Canada escapes with draw

BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Montreal's Amandine Pierre-Louis scored but Canada gave up a late goal Saturday in a 1-1 draw with Nigeria at the FIFA under-17 women's World Cup.

Pierre-Louis put the Canadians ahead 1-0 in the 63rd minute after Nichelle Prince of Ajax, Ont., fed her with a through ball on the counter-attack.

"I was definitely pleased with the effort," said coach Bryan Rosenfeld. "We were able to come away with a point against a tough opponent in Nigeria."

Nigeria hit the woodwork of Canada's goal four times in the match but finally drew even in the 81st minute when Chinwendu Ihezuo volleyed in a chest-high pass.

The Nigerians dominated play throughout the match, getting 27 shots compared to Canada's eight.

Canada committed 12 fouls to Nigeria's four.

Canada plays Colombia on Tuesday. Colombia leads the group with three points after beating Azerbaijan 4-0.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 23, 2012 B5