to Korea Republic, although three left early to join the youth team at the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship.



Captain Sinclair, of course, was the big performer of the tournament. She scored two goals against Argentina, two goals against Korea Republic and one against New Zealand. She should have won the Golden Ball, but the award was presented to Hucles who scored the winning goal of the tournament. Sinclair increased her career totals to 91 goals in 119 senior matches. She even took a few stitches in the final, but refused to sit down.



Also of note, Randee Hermus made her 100th career start (109 senior matches) while Brittany Timko scored her first goal at the senior level. Kara Lang, meanwhile, scored her 31st and 32nd goals, moving closer to the third place spot on the all-time list occupied by retired scorer Silvana Burtini (38).



Canada’s women’s national team, whose title sponsor is Winners and whose presenting partner is Teck Cominco, is simultaneously preparing for the 2008 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. After the 2008 Peace Queen Cup, Canada will return home to play Brazil on 10 July at BMO Field in Toronto, ON. Tickets to the 10 July match, presented by Winners, are available via Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.ca / 416.872.5000).