VANCOUVER — Christine Sinclair put in a captain’s performance on Thursday, scoring four goals as Canada thrashed Haiti 6-0 in front of 7,627 fans at BC Place in the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament.
"It was huge (to start strongly)," Sinclair told sportsnet.ca following the match. "The first five, 10 minutes of the game were a little iffy because of the nerves, with it being the first game back at home in such a big tournament. But we settled down very nicely, especially later in the first half when we put it away. The second half was more of a walk-through."
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It was a fitting start to the tournament for the Burnaby native, who was happy to put on a show for the home support.
"The crowd was great, cheering for most of the game, even (in the) warm-up," Sinclair said. "It’s nice to play these important games in front of a home crowd cheering for you, not against you. It was a nice change."
With the victory, Canada propels into the lead atop of Group A on goal differential. Equal on points are Costa Rica, who won earlier on Thursday 2-0 over Cuba.
It took only seven minutes for Christina Julien to open the scoring from six yards out on a Sinclair pass following an excellent initial bit of build-up play to push Canada into an early 1-0 lead.
Canada continued to look dangerous in the 17th minute, as Ednie Limage was forced into a good save after a half volley from Melissa Tancredi, and followed that up with another excellent save moments later from the 30-year-old forward.
Sinclair doubled Canada’s lead in the 25th minute, blasting a low shot which trickled through Limage. The Haitian ‘keeper struggled to adjust her feet and managed to get a piece of the ball but the power of the strike saw Canada score the 2-0 goal.
In the 43rd minute Julien returned the favour by teeing up Sinclair for a curling left-foot finish just beyond the fingertips of Limage. Sinclair’s second propelled Canada into a comfortable 3-0 lead just before half-time.
But Canada was robbed of a perfect half when Haitian midfielder Samantha Brand collided with left-back Lauren Sesselman near the touchline. The Atlanta Beat defender appeared to hyperextend her knee on the play and almost immediately the team doctor signalled for a substitution.
At the half, Chelsea Stewart replaced Sesselman.
Three minutes after the break, Sinclar hit a well-weighted through ball to Julien, sending her in alone on goal, but Brand recovered well to break it up with a good last second intervention. On the ensuing corner the ball dropped to Stewart, but the substitute’s powerful strike was parried by Limage, who eventually gathered in a scramble.
In the 53rd minute, Canadian coach John Herdman used his second substitute, bringing on Kaylyn Kyle for Sophie Scmidt.
Two minutes later, Sinclair made it a hat trick after a world-class setup from Tancredi. The 30-year-old veteran chipped the ball up over her head to find the rushing Sinclair without even appearing to look. Sinclair controlled well before coolly finishing past Limage for the 4-0 goal.
"I’m not sure (how it happened)," Sinclair said of the phenomenal pass. "Obviously the ball got flicked onto Tank, and she and I both saw their one defender that was left back came up to her to close her down, so I just shouted ‘Tank!’ and she flicked it over. It was perfect."
In the 62nd minute, Chelsea Buckland came in for Tancredi. Seconds later, Limage collided with her own defender while claiming a ball, as Brand appeared to collide with her teammate’s knee.
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The University of Moncton ‘keeper was eventually stretchered off, forcing Haitian coach Ronald Luxieux to bring in Geralda Saintilus.
In the 73rd minute Haiti used its second substitution, bringing on Kimberly Boulos for Sophia Batard.
Sinclair stepped up in the 85th minute to take a penalty generated by Kelly Parker, placing the ball into the bottom left corner for the 5-0 goal.
In stoppage time, Haiti was unfortunate to concede a sixth goal, as Parker blasted a shot which deflected off defender Fiorda Charles.
On Saturday, Canada takes on Cuba, while the Haitians will look to pick up their first points of the tournament against Costa Rica.
Herdman indicated he’ll be making significant changes to keep his team fresh for the knockout stage.
"Completely different," Herdman said of what his line-up will look like Saturday. "The important thing for us is that everyone gets a chance to play in these games, everyone gets a chance to play in front of their home nation. It’s a squad, that’s part of what we do. We’re a family and we connect through and players will get time on the pitch here. It’ll be a different team."