Canada, Iceland play to scoreless draw in women’s international soccer friendly

Canada and Iceland faced off in a women’s international soccer friendly, resulting in a scoreless draw. The game lacked excitement as both teams struggled to create scoring opportunities, with the shots on target offering little challenge to the goalkeepers.

The Canadian women, ranked sixth in the world, will now shift their focus to a match against South Korea, ranked 19th, at the Pinatar Arena on Tuesday. Despite the stalemate against Iceland, interim coach Cindy Tye highlighted the team’s ability to handle Iceland’s physical and transitional style of play.

Canada dominated possession and outshot Iceland 14-10, with a 57% possession rate. Vanessa Gilles and Jayde Riviere showcased their passing accuracy from the backline, but Canada failed to convert their superiority into goals.

Iceland, ranked 13th, adopted a defensive approach and looked to capitalize on counterattacks. They created a promising chance in the 20th minute, only to be denied by Canadian goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo. D’Angelo sustained a knock during the collision but was replaced by Lysianne Proulx in the second half, earning her first senior cap.

Despite Canada’s efforts to break the deadlock, the game ended in a draw. Jessie Fleming and Olivia Smith injected energy into the Canadian attack when they came on as substitutes. Deanne Rose and Smith came close to scoring in the latter stages of the game, but were unable to find the back of the net.

The match against Iceland followed Canada’s 1-1 draw with Spain in the October international window. Iceland, coming off two defeats against the top-ranked United States, displayed a strong performance against Canada. They recently secured a spot in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Championship after finishing as runners-up in the qualifying campaign.

Ashley Lawrence captained the Canadian squad for the first time, leading a team with a combined total of 772 caps. The Iceland lineup featured players from top clubs across Europe, including Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Wolfsburg.

Canada has had a successful year, with an 8-0-7 record, including notable performances in major tournaments. The team is currently without several key players due to injuries and personal reasons.

As Canada continues to search for a permanent head coach following the Olympic drone-spying scandal, Tye is overseeing the team in November. The coaching staff, including Bev Priestman, Jasmine Mander, and Joey Lombardi, are serving suspensions from FIFA in connection to the scandal.

Despite the challenges, the Canadian women’s team remains focused on their upcoming matches and aims to build on their strong performances in international competition.