Canada booked their place in the knockout rounds on Saturday evening with a 7:0 victory over tournament hosts Grenada in their second group game at the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Under-17 Championship. The scoring was opened by Nahida Baalbaki (3') and Teni Akindoju (12', 13', 27') contributed a hat trick in the first half; the game was finished with second-half goals by Jordyn Huitema (72', 89') and Kennedy Faulknor (85').

Ashley Cathro, Sarah Stratigakis, Camila Gomez, and Baalbika recorded assists, while Baalbika hit the crossbar twice and Huitema hit the post once. The Canadian defence was once again strong, with Marissa Zucchetto and her defence posting the clean sheet. The final numbers showed in Canada's favour with 74% possession and an 89% passing accuracy through 510 passes.

There were an incredible 41 shots and 23 corner kicks taken by the Canadian side.

The 5 March double header at the Grenada Athletic Stadium in St. George's, GRN also featured a 3:2 Haiti win over Guatemala. After the result in the Canada match, both Guatemala and Grenada were eliminated. Attendance for the double header was 1,080 spectators.

FIRST HALF MOMENTS
It didn't take long for the Baby Reds to make an impression on the game. A shot from Stratigakis in the third minute was saved by Holly Charles in the Grenada net to concede a corner. From the resulting dead ball, Ashley Cathro swung in a cross from the right that was won by Nahida Baalbaki who had lost her marker and was all alone near the penalty spot. Her header looped up and beyond the keeper into the top left corner of the net.

The sixth minute saw Aaliyah Scott find herself all alone in front of net, her tame shot screwing wide of the left hand post. Canada kept coming forward in waves, though, and Scott did well to win a long ball and fight off her defenders on the left touchline two minutes later. Her cut back bounced its way to right back Nadège L'Espérance, but her effort went just wide of the right post.

The second goal came in the 11th minute after Camila Gomez picked the ball up and drifted in from a deep position on the right hand side. Her centre for Baalbaki was knocked back for Stratigakis who then took off down the left channel. Her sharp ball through found Teni Akindoju on the penalty spot with her back to goal. She took one touch on the half turn to settle the ball, and then put her right foot through it with the second, forcing it into the bottom right. The goalkeeper got a hand to it, but couldn't stop the shot from finding its way in.

Canada's third, and Akindoju's second, came only moments later. Baalbaki picked the ball up a long way out and tried a speculative effort. The shot dipped dramatically and bounced off the bar and through the goalkeeper's hands. Charles scrambled after it, but Gomez was rushing in to apply pressure and make sure the ball was kept alive. It bobbled out to Akindoju who had the simple task of rolling it into an empty net.

Canada were able to keep the pressure on after two cheap fouls from the Grenada players. One saw a dead ball 40 yards from goal on the left side lightly touched by Vital Kats, allowing Baalbaki to pick it up and drive forward. Her shot from just outside the 18 was blocked and spun it's way to Stratigakis who danced her way into the penalty box, squaring the ball just beyond Akindoju.

McSween, the Grenada captain gave up a free kick in a more dangerous position seconds later, blocking off Kats as she looked to chase a high ball. The free kick was put on target by Cathro, and L'Espérance was inches away from bundling home the rebound. A third free kick in quick succession was shot by Stratigakis straight at net, from 30 yards out. The two person wall did its job, flipping the ball high up for the keeper to collect.

The 23rd minute saw Canada continue to dominate, as Stratigakis picked the ball up on the right side of the field. Her low diagonal ball towards the penalty spot should have been cut out by McSween, but it rolled through to Akindoju. All alone, but perhaps taken by surprise, she could only muster a weak shot that was right at the keeper.

A minute later Stratigakis let loose a long ball down the right channel for Akindoju to chase. She latched onto the ball, winning a corner. The corner was cleared by the defense but fell to the Baby Red's experienced captain. Her shot was blocked but picked up by Baalbaki, who again let loose another looping shot and again struck the crossbar. The rebound fell to Akindoju who had been chasing in, but she couldn't get her feet sorted out, and it rolled to the grateful Holly Charles.

Akindoju made up for these misses in the 27th minute when she completed her hat-trick. A corner from the left was taken short by Samantha Chang to Camila Gomez. Her pass was cut out by Maya Hadeed, who couldn't get the ball clear. Gomez rushed in, hustling the ball loose just inside the penalty area, in front of the goal. She nudged it forward for Akindoju who was on the edge of the six yard box. Akindoju took a touch past McSween and stretched to whip it into the top right corner with her right foot.

A short water break followed, but Canada didn't ease off on their opponents. The 36th minute had Stratigakis and Akindoju combining well once more, as the skipper put in a sharp pass from the top left corner of the 18 yard box to her waiting striker on the edge of the six. Jasmine Joseph was there for Grenada to block the attempt and win a goal kick.

In the 40th minute Stratigakis sent a good through ball down the right channel for Aaliyah Scott to chase down. She got to the ball and had the beating of her defender, but the angle was always narrowing and when the shot came from the right edge of the six yard box, it was blasted high over the bar.

Baalbaki was exerting influence all over the field, in the 42nd minute combining well with Vital Kats after a run in from the right side. A one-two gave Canada's number 4 a bit of space just outside the 18, but her left footed drive flashed just wide of the right post. Kats herself had a good shot two minutes later, benefiting from another poor clearance. She cut to the right of a defender around 20 yards out and sent a shot to the top left corner. The Grenada keeper made up a lot of ground and put in a great save, stopping the ball just under the bar.

Just before half time Kats fed Stratigakis who was just inside the box. There was a gap to her right but she looked to get it back on to her favoured left foot. She opened up the space, but the touch was slightly too heavy and her shot was high over the goal.

SECOND HALF MOMENTS:
When they came back out, they picked up where they left off. Canada worked to keep the ball deep in enemy territory and their relentless pressure carried on all game, as Grenada were pinned on the edge of their own 18. The young Grenada side maintained five or more defenders at the back, but Canada kept coming with the likes of Jodyn Huitema, Scott, and Gomez taking their turns on the attack. It was only into the last 20 minutes, however, that Canada added to their lead.

A few minutes before the goal, substitute Jayde Riviere made her mark after entry, dashing down the right flank and beating a player with a stepover, before floating a ball into the centre. It was half-cleared by Valcin before falling to the increasingly influential Scott. She had her back to goal and did well to work space towards the penalty spot, but couldn't get her foot around the ball, sending her shot high and wide to the right of the goal.

Canada built patiently through the middle and in the 71st minute, they were the recipients of an intelligent call of play-on from the referee after a foul on Riviere. The ball fell to Grosso who passed inside to Huitema. She turned at the top of the box but saw no way through to goal, instead rolling it forward for Grosso, who had continued her run. Grosso faked left but cut inside to the right, only to send her shot into the arms of the well positioned Holly Charles.

Unfortunately Charles was heavily to blame for the goal that followed in the 72nd. Canada worked the ball out to the right, where L'Espérance and Riviere combined well to provide the full back a crossing opportunity. The ball was floated in to the centre, and the Grenada keeper was up well, only to let it slip through her hands, where it landed onto the obliging Huitema, who was able to walk the ball in from five yards out.

A clever flick from Huitema in the 75th gave Riviere the space to put in a long cross from the right wing.  Her pass found Camila Gomez all alone, but the header was weak, and Charles was able to collect it unopposed. A second drinks break followed in the 76th minute.

As play resumed in the 79th minute, so did Canada's crafting of chances for goals. Jordyn Huitema was on the left corner of the 19 yard box with her back to goal, looking for a ball to run with. Camila Gomez weighted the pass perfectly, allowing Huitema to turn her defender and bend a shot towards the bottom right of the goal where the ball struck the base of the post.

Holly Charles was out well in the 81st minute, alive to a lofted pass over the defense from Baalbakia, getting there before Huitema could pose any further threat. She scooped another loose ball from Aaliyah Scott a few moments later.

The Grenada captain McSween fouled Jordyn Huitema in the 85th, giving up a free kick in a dangerous area. Nahida Baalbaki floated the ball from the top left of the penalty are towards the centre of the box where Kennedy Faulknor had made an intelligent run from the pack of players. Maya Hadeed missed her header and Faulknor hammered the header into the bottom left corner from the edge of the six yard box, barely having to break stride.

Camila Gomez won a free kick on the wide left in the 88th minute, having her feet taken out from under by Valcin. The dead ball was sent in by Samantha Chang, and was drifting inside the far post, but was safely held by Charles.

The scoring was finished off in the 89th minute. Baalbaki picked the ball up 35 yards from goal, towards the left side and fed Julia Grosso who was dashing up the centre. Grosso danced past one challenge into the penalty box and saw a gap in the very deep Grenada defensive line. She fired her shot toward the bottom left, only to see Charles get a hand to it and beat it out.  Any joy, however, was short-lived, as Jordyn Huitema was chasing in after the shot and once again found herself proving that hard work makes luck. She adjusted her body well to the unexpected rebound and cushioned it in to the empty net for her second of the game.

Canada's one moment of discomfort came from a loose touch from Baalbaki in her own third in the 90^th minute. Aaliyah Jackson was in sharply to wrest the ball loose and move towards Marissa Vuchetto's goal, only for Baalbaki to recover and put in a challenge to end the move. Kennedy Faulknor then held off the attentions of Melania Fullerton long enough to launch a counter-attack that ended in an offside call on Riviere.

The game didn't wind down in the last minute, as Canada kept pushing to the end, Baalbaki pushing up for the dying seconds of the game came into posession of another mis-cued clearance just outside the penalty box. She strode forward into the penalty box, firing a shot that was bravely blocked away for a corner by the redoubtable Jasmine Jones. The corner bounced it's way to the top right corner of the penalty box where Riviere floated it to the left post, where Faulknor and Ashley Cathro had made runs. The ball was just beyond them, and the goal kick was the last of the game

American Referee Karen Abt was relatively untroubled in the game, not having to give any bookings in a game that was played in good spirit.