Chilliwack’s Jordyn Huitema plays a ‘home game’ Friday night (April 8) when her Canadian national women’s soccer squad faces Nigeria under the dome at B.C. Place Stadium.
The game is part of the team’s Celebration Tour, recognizing Huitema and company for their gold medal win at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Friday’s game will be followed by a rematch Monday (April 11) at Starlight Stadium in Langford (near Victoria).
The match at B.C. Place Stadium is significant for two of Huitema’s veteran teammates.
Burnaby’s Christine Sinclair set the international world international goal scoring record in January, 2020. The plan was to recognize the achievement in April of that year, but COVID delayed it until now.
Meanwhile, these two games will mark the end of a career as goaltender Stephanie Labbé walks off into the sunset. She has already played her last international matches with pro team Paris Saint-Germain FC (also Huitema’s pro team), and now one of the top keepers in the world gets to wrap things up in Canada.
“We look forward to reconnecting with our Canadian fans on the west coast for these two home matches,” said head coach Bev Priestman in a Canada Soccer news release. “These two matches against Nigeria in Vancouver and Langford will also provide us with great experience as we continue to prepare for this summer’s qualifiers to both the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games.”
Priestman’s team is prepping for the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, a qualifier for both the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
The Concacaf W Championship is an eight team tourney taking place July 4-18 in Monterrey, Mexico.
For more info on tickets, visit canadasoccer.com/choose-your-match/.
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