Jordyn Huitema and her Team Canada womens’ soccer teammates battled the United States to a 1-1 draw in a national team women’s soccer showdown Thursday night at B.C. Place Stadium.
The Chilliwack native and Chilliwack FC alum was mostly a spectator.
One of the youngest players on the roster at just 16 years old, Huitema subbed on in the 89th minute for one minute of action.
Twenty five year old Adriana Leon scored the Canadian goal in the 57th minute, off a feed from Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair.
“We look at our roster and we have veteran players and a handful of teenagers. It is a great mixture with some world-class players,” Sinclair said. “During half time we said that we could score. Adriana Leon is one of those players that is never going to give up and never going to quit. You saw that tonight, she was a sparkplug.”
A loud crowd of 28,017 fans took in the match, including a large contingent of Chilliwackians who traveled into the city by bus.
It was the largest crowd Team Canada has ever played in front of in British Columbia, and head coach John Herdman said his team was energized by the fans.
“The crowd was great, everyone was on their feet and the only thing that’s bruising is to not come off with a win tonight,” Herdman noted. “There’s an exciting future for Canada here. We have had extensive training leading up to this game, we know what the USA can do and it was nice to see the preparations worked. I am really proud of every player on the field.”
The teams play again Sunday in San Jose, CA.
See canadasoccer.com for more.
