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TEAM CANADA:

Canada Defeats University of Missouri Tigers 2 - 0

April 11, 2006

Canada faced the University of Missouri Tigers at Walton stadium in Columbia his evening, their third match in 4 days. In windy and tricky conditions the National Team scored two goals in the first half, and dominated the second half, to take the match.

Canada controlled most of the game with deft ball movement and pinpoint passes, but the Tigers thwarted many Canadian opportunities with good defense and the play of Missouri goalkeeper Mallory Forst. The Canadians had a 21-6 shot advantage in the game, but Forst made six saves, including four in the second half, to hold Canada to two goals.

"I'm impressed with the way our girls played tonight," said Missouri head coach Bryan Blitz. "The Canadians are faster, more athletic and more intellectual than teams we usually face. It's an honor for our program to play the Canadian National Team. They're a world-class team, one of the better teams in the world. It's an unbelievable measuring stick to see where we are as a program and where we need to go."

Canada's first score came from a blocked shot by Charmaine Hooper. Charmaine gathered her own rebound and hit Martina Franko with a perfect pass. Franko easily controlled Hooper's pass and knocked the ball past Missouri keeper in the 16th minute.

Missouri missed a good opportunity to score in the 28th minute when Meghan Pfeiffe, at the left post, headed a shot on goal, but the ball sailed high over the crossbar

In the 29th minute, the Canadians struck again to bring their lead to 2-0. After a Missouri foul near the far sideline, Brittany Timko sailed a free kick into the box. Christine Sinclair one-timed Timko's pass into the left netting from five yards out.

The Mizzou Tigers continued to withstand the Canadian pressure in the second half including an early long shot from Kara Lang that ricocheted from the cross bar. The game ended 2 -0, and the Canadian team now heads for Kansas on their soccer odyssey across the United States mid west.