In the match for 13th place, Canada had advantages in the first half, including a number of penalty corners, but between some complicated variations and some good Belgian defending, their attempts were all futile. A goal against the run of play from Pauline Leclef got Belgium ahead late in the first half, but within less than a miute, Canada caught up with a goal from open play by Priya Randhawa.
The teams headed into halftime at 1-1, and after the break, there was 35 minutes of back and forth between two equal contenders. Neither team could create much danger, there were few scenes in or around the circles, and when the final whistle sounded, the second shoot-out on Pitch 2 today was needed to separate the teams.
In the shoot-out, Belgium was the more efficient side, scoring twice from the first series of five attackers, while Canada could only manage one goal. Belgium thus take 13th place in the tournament, a good result for this very young team. Canada finish 14th amongst the 16 participants in the Women’s ERGO Hockey Junior World Cup.
