MURCIA — Casey Stoney's debut as Canada coach was a tale of two halves against China at the Pinatar Cup on Wednesday.
"I liked the first half. I didn't like the second half," Stoney said succinctly after the 1-1 draw.
Trailing 1-0 after a Julia Grosso goal in the 16th minute, 17th-ranked China rebounded from a slow start to pull even in the 58th minute. And Canada needed a stellar diving save in stoppage time by goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo to preserve the tie after a China corner.
It was a somewhat choppy performance by the sixth-ranked Canadian women as Stoney, a former England captain who put in charge of Canada in mid-January, watched from the sideline at Pinatar Arena.
"I thought we lacked a little bit of control and discipline and kind of went away from our style of play a little bit in the second half," said Stoney. "We allowed China to dictate what we did a little bit more. They were very physical. I don't think the officiating (led by Hungarian referee Katalin Sipos) helped us to play our game tonight as well, which was a bit of an issue. But we need to control that, irrelevant of the officiating."
Canada continues tournament play Saturday against No. 31 Mexico before facing No. 42 Taiwan next Tuesday. Mexico blanked Taiwan 4-0 earlier Wednesday.
Substitute Adriana Leon appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty when she was taken down in the China penalty box in the 83rd minute. Stoney said it was "100 per cent" a penalty.
Stoney was missing a slew of players for Canada's first game since early December.
Centre back Vanessa Gilles, on the occasion of her 49th cap, captained the side for the first time in place of Jessie Fleming. Stoney explained after the match that Fleming was one of seven North American-based players unavailable for the game after only arriving in camp Tuesday.
"Vanessa is a natural leader for me and it was a natural choice for me to give her the captain's armband," said Stoney.
D'Angelo started in goal behind a backline of Ashley Lawrence, Shelina Zadorsky, Gilles and Gabby Carle with Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Emma Regan, Grosso and Janine Sonis (formerly Janine Beckie) in the midfield. Nichelle Prince, on her 30th birthday, and Evelyne Viens started up front.
Canada dominated possession early on and Grosso scored the first goal on Stoney's watch, sliding a low shot past the goalkeeper Xu Huan after being put behind the defence via a well-flighted long ball from Carle. It was Grosso's fourth goal in 69 appearances.
China tied it up in the 58th minute with Jin Kun, left unmarked in the penalty box, hammering home a ball that rebounded off a Canadian defender after a loose Canadian pass. It was the first Chinese shot on target.
Regan, an AFC Toronto midfielder earning her fifth cap, was in the starting 11 and became the first Northern Super League player to wear Canada colours. The new six-team league kicks off April 16.
Olivia Smith, Carly Wickenheiser and Samantha Chang came on to start the second half.
It marked a first cap for the 27-year-old Wickenheiser, the daughter of the late Doug Wickenheiser, the first overall pick in the 1980 NHL draft who went on to play for Montreal, St Louis, Vancouver, the New York Rangers and Washington.
The 24-year-old Chang, a member of the NSL's Vancouver Rise, earned her second senior cap. Ella Ottey, a 19-year-old defender from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earned her first cap, and Clarissa Larisey followed off the bench.
"This camp is about making sure that I see as many players as possible," said Stoney. "Widening that player pool is a priority for me."
Stoney, formerly coach of the Manchester United women and most recently the NWSL's San Diego Wave, was named Canada coach on Jan. 13.
"It's obviously a proud moment to lead this country, to lead this team," Stoney said of her debut. "It's a privilege. I was just trying to make sure I got the words right (for O Canada)."
She succeeds Bev Priestman, who left Canada Soccer after being sent home as a result of the drone-spying scandal at last summer's Paris Olympics.
Canada improved to 8-14-6 all-time against China, with one of those draws turning into a Canadian penalty shootout win. The Canadians have dominated the rivalry of late, winning the seven previous meetings.
The Canadian women have not lost in regulation time in 20 matches dating back to a 1-0 loss to Brazil in Montreal in October 2023. Canada has gone 12-0-8 since then with three of the draws turning into penalty shootout losses (two to the U.S. and one to Germany) and one into a shootout win (over Brazil).
Stoney was missing the injured Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea), Sydney Collins and Bianca St-Georges (North Carolina Courage), Cloé Lacasse (Utah Royals), Deanne Rose (Leicester City) and Quinn (Vancouver Rise).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025
The Canadian Press
