TAMPA — Kennedy Fuller's 17th-minute goal gave the defending champion U.S. a 1-0 win over Canada and top spot in Group B at the CONCACAF Girls’ Under-15 Championship on Thursday.
Both teams had already qualified for the semifinals after winning their first two matches against Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
Canada (2-1-0) will face Group A winner Mexico (3-0-0) on Friday while the U.S. (3-0-0) meets Group A runner-up Dominican Republic (2-1-0) in the semifinals of the eight-team League A.
The loss was just Canada's third ever at the tournament (15-3-2). The Canadians won the 2014 edition of the championship, were runner-up to the U.S. in 2016 and missed out on the semifinals in 2018.
The 2020 competition was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Of the 51 players that represented Canada at the three previous tournaments, 12 have gone on to make the senior team including Julia Grosso (2014), Jordyn Huitema (2014 and 2016) and Jayde Riviere (2016).
League B features the next 12 ranked CONCACAF teams: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The three group winners and the best second-place finisher advance to the semifinal stage in League B.
Teams that do not advance to the knockout round will play an additional match to determine final placement, ensuring every team plays a minimum of four matches.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2022
The Canadian Press
