Rhian Wilkinson's Official Website

RHIAN'S SOCCER JOURNALS:

CANADA: CYPRUS CUP CHAMPIONS 12th March 2008

Including CSA Match Report

We beat the United States Uunder 20 team tonight and so we won the Cyprus Cup Tournament. The final score in the match was 3 - 2, after we had led them 3 - 0 at the half.

So, our victory was not all that emphatic. but a win is a win is a win. We are happy with the victory. We came out very strongly in the first and established a commanding 3-0 lead. Two of the goals were scored by Sincy, who won the golden boot award for the Tournament, and Jonelle scored the other. Unfortunately for Jonelle, this game does not count as a Test match, as we were not playing a National Senior team, so her first international goal is going to have to wait a little bit longer!.

The Americans scored two goals against us in the second half, which made the last few minutes of the game pretty uncomfortable as we thought back to Australia. We have a tendency to let up a little at the end of the games, and it is a good thing to find this out and work on fixing it now, well before April's big tournament.

I thought that the players of the game, were Sincy up front and Martina Franco at the back. Both played well all Tournament long, and were the back bone throughout the Tournament.

The starting line up for the match was Erin in net with Lexi, Chappy, Martina and Randee at the back, Jonelle, Sophie, Diana and myself in the middle, with Jodi and Sincy up front. Claire, Brit, Kiss, Julie and Robyn all came on during the game.

I must mention in passing that today was Julie's 18th birthday!! I regret that I am not sure that I remember my own 18th birthday anymore...... how sad. However, I wish her the very best in this upcoming year: May she score many times for Canada :)

We are off to France in the morning!!

CSA Match Report

Canada's women's senior team won the 2008 Cyprus Cup after a 3:2 victory over the United States' youth team. Canada took a three-goal lead into the half and then held on for the win despite the United States' two goals late in the match. Christine Sinclair scored a pair of goals and teenager Jonelle Filigno scored one.

Sinclair scored in the 9th and 38th minutes while teenager Filigno scored in the 23rd minute. Sophie Schmidt assisted on the first two goals before leaving the match with an injury. The United States scored in the 78th minute on a good volley and in the 83rd minute after a lucky break when Candace Chapman slipped with the ball. Canada outshot the United States' youth team 16-5.

Sinclair caused problems for the United States right from the start, creating good chances in the 7th and 8th minutes. She then put Canada up 1-0 in the 9th minute courtesy the Schmidt cross. Canada continued to apply pressure in the first half and Filigno headed in the second goal. Schmidt made the cross, but suffered an injury on the U.S. tackle.

Canada continued to build their attack through the first half. The United States had a chance on a free kick in the 33rd minute, but could not score. Canada's Rhian Wilkinson then had a good break with an ensuing chance to substitute Clare Rustad. In the 38th minute, captain Sinclair then scored her second goal of the game.

In the second half, Sinclair hit the crossbar in the 60th minute and Filigno was just wide on the rebound. In the 70th minute, the U.S. had a good chance, but Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod was up to the task with a save on the deflected ball. Canada then had successive attacks with shots in the 73rd and 75th minutes. The United States, though, then came back and made it 3-1 as their crossed found the back of the net on a one-time volley.

Canada tried to just kill the game for the last 15 minutes, but the United States' youth team made it that much closer when Canada's Chapman slipped on a play to give the U.S. an easy breakaway and goal in the 83rd minute. The score was close, but the U.S. did not penetrate with any more shots in the last eight minutes.