Defying all odds, Canada's players march on in women's soccer

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Of all the stories of Olympic grit that this Canadian women’s soccer team has woven over the years, this may be their most compelling yet.

The bronze medal at London 2012 was transformative. The gold medal at Tokyo 2020 was rapturous. But the squad’s camaraderie and resilience in the face of adversity at Paris 2024 has been truly unprecedented—and it’s given them a chance to defend that gold medal.

After a 2-1 win over New Zealand in their opening match, a cloud of controversy surrounded the team. Head coach Bev Priestman was suspended and the team handed a six-point deduction in the wake of a drone being flown over a New Zealand training session.

Many argued the punishment was unfairly harsh to the players, who’d had no involvement in the controversy. Retired stars Christine Sinclair and Stephanie Labbé said they’d never viewed any drone footage in their long tenures with the national team.

Still, the players went into what seemed like an impossible situation on Day 2. They faced what was suddenly a must-win game against No. 2-ranked France, on French soil, all while carrying the weight of the growing controversy on their shoulders.

Nevertheless, they persisted.

Fighting for one another

With only each other to rely upon, the players turned in one of their most tenacious and spirited performances in years.

A first-half goal by France in front of a partisan crowd at the 42,000-seat Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne couldn’t hold the Canadians down. Jessie Fleming scored in the second half to level things, and numerous delays led to an eye-popping 13 minutes of second-half stoppage time being added on.

The Canadians bombarded the French goal in stoppage time. After all, without a goal, there was no tomorrow.

In the dying minutes, an unexpected hero emerged. Defender Vanessa Gilles, pushed forward in the team’s last-ditch effort to score, pounced on a rebound and scored the winning goal.

Canada’s players celebrate after Vanessa Gilles, bottom center, scored her side’s second goal during the women’s Group A soccer match between Canada and France at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Saint-Etienne, France. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Silvia Izquierdo

Two wins, six points, penalty erased.

Still, Canada needed a win over Colombia on Day 5 to advance to the quarterfinals. An official appeal of the six-point deduction had been dismissed earlier on Wednesday.

Gilles said the players were “gutted” to learn of the decision, but that it didn’t change their approach to the Colombia match.

“We needed to go in, we needed to win,” said Gilles. “We needed to believe in each other, and we needed to stick through it.”

In that match, Fleming whipped an excellent free kick into the penalty area in the 20th minute that was headed just wide by Jordyn Huitema. The Colombians applied their own attacking pressure, but the defensive corps of Gilles, Kadeisha Buchanan and Jade Rose held firm.

The addition of Nichelle Prince at halftime gave Canada some offensive spark in the second half. It all came to a head (literally) in the 61st minute: another quality free kick from Fleming was nodded into the Colombian goal by Gilles.

Renowned for their organizational abilities, the players locked things down defensively and held on for the 1-0 victory.

“A lot has been taken away from us as players,” said Gilles. “The one thing that we can control, the one thing that is in our grasp is the pitch. That’s something they can’t take away from us.”

Canada’s Vanessa Gilles, left, scores her side’s opening goal during a women’s Group A soccer match between Colombia and Canada, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at the Nice Stadium in Nice, France. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Path back to the podium

It’s just the second time, after Rio 2016, that Canada has won all three games in the group stage. But the point deduction in Paris means they finished second in Group A, earning a quarterfinal date with Germany on Saturday.

Germany, a traditional powerhouse in the sport, is ranked No. 4 in the world. Canada currently sits at No. 8.

The path back to the podium was always going to be a difficult one for Canada, even before all the controversy. This year’s Olympic tournament is packed with quality teams, a half dozen of which are serious medal contenders.

So if these Canadian players are to retain their title as Olympic champions, they’ll need to hunker down, ignore the noise and emerge victorious in several consecutive high-pressure, must-win games.

READ: Golden generation lifts iconic Sinclair to the Olympic pinnacle

Can they do it? Well, they’ve already done it once.

“We’ve been in knockout rounds for two games now, so we have experience with it,” said Gilles.

Whatever becomes of this team at Paris 2024, these players will surely be remembered for their poise and their perseverance.