乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 up to the gods now.乌鸦传媒�
Those were the six words Bev Priestman, head coach of Canada乌鸦传媒檚 national women乌鸦传媒檚 soccer team, leaned in and said to longtime equipment manager 乌鸦传媒� and Semiahmoo Peninsula resident 乌鸦传媒� Maeve Glass, in the moments before the penalty shootout began between Canada and Sweden in the final match at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
The two teams had already battled in sweltering heat at Yokohama Stadium for 120 minutes, each scoring once. Now, a gold medal would be determined by penalty kicks.
And though the shootout took an agonizing six rounds to decide, the soccer deities Priestman had invoked ultimately looked favourably on the Canadians, who won on a strike from 20-year-old Vancouver native Julia Grosso, who was still in elementary school when Glass 乌鸦传媒� the former president of Peace Arch Soccer 乌鸦传媒� made her Olympic debut with the Canadian squad at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 still on Cloud 9乌鸦传媒� it hasn乌鸦传媒檛 really sunk in yet. It was absolutely amazing,乌鸦传媒� Glass told Peace Arch News Wednesday, just two days after arriving home.
That gold-medal match was watched by 乌鸦传媒� including many on the West Coast, who woke up at 5 a.m. to tune in 乌鸦传媒� and though viewers were no doubt on pins and needles for much of the morning, Glass insisted the team was cool and collected until that final goal.
However, once Grosso scored, 乌鸦传媒渋t was like an out-of-body experience.乌鸦传媒�
Before Grosso乌鸦传媒檚 goal, the Swedish captain had sailed her penalty kick attempt high above the Canadian net. Glass, standing next to Priestman 乌鸦传媒� also a resident of the Semiahmoo Peninsula 乌鸦传媒� said only one thing, a statement of fact to those standing near her.
乌鸦传媒淲e were all quite calm. I just said, 乌鸦传媒業f Julia scores, we win.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
The Swedish goalkeeper got a hand on Grosso乌鸦传媒檚 shot, but rather than deflect the ball up over the net, it stayed under bar to seal the victory.
乌鸦传媒淛ulia turned around after she scored, and Bev ran past me like a 100-metre sprinter,乌鸦传媒� Glass laughed. 乌鸦传媒淚t was just so overwhelming.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒� READ ALSO:
乌鸦传媒� READ ALSO:
Glass insisted that the most tense moment of the Olympic tournament for her wasn乌鸦传媒檛 the gold-medal game, but actually the quarter-final match against Brazil 乌鸦传媒� a game that also came down to penalty kicks, with Canada winning 4-3.
That victory set up a dramatic semifinal rematch against the No. 1-ranked United States team, who famously defeated Canada in the semifinals of the 2012 Olympics thanks to a controversial penalty call that cost Canada a shot at gold. They finished with bronze 乌鸦传媒� the first medals in Olympic history for Canadian soccer 乌鸦传媒� though the pain of the semifinal loss lingered.
Speaking with PAN at the time, Glass said the team was
This time around, however, the longtime equipment manager 乌鸦传媒� whose history with the Olympics dates back to 1976 when, as a 16-year-old, she took part in the torch relay at the Montreal-hosted Games 乌鸦传媒� knew Canada would come out on top, which they did, 1-0, thanks to a Jessie Fleming penalty kick.
乌鸦传媒淚 just had a calm about that game. I just had a feeling we were going to win,乌鸦传媒� she said.
Just keep saying it until it sinks in! are Olympic Gold Medallists! 馃崄馃
乌鸦传媒� Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN)
Though she was thrilled to be part of a gold-medal winner, Glass 乌鸦传媒� whose mother, longtime Surrey school trustee Pam Glass, competed for Ireland at the 1948 Olympics as a runner 乌鸦传媒� was happiest for the players she has known for years, like Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair and two of the team乌鸦传媒檚 youngest players, Gross and , both of whom Glass has known since the pair were just 12 years old.
Hours after the gold-medal game ended, Glass and Grosso had a moment to reflect on what had just happened.
乌鸦传媒淚 was riding up the elevator with Julia乌鸦传媒� and I said to her, 乌鸦传媒榊ou guys, this is going to change your life in such a good way, you just have no idea.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
While the Tokyo Olympics were a unique experience even for Olympic veterans due to COVID-19 protocols 乌鸦传媒� there were countless COVID-19 tests, no fans in attendance and Olympians were only allowed to be in Japan a few days before their event, then were ushered home almost immediately after 乌鸦传媒� Glass said the Games were still incredible.
乌鸦传媒淎fter the semifinal, we got to go into the Olympic Village 乌鸦传媒� we hadn乌鸦传媒檛 been there yet, we weren乌鸦传媒檛 staying there. I think for a lot of the newcomers, the first-time Olympians, that乌鸦传媒檚 when it really started to feel like the Olympics,乌鸦传媒� she said.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e been to five Olympics now, and this village was one of the best I乌鸦传媒檝e been to. You have to hand it to the Japanese 乌鸦传媒� in really, really difficult circumstances, they pulled it off and it was amazing.乌鸦传媒�
Back home in South Surrey, Glass is still battling jet lag and a little bit of a 乌鸦传媒渟urreal乌鸦传媒� feeling, knowing she was a part of such a historic moment for Canadian soccer. She noted that Priestman has also had to adjust since returning.
乌鸦传媒淚 talked to Bev yesterday and she said everywhere she goes 乌鸦传媒� she was down at White Rock beach 乌鸦传媒� people are stopping her and congratulating her,乌鸦传媒� Glass explained. 乌鸦传媒淪he said she乌鸦传媒檚 went out for dinner a couple times and nobody will let her pay. I just told her to enjoy it, because she乌鸦传媒檚 worked her backside off for it.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 very cool.乌鸦传媒�
sports@peacearchnews.com
Like us on and follow us on
