Canada, Mexico Reach Women’s Championship Game
A pair of goals by Notre Dame forward Monica Gerardo helped Mexico rout Guatemala, 8-0, in Toronto on Friday night and advance to the championship game of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In the second game of the doubleheader, played in front of 2,834 at Centennial Stadium, Canada defeated Costa Rica, 2-0.
The Canadians will play Mexico on Sunday for the title, with the winner qualifying for the June 19-July 10 world championship in the United States. The loser will face South American runner-up Argentina in a two-game series for a World Cup berth.
After Maribel Dominguez opened the scoring in the 20th minute with her seventh goal of the tournament, Gerardo, one of eight Mexican American players on Mexico’s roster, put the game out of Guatemala’s reach with goals in the 27th and 37th minutes.
Dominguez added another goal in the second half, Cal graduate Andrea Rodebaugh scored twice and Patricia Perez and Gabriela Arias netted one each.
Canada, a 21-0 winner over Puerto Rico to open the tournament, wasn’t as productive against Costa Rica.
Its goals were scored by Charmaine Hooper, the first on a 20-yard shot in the 18th minute and the second in the 39th minute from the edge of the penalty area off a pass from Silvana Burtini, who had beaten three defenders.
