Beating The US, Jessie Fleming Sends Canada To Soccer Finals At 2020 Games

Donovan Martin
Breaking News
August 2, 2021

Canada has beaten the United States in the Olympic women’s soccer semi-finals.

By Donovan Martin Jr

In a gruelling game, Canada has stripped the United States’ ability to progress in the Olympic women’s soccer championship at the 2020 Tokyo Games. On August 2, 2021, at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, the Canadian team beat the Americans in a score of 1-0. This point was scored by soccer superstar, Jessie Fleming in the penalty spot. Her kick made Canadian history; Canada’s biggest soccer win at the Olympics.

2-time-Olympian Jessie Alexandra Fleming was born in London, Ontario in 1998 and has been playing soccer since she was 3-years-old at the London-based Nor’West Optimist Soccer Club. She’s too played in Canada’s national team, which includes U-17, U-20, and U-23. In 2016, she participated in the Rio Olympics, helping Canada win bronze. She played for the UCLA Bruins from 2016-2019 in college and joined the Chelsea team in England in 2020. Now, she has the opportunity to add even more success to her name, with her playing for Gold on Canada’s 2020 Olympic soccer team.

Canada is now set to verse Sweden at the gold medal game on August 5, 2021, at the National Stadium in Tokyo. This comes after Sweden beat Australia 1-0. The United States will verse Australia for bronze.

“We’re a special group,” said Fleming. “I think it’s really special to get to contribute to the win. There are a group of players on our team who have been working for this for 20 years, and just seeing them so excited and crying after the match, at that moment, it just means a lot to us as a group.”

“I don’t even think I played that well tonight, but it was just special to be able to contribute to that group and just the excitement and pride.”

Beating the United States in soccer is rare for Canada. Yet with Canada accomplishing such feat, Canadian coach Bev Priestman confidently said, “It’s clear that winners win and we’re going into this final to absolutely get a gold medal,”