Soccer: Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe closes career

VANCOUVER –

Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe left the sphere with tears in her eyes on Friday, waving to hundreds of soccer followers who stood and cheered as she formally closed out her soccer profession.

“It was emotional, it was thrilling, all of the feelings collectively. However what a second, to have the ability to do this in entrance of a Canadian crowd with all my family and friends there,” she mentioned.

“I really feel very lucky that I’ve had this chance. I do know not all gamers get this opportunity so I really feel very lucky to rejoice this second with everybody that is near me and the nation that is supported me a lot.”

Labbe didn’t concede a objective in 46 minutes of labor as Canada’s girls’s soccer staff blanked Nigeria 2-0 in a pleasant match at B.C. Place.

Jessie Fleming opened the scoring within the 51st minute and Vanessa Gilles padded the house aspect’s lead with a objective within the 72nd.

Labbe was subbed off simply after the half, greeting fellow ‘keeper Kailen Sheridan on the sideline with a hug.

“I simply sort of mentioned `This staff’s yours. Take this staff by the reigns,”‘ she mentioned. “I will be her largest fan in addition to Erin (McLeod) and Sabrina (D’Angelo) and another `keepers that come up by the system.

“It is an thrilling time. It is easy for me to step away figuring out the staff’s in good arms.”

The Canadian girls are in B.C. as a part of a celebration tour recognizing the gold medal they received on the Tokyo Olympics final summer time.

The Video games have been a spotlight of Labbe’s profession, mentioned Canada’s head coach Bev Priestman.

“Everybody is aware of the contribution Steph had, significantly, I’d say, on the top of her profession in the summertime. She’s gone out on prime, on her phrases,” she mentioned. “It’s going to be huge gaps when it comes to what Steph brings to the staff, not simply on the pitch however off the pitch.”

Canada, ranked sixth on the earth, performed in pink jerseys with every participant’s identify and quantity emblazoned on the again in gold, a nod to their medal.

Nigeria sits at No. 39 on the earth rankings.

The house aspect was gradual to begin the sport, probably as a result of there was a lot emotion concerned, Priestman mentioned.

Play picked up within the second half and the coach thought her group had quite a few alternatives so as to add to the rating.

“We positively may have scored a couple of extra objectives,” she mentioned. “We seemed harmful going ahead and that is a very powerful factor.”

Canada went up 2-0 within the 72nd minute following a nook kick from Janine Beckie.

Jordyn Huitema obtained a head on the ball, sending it in to Gilles, who headed it in previous Nigerian ‘keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

It was the Angel Metropolis FC defender’s third objective for Canada, coming in her 18th nationwide staff look.

Sheridan made her largest cease of the evening within the 68th minute, diving to ship a blast from Oyedupe Payne simply huge of the submit.

Deanne Rose arrange the primary objective of the sport, sending the ball to Fleming on the prime of the six-yard field within the 51st minute. The Chelsea midfielder took a sharp-angle shot that went excessive over the shoulder of goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi.

Oluehi was changed in web by Nnadozie within the seventieth minute after showing to endure an damage.

The objective was Fleming’s sixteenth for Canada, coming in her 99th nationwide staff look.

The second half began with an emotional second as Sheridan got here in for Labbe.

The veteran ‘keeper saluted the standing, cheering crowd — together with a complete part of her family and friends, a lot of whom donned her jersey and trademark pink headband — earlier than hugging her substitute on the sideline.

Tears ran down Labbe’s face as she hugged Priestman, together with the remainder of the Canadian coaching employees and her teammates on the sideline.

The 35-year-old native of Stony Plain, Alta., introduced her retirement in January and has already performed her ultimate skilled sport for Paris-Saint Germain.

The house aspect managed nearly all of the motion throughout the primary half however Labbe was pressed into motion within the twenty eighth minute.

Rasheedat Ajibade broke by the Canadian defence and despatched a rocket flying from the highest of the field however Labbe dove to make a fingertip save and preserve the rating knotted at 0-0.

Canada had a main likelihood within the nineteenth minute when Beckie despatched a cross into Christine Sinclair within the field. The captain went for a header and despatched a shot into Oluehi’s midsection from simply exterior the six-yard field.

The 2 sides will meet once more for the second sport within the B.C. leg of the celebration tour Monday in Langford, B.C.

The Canadians got here into Friday’s sport figuring out that Nigeria would current a troublesome take a look at, Priestman mentioned.

“I believe they did themselves proud and it will likely be a tough sport, the following sport, little question,” she mentioned.

Nigeria’s head coach Randy Waldrum was impressed along with his aspect, particularly contemplating that a number of of the staff’s traditional starters weren’t in a position to make it to Canada on account of visa points.

“The ladies really feel proper now that they will play with anybody on the earth,” he mentioned. “However we’re additionally good sufficient to acknowledge that there is some areas we have to enhance in earlier than we will be in that elite class.”

Sinclair was honoured in a pre-game ceremony for breaking the worldwide objective scoring file when she recorded her 185th again in January 2019.

The much-delayed celebration noticed a video of a few of Sinclair’s highlights proven on the massive display earlier than the 38-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., and her two nieces took to the sphere the place she obtained a commemorative print and a standing ovation from the hometown crowd.

“The followers have been great,” Sinclair mentioned. “The vitality that they gave us, there is not any higher feeling than taking part in at residence.”

Large cheers crammed the stadium because the Canadians walked out on the sphere earlier than kickoff. The gamers, with gold medals draped round their necks, clapped and waved for the cheering crowd earlier than being introduced with Olympic championship rings.

Friday marked the primary time the Canadian and Nigerian girls’s groups had confronted one another since April 2019 when Canada took a 2-1 determination in a pleasant in Spain.

Canada was taking part in its first sport at B.C. Place since November 2017 when the ladies’s squad battled the People to a 1-1 draw.

NOTES: Two Nigerian gamers have been taken off the sphere on stretchers. Ebi Onome left the sport within the 59th minute and Grace Kanu within the eightieth minute. A ceremony was held post-game to rejoice Labbe ΓǪ All 22 gamers who received gold for Canada in Tokyo are presently with the ladies’s staff, plus seven younger gamers Priestman hopes to include into upcoming lineups.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed April 8, 2022.