ANALYSIS – The CANWNT played very well as they pressured Costa Rica throughout the game. Janine Sonis scored a hat-trick for her team. In addition, there were some heads-up plays by the CANWNT players, which resulted in goals scored by Evelyne Viens and Marie-Yasmine Alidou.
The game took place at Cartago, Costa Rica, at the Estadio José Rafael “Fello” Meza Ivankovich on Tuesday.
Janine Sonis Scored A Hat-Trick In 6-0 Win at the Estadio Rafael “Fello” Meza
The CANWNT’s Passing Was Excellent
The CANWNT showed the ability to create some fantastic passes throughout the game. Some examples include:
- Kadeisha Buchanan delivered a great pass to Evelyne Viens, but she was unable to convert on the scoring opportunity.
- Vanessa Gilles’ header was off-target, as she got a fantastic cross from Marie-Yasmine Alidou.
The combination play of many of Canada’s players was noticed by CANWNT head coach, Casey Stoney, who had this to say, according to the Canadian Soccer Daily Staff:
“Jessie (Fleming), Emma (Regan), and Simi (Awujo), I think there were some really good moments of combinations to play forward,” Stoney told reporters, including Canadian Soccer Daily, on a post-match Zoom call. “I thought Simi solved some precious situations really well.”
She also pointed out the left side, where she praised Janine Sonis and Cloé Lacasse in the same Canadian Soccer Daily Staff article:
This can also be seen with Sonis’ goal, where Jessie Fleming’s fantastic cross led to Sonis getting the ball as she scored her first of the three goals in the game.
Janine Sonis Scored a Hat-Trick
Sonis had a game to remember, scoring three goals. While two of those goals were penalty kicks, one has to make those shots to make it count as a goal.
The hat-trick goal was well-taken. Even though Sonis shot in the same direction as Costa Rican goalkeeper Daniela Solera, her shot was stopped. With the other penalty shot goal, Sonis shot the ball in the opposite direction from Solera.
This is what Stoney said in Benedict Rhodes’ Canadian Soccer Daily article on the performance and form of Sonis:
“I think she’s in the best form of her life,” Casey Stoney said to reporters, including Canadian Soccer Daily, after the match. “Playing at full back at the moment, in terms of the areas that she’s arriving into, she’s scoring goals for club, she’s scored that here, she’s one of the fittest in our team, one of the fastest in our team, and she adds to that experience.
Costa Rica Made Some Mistakes on the Defensive Line
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Costa Rica made some serious mistakes on the back line, which led to Canada winning the game. The biggest mistake was Maria Coto getting a red card by pulling Vanessa Gilles inside the box, which resulted in Sonis’ second goal of the game.
However, the other mistakes included:
- Mariana Benavides made a mistake as her pass back to her goalkeeper, Solera, was not sharp, and Viens immediately ran to the ball and scored the opening goal of the game.
- Marie-Yasmine Alidou took advantage of a turnover committed by Costa Rican Valeria del Campo and put the ball into the back of the net.
The defence of Costa Rica also made many other mistakes in the back line. They gave up the ball a few other times to Canada deep in Costa Rica’s zone. As a result, the Canadian defence was not tested for most of the game.
Other Factors: The Costa Rica Goalkeeper, Daniela Solera, Had a Good First Half
The goalkeeper for Costa Rica, Daniela Solera, made some big saves in the game, especially in the first half. Some of these spectacular stops included:
- Olivia Smith’s shot was spectacularly stopped by Solera.
- Solera had good positioning throughout the game and made the saves she could.
Unfortunately, for Solera, the red card early in the second half made life much more difficult for her. She was also forced to stop many shots as Canada was on the attack for most of the game.
Credit should also be given to Canada, as players like Smith, Cloé Lacasse, and Delaney Baie Pridham (DB Pridham) were all desperate to score goals, and they all displayed fantastic individual and team play throughout the game.
Games Coming Up For Canada and Costa Rica
There will now be four months when Canada will not be playing games. They have an important FIFA World Cup and Olympic qualifier happening in late November-December.
This is what CANWNT coach, Stoney, said about it, according to the Canadian Soccer Daily Staff:
“It’s too long a gap, I think,” Stoney said following Tuesday’s win. “I think FIFA need to have another revisit of it, to be honest, because it’s far too long.”
Canada will be facing Panama on November 28, while Costa Rica will face Jamaica on November 27. Both games will take place at the Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas. These are quarterfinal games, and the winner qualifies for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and likely the Summer Olympics as well (unless the U.S. loses their quarterfinal match to El Salvador).
READ MORE: The CANWNT June Roster: Players Looking to Make Their Mark
So, it makes sense for Stoney to feel the rules need to change, as the end of this year will be very important in determining the future of this national team for 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Photo Credit: CANWNT X Account on June 9, 2026.
