Hunter hat trick stuns France as Canada reaches U-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinals

Photo by Canada Soccer (CS)

LODZ — Kaylee Hunter picked the perfect night for the game of her life.

The 18-year-old AFC Toronto forward scored a hat trick Thursday as Canada beat France 3-1 in the round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Lodz, Poland. Hunter struck in the 28th, 33rd and 70th minutes. France, which topped its group, got one back through Kenza Dufour in the 81st.

It caps a wild turnaround. Canada scraped through the group stage as a third-place qualifier, then found its finishing touch with a 6-0 rout of Tanzania before dismantling one of the tournament favourites.

The numbers back up the eye test. Hunter is the first player to score three or more in a U-20 Women's World Cup knockout game across the last four editions, and she did it on three shots on target. Midfielder Stephanie Schoeley completed 91 passes, the most by a Canadian in the tournament's recent history. Canada held 60 per cent of the ball against France.

Canada is into the quarterfinals for the fourth time ever and chasing its first semifinal since reaching the final in 2002. The next test is the biggest one: defending champions DPR Korea, who beat Japan 2-0 and have not conceded a goal all tournament. That quarterfinal is Sunday in Lodz.

Whatever happens next, this team already flipped its tournament on its head.

The run ended Sunday in Lodz. Canada held the defending champions scoreless for nearly 92 minutes before DPR Korea broke through in stoppage time, with Choe Rim Jong scoring in the 92nd minute and Ho Kyong adding a second in the 96th to win 2-0. Canada bows out in the last eight, ending a tournament that turned around with Hunter's hat trick.