FOXBORO, Mass. -- Qiu Haiyan, taking advantage of a moment of confusion
in front of the goal, scored in the 73rd minute Monday night to give China a
2-1 victory over Canada in the third-place game of the women's Gold Cup.
Qiu got the fortuitous bounce after Pan Lina chipped a long ball into the
box. Canadian goalkeeper Nicole Wright was late coming off the line, and the
ball caromed among Wright and teammates Amy Wash and Breanna Boyd before
landing at Qiu's foot for the easy shot and her second goal of the tournament.
Jin Yan scored in the 42nd minute for China. Charmaine Hooper tied it with a
penalty kick in the 59th minute as Canada gave the World Cup runner-up a
surprisingly stiff challenge for the third time this year.
The match effectively ended Canada's major tournament play for the year,
although the team showed impressive progress under new coach Even Pellerud.
Canada defeated China on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie in the Pacific Cup in
Australia last month and lost 3-2 to China in Gold Cup group play last week.
The Canadians didn't qualify for the Olympic Games, but they will give the
United States one of its final Sydney tuneups on Aug. 20 in Kansas City.
The third-place finish for China reflects another disappointment in its
buildup to the Olympics. The Chinese finished third in the Algarve Cup in
Portugal in March and second in the Pacific Cup.
Shui Qingxia, filling the playmaker's role in place of injured midfielder
Sun Wen, set up China's first goal with a nice feed to Jin on the left side.
Wright was unable to cut off the angle, and Jin outraced a defender and
left-footed the ball into the net for her fourth goal of the tournament.
Hooper tied the game after she was tripped in the box by Bae Jie. Hooper
then converted the spot kick, her sixth goal of the tournament.
AP NEWS
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