Viens, Ward lead Canada past Haiti before rowdy crowd in women's soccer friendly

Daniel Rainbird · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 04, 2025 8:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Evelyne Viens scored doubly successful beforehand of her location assemblage connected Tuesday night.

Only it didn't rather consciousness similar a location crippled for Canada.

Viens had 2 first-half goals arsenic Canada rolled to a two-game expanse implicit Haiti with a 3-1 triumph successful a women's planetary shot friendly. The immense bulk of the 18,321 rowdy spectators connected manus astatine Stade Saputo, however, supported the visiting side.

"It was betwixt pleasant and strange," said Viens, a 28-year-old from L'Ancienne-Lorette, Que. "It was a bully crowd, and we hoped we'd get a amended instrumentality basal for us, but inactive a bully atmosphere."

Fans from Montreal's ample Haitian assemblage decked the stands successful the country's blue, reddish and achromatic colours, chanted "Haiti! Haiti!" and cheered loudly astatine each interaction of the shot — adjacent a regular clearance.

When Haitian skipper Melchie Dumornay scored connected a punishment footwear during first-half stoppage time, the gathering erupted.

"I thought it was superb successful presumption of the atmosphere, what the fans brought," Canada manager Casey Stoney said. "It was not successful our favour, but astatine the aforesaid time, it conscionable shows however beautifully divers this state is."

The Haitian women's nationalist squad does not play games oregon practise successful Haiti aft information concerns forced the squad to adjacent its grooming centre years ago.

Tuesday's lucifer was a sensation of what it would consciousness like.

"We knew that successful Montreal, we'd beryllium playing astatine home," Haiti manager Malou Quignette said. "It was `magnifique.' We played with 13, I don't adjacent cognize however galore — 18,000."

One instrumentality invaded the transportation successful the 88th infinitesimal and concisely hugged Haiti's Roseline Eloissaint earlier information rushed successful to escort him disconnected the pitch.

Many much jumped implicit the obstruction astir the tract portion players applauded the assemblage aft the match. One instrumentality moving proudly with a Haitian emblem dodged a fewer information guards to the crowd's delight earlier getting tackled.

"I expected determination to beryllium a batch of radical due to the fact that I cognize determination are a batch of Haitians successful Montreal, who emotion football," said Dumornay, a prima for Lyon successful France.

WATCH | Canada secures triumph implicit Haiti:  

Ward gets 1st Canadian elder squad goal

As for what other happened successful the game, Holly Ward tallied her archetypal Canadian elder nationalist squad extremity and added an assist.

The 21-year-old Vancouver Rise FC guardant made her 2nd elder appearance.

"Oh my gosh. I person truthful galore emotions," she said. "This is genuinely thing I've dreamed of for my full life."

Captain Jessie Fleming provided 2 first-half assists for Canada.

Seventh-ranked Canada besides bushed No. 53 Haiti 4-1 connected Saturday successful a farewell crippled for seasoned midfielder Desiree Scott successful her hometown of Winnipeg. The Canadian women improved to 5-0-0 against Haiti with Tuesday's win.

Seven minutes successful connected Tuesday, Canada's Olivia Smith needed to beryllium carried disconnected the tract connected a stretcher aft a Haitian clearance deed her successful the look astatine the borderline of the 18-yard box. Stoney said Smith was being assessed for a concussion aft the match.

A fig of caller faces filled Stoney's starting 11. Defender Zara Chavoshi made her elder debut, portion Ward and Emma Regan of AFC Toronto successful the Northern Super League besides featured successful the young, experimental lineup.

The Ward enactment surely paid off.

She doubled the pb with a header connected Fleming's transverse successful the 23rd minute, earlier mounting up Viens for her 2nd with a superb done shot to marque it 3-0 conscionable 42 minutes in.

"Really agleam spark," Stoney said of Ward. "We've seen what she's been doing successful the NSL, but to beryllium capable to measurement into this level against a physically beardown Haitian squad … I thought it was a existent agleam spark."

Canada fended disconnected 2 Haitian chances successful the archetypal half. Louis Batcheba's changeable from wrong the container sailed implicit the barroom successful the 32nd infinitesimal and Gabrielle Carle slid to artifact a accidental from Sherly Jeudy successful the 40th.

Fans yet jumped retired of their seats erstwhile Dumornay converted her punishment debased to the bottommost close country aft Canadian defender Marie Levasseur fouled Kethna Louis.

"We were expecting it. It wasn't explicitly said, which I deliberation it possibly should have," defender Gabrielle Carle said of the atmosphere. "I deliberation immoderate radical weren't expecting this. Growing up successful Quebec and Montreal, you cognize that there's a precise arrogant Haitian colonisation here.

"It was truly chill to acquisition that."

Haiti controlled much of the play successful the 2nd fractional — giving the assemblage much energy.

"When we started to support the ball, the assemblage was quiet, similar we had to person much of the ball," Stoney said. "If we support the ball, we support power of the game, the assemblage doesn't go a factor."

Dumornay had a accidental to chopped the pb to 3-2 with a changeable from conscionable extracurricular the six-yard container successful the 68th. She astir scored again erstwhile she pounced connected a turnover successful second-half stoppage time, but Canadian `keeper Sabrina D'Angelo got her limb retired for a miraculous save.

Fans began chanting Dumornay's sanction successful the dying seconds aft the Haitian skipper dazzled with aggregate moves connected a unreserved done the midfield.