Canada’s Sydney Collins (right) battles with Jamaica’s Kameron Simmonds for the ball during their second leg Concacaf Olympic playoff series in Toronto on Tuesday Sept. 26, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP).
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TORONTO (AP) — Cloe Lacasse and Jordyn Huitema scored, and Canada defeated Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz 2-1 on Tuesday night in the second leg of the teams’ Olympic qualifier to secure a berth at next summer’s Paris Games.
Canada are the reigning Olympic gold medalist after winning at the Tokyo Games two years ago.
Canada went into the match with the advantage after defeating the Reggae Girlz 2-0 in the first leg of the Concacaf play-in qualifier last week in Kingston.
The United States had already secured the first of Concacaf’s two spots in the field for the Olympics.
Drew Spence gave Jamaica the lead with a goal on a free kick that sailed over the wall and tucked into the corner, out of reach of Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan in the 33rd minute.
After a pair of shots that hit the crossbar, Canada broke through in the 39th with a goal by Lacasse that put the team up 3-1 on aggregate.
Huitema came into the game as a second-half substitute and scored in the 50th before a packed house at BMO Field. The announced attendance was 29,212.
Canada were coming off a disappointing finish at the Women’s World Cup this summer. The Canadians didn’t advance out of the group stage. Jamaica fell to Colombia in the round of 16 at the World Cup.
