Canada's national women's footy team has come of age, winning
two close-fought games against a favoured USA team in Toronto this past
weekend. The results reflect the rapid growth in the number of women
playing Australian football across Canada and their skill acquisition
during the past three years. Canada was handed two heavy defeats when
the two nations previously met at Vancouver's Thunderbird Stadium in
2007. Subsequently, AFL Canada set up a national development program
for women's footy, which has seen clubs established in Calgary,
Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and has instigated a national
championship tournament. This growth has been mirrored across the
border, where women's footy clubs are now playing in 9 US states and the
national 'Freedom' squad successfully tour Australia during 2009.
The bulk of Canada's Northern Lights players were supplied
by the Calgary Kookaburras club, which won the 2009 Canadian National
Championship and was runner-up in the USA equivalent. All of the other
clubs were represented, with four players included from the 2007 team
and several graduates of the Vancouver junior footy league in
attendance. Neither team expected a one-sided tournament as in 2007,
though the Freedom's recent tour of Australia meant that they went into
the weekend with greater experience at the elite level.
On Saturday, the women played for the newly-struck 49th Parallel
Cup, which is a impressive piece of silverware fitting for the growing
Canada-US rivalry in women's footy. The Northern Lights got on the
scoreboard early, kicking two goals in the first quarter and pressuring
the Americans across the large Humber College oval. The Freedom girls
clawed back in the second quarter, but poor kicking and solid defence in
the Canadian backline kept the Northern Lights ahead at half time. The
USA continued to press during the third period, but several injuries
kept them from gaining momentum, and Canada maintained a two-goal lead
heading into three-quarter time. The final quarter saw the Canadians
pepper their goals, but poor kicking accuracy kept the scoreline
respectable until the final siren.
Calgarian Lesley Zmurchuk was named best-on-ground following a
dominant display on the wing, with Baltimore's Eileen Geoghegan and
Montreal's Margo Legault very impressive for their respective sides.
Canadian coaches Jake Anson and Tristan Waldock proudly presented the
49th Parallel Cup and winner's medallions to the Northern Lights players
at the commencement of the day and were effusive in praise for their
young team.
49th Parallel Cup Final Score
Canada 4.12.26
USA 2.4.16
Goals
Canada Beck Jones 1, Lesky Zmurchuk 1, Katelyn Nanka 1, Lori Bossert 1.
USA Emily Riehl 1, Kathryn Hogg 1
Best
Canada: Lesley Zmurchuk, Aimeee Legault, Hillary Perry, Erin LeBlanc, Marlena Ginocchio, Margo Legault.
USA: Eileen Geoghegan, Monica Robbins, Emily Riehl, Erin Yiakos, Hallie Lee, Judith Stein
Umpires' MVP Lesly Zmurchuk Canada
Unlike the men's tournament, the women played a second game on Sunday to further the development of their players.
Due to injuries to the US team, the teams fielded 16 players
on Sunday, providing lots of space on the Humber College oval and providing Canada with greater bench depth than the Freedom.
Canada dominated the game early, winning much of the contested ball
and kicking four goals during the first quarter to set up a healthy
quarter-time lead. The Freedom found rhythm during the following two
quarters, using space around the ground better and showing their
experience gained from playing Australian representative sides on tour
in 2009. The Northern Lights kicked a late goal in the third term to go
into the final break trailing the US by less than a goal. The final
quarter saw Canada's fresher legs lead them home, as full-forward Beck
Jones kicked three goals for the home side, which ran out four-goal
victors. The overall standard of footy on Sunday was superior to that
shown the day before, and both nations will take a lot away from two
high-quality hit outs as they prepare for future international tours.
Canada vs. USA Challenge Final Scores
Canada 10.6.64
USA 6.7.43
Goals
Canada: Beck Jones 3, Paige Wilson, Natasha Murphey, Katelyn Nanka,
Neda Dalili, Lyndsay Smith, Leslie Gurba, Sherelle Kelly-Witt.
USA: Eileen Geoghegan 2, Andrea Casillas 2, Marie LaVictoire 1, Amy Stewart 1
Best
Canada: Lesley Zmurchuk, Beck Jones, Erin LeBlanc, Sherelle Kelly-Witt, Hillary Perry, Lyndsay Smith.
USA: Rachel Sweeney, Eileen Geoghegan, Emily Riehl, Lara Porter, Monica Robbins, Andrea Casillas