June 3, 2025
Canada defeat Haiti by a score of 3 -1 at Stade Saputo in Montreal
Fresh off a 4-1 win in Winnipeg on Saturday night, lead by Adriana Leon’s brace, Canada and Haiti again met in an international friendly, this time at Stade Saputo in Montreal.
For the first time in weeks, the skies above stayed dry as Montreal has been pelted with an unseasonably high level of rainfall of late. Rain that has poured over CF Montreal fans. Tonight though, the weather – like the ambiance in the stadium, couldn’t have been any better.
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There was a scary moment early on, as Haitian defender Batcheba Louis went to clear the ball, which struck the head of Canadian defender Olivia Smith, leaving her motionless on the grass, and needing medical attention. Eventually Smith, who plays for Liverpool FC in England, and had just been named the 2024 Young Player of the Year in a ceremony prior to the start of the game, had to be carried off on a stretcher but appeared to be awake and responsive.
Adriana Leon, of the San Diego Wave FC, came on in Smith’s place, and immediately made her presence known. Smith, meanwhile, was assessed for a possible concussion.
In the 16th minute, Evelyne Viens opened the scoring, heading in a nice cross from Jessie Fleming to give Canada the one-nil lead. Fleming had done well to battle past the Haitian defense and placed a perfect cross in for Viens.
Seven minutes later, Canada would double its lead, when Holly Ward also scored off a header, from a cross from across the box from Fleming that she dove into, knocking the ball into the open netting. Two quick strikes had dazed the Haitian team – but not the 18, 321 supports in the seats, most of whom seemed to be loudly cheering on the Haitian side.
Late in the first half, Viens again found the back of Haiti’s net, due in large part from a beautiful and sneaky pass into the box from Holly Ward, that found Viens all alone, on-side, with just Haiti’s outstretched goalkeeper Kaina Cesar Pietrus to beat.
Canada lead three goals to nil.
Into stoppage time in the first half, where Canadian defender Marie Levasseur brought down Haiti’s Kethna Louis. Referee Erika Gonzalez immediately pointed to the penalty spot, and the Haitian fans that had packed Stade Saputo erupted. Haitian captain Melchie Dumornay stepped on and slammed a low shot into the bottom left corner, just past the outreached glove of diving goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo. Haiti had scored on a penalty kick to bring Canada’s lead down to two goals – and the building was electric.
Several late charges from the Haitian side caught Canada off-guard as Haiti continued to use their speed and creativity to find holes in Canada’s defense.
Great chances from Louis Batcheba were troubling Canada’s back line considerably. Batcheba had a shot from inside the box sosred over the cross bar and Gabrielle Carle was forced to slide to block a golden opportunity from Sherly Jeudy. Melchie Dumornay constantly found ways to break in on Canada’s goal, and was proving to be more and more dangerous as the game rolled on.
Dumornay came very close to scoring with a shot from just outside the six-yard box in the 68th minute and almost scored again when she pounced on a turnover in second-half stoppage time, sliding into a great shot that force goal keeper Sabrina D’Angelo to make miraculous diving save, getting just enough of the ball to parry it just outside the far post.
There were several instances of pitch invaders jumping down onto the pitch, giving the Stade Saputo security team a work out as they raced to tackle the naughty fans – one of whom stopped to hug Haiti’s Roseline Eloissaint, while another fan hopped over the barrier and lead the security guards on a chase with his Haiti’s flag waving proudly behind him. Soon enough, despite some fancy footwork, he ran out of room and was tackled down to the ground, and escorted away.
Montreal Roses star Latifah Abdu, who was a late edition to the squad, was on the bench but didn’t have a chance to come on in front of her home fans.
After the game, the Haitian fans were partying in the parking lot and having a lot of fun. Anyone passing by, would have thought that Haiti had just won the world cup. It was truly heartwarming and inspirational, to see that despite the loss, the fans were determined to have a great time – and from the look and sound of things they most certainly did.
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That wasn’t something that happened exclusively after the match, either. During the game, the Haitian fans danced, sang and cheered through the entire match. Haitian flags waived tirelessly, while barely a Maple Leaf could be seen. The atmosphere felt as if this was a match that was being played in Haiti – and there’s a whole lot that the Canadian fans could learn from this.
The ambiance tonight was electric and fun. Canada won the match – but you never would have guessed that was the case. Hats off to the incredible Haiti supporters!
