Canada’s soccer women upended by Netherlands, held scoreless for 3rd straight game

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Oct 28, 2025 6:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 28

Casey Stoney didn't mince words successful assessing Canada's 1-0 nonaccomplishment to the 11th-ranked Netherlands successful women's shot affable connected Tuesday.

"Not bully enough," the Canada manager said from Nijmegen. "Nowhere adjacent the level successful presumption of the method quality, quality to support the ball, winning 50-50 duels. Not to the modular that we request oregon necessitate erstwhile we're playing apical opponents."

The Dutch were faster, much creative, much assertive and amended connected for astir of the game. Missing immoderate cardinal pieces, Canada's once-vaunted quality to triumph carnal battles was lacking.

"I played against Canada, I've watched Canada and each I perceive is that that was the hallmark. Well it ain't now," said the erstwhile England captain. "So we've got to get backmost to basics. I'll beryllium honest, I consciousness similar we look similar small girls against women retired determination astatine times successful presumption of the duels."

"Listen we've got a batch of enactment to do," she added.

Lynn Wilms scored for the classy Dutch, who led the creation astir of the full evening. The location broadside went up successful the 28th infinitesimal and could person added to the pb had it been much clinical.

Ninth-ranked Canada offered a small much successful the 2nd fractional but the Dutch kept coming.

"I haven't takes distant galore positives tonight, to beryllium honest," said Stoney, who lamented Canada's drawstring of turnovers and inability to person what chances it had.

WATCH | Wilms tap-in stands up arsenic winning extremity against Canada:

Fullback Jayde Riviere was the champion of the Canadians, posing a menace down the close flank.

"Jayde's got the imaginable to beryllium 1 of the champion fullbacks successful the satellite … We conscionable didn't person capable players up to the [required] level," said Stoney.

She said it volition instrumentality clip and possibly changes successful unit to hole things.

"But who americium I changing the unit to?" she asked rhetorically. "The [player] excavation is the excavation and it's truthful small."

The connection to her players was spell backmost to your clubs and bash the enactment connected the tract and successful the gym to improve.

It was a 3rd consecutive decision for Canada, which has not scored successful 274 minutes since a 4-1 triumph implicit Costa Rica connected June 27. It was conscionable the Canadians' 2nd nonaccomplishment to the Netherlands successful 15 meetings (9-2-4).

The Canadian women, missing immoderate cardinal pieces done injury, were coming disconnected a 1-0 nonaccomplishment Friday to No. 24 Switzerland successful Lucerne. They were blanked 3-0 by the second-ranked United States connected July 2 successful Washington, D.C.

Stoney had warned the Swiss and Dutch were "competition-ready close now," acknowledgment to the "very competitive" UEFA Women's Championship successful July. In contrast, she noted Canada's past competitory crippled was Aug. 2, 2024 — a punishment shootout nonaccomplishment to Germany successful the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics.

It doesn't get immoderate easier for the Canadian women. They adjacent retired the twelvemonth successful the November planetary model with a two-match bid against No. 8 Japan, with games successful Nagasaki connected Nov. 29 and Dec. 2.

"These games are present for a reason," said Stoney. "We request to conflict close present to get retired of it, to cognize precisely what we've got to bash to get better. And who we request to bring into the squad to marque definite that we are competing astatine the highest level."

Dutch played possession game

The Canadians fell to 6-4-1 nether Stoney.

As expected, the Dutch played a possession crippled — they had 70 per cent of the shot successful the archetypal fractional — portion looking for holes successful the Canadian defence. They recovered a large 1 successful the 28th minute.

The Canadian defence was torn isolated aft a slick passing buildup that ended with Esmee Brugts dribbling past Canadian defender Jade Rose and sending a cleanable walk conscionable past the outstretched limb of centre backmost Shelina Zadorsky. The shot recovered Wilms unsocial successful beforehand of extremity for a elemental tap-in with 'keeper Sabrina D'Angelo, a clubmate of Wilms astatine England's Aston Villa, trying unsuccessfully to get backmost successful position.

Stoney made 3 changes to her starting lineup with D'Angelo, fullback Ashley Lawrence and Jordyn Huitema slotting successful for Kailen Sheridan, Gabby Carle and the injured Olivia Smith.

WATCH | Smith suffers injury:

It was an experienced lineup with the Canadian starting lineup going into the lucifer with a combined 945 caps. Lawrence earned her 150th headdress with skipper Jessie Fleming collecting headdress No. 149.

Canada could not instrumentality vantage of its fewer chances.

An Adriana Leon extremity successful the 62nd infinitesimal was wiped disconnected the committee for a wide offside. Dutch goalkeeper Lize Kop, who plays her nine shot for England's Tottenham, made a good prevention to extremity a Janine Sonis changeable implicit the barroom successful the 72nd minute.

A Nichelle Prince extremity was ruled offside successful stoppage time, connected a play Stoney said was intelligibly onside.

Canada sent connected Carle, Nichelle Prince, Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Holly Ward, Evelyne Viens and Marie Levasseur successful the 2nd half.

Canada was missing injured goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx (Juventus), defenders Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea) and Vanessa Gilles (Bayern Munich) midfielder Simi Awujo (Manchester United) arsenic good arsenic Smith and teenage striker Kaylee Hunter.