Canada suffered a costly 1-0 loss to Switzerland in a women's international soccer match on Friday, losing star striker Olivia Smith to injury in the first half.
Alaia Pilgrim scored for the 24th-ranked Swiss at the Swissporarena in a game that was anything but friendly thanks to the physical Swiss. Ninth-ranked Canada had its chances, including two in stoppage time, but failed to take advantage and misfired more often than not.
This was the first victory for the Swiss over Canada.
Smith was injured in a heavy fall in the 32nd minute and was apparently deliberately tackled to the ground by Swiss defender Viola Calligaris. Smith spent about five minutes on the green receiving medical attention before being taken off the course in a golf cart.
The 21-year-old winced as she was lifted to her feet and helped to the cart without putting weight on her right leg. She looked upset as she was carted off the field.
French referee Micah Vanderstichel did not rule the play a foul, causing an angry Canada coach Casey Stoney to protest on the sidelines. Smith was physically assaulted by the Swiss from the start of the match.
One of Canada's women's national soccer team's rising stars, Olivia Smith, was injured Friday in a friendly against Switzerland and had to have her golf cart removed from the field.
It was Smith's first start in Canada since signing for Arsenal from Liverpool in July for a then-record transfer fee of one million pounds ($1.86 million).
Smith, who was replaced by Marie-Yasmine Alidou, was not the only Canadian to feel the effects of the brutal treatment of the Swiss that night.
Canada last suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to the second-ranked Americans on July 2. Stoney called the setback “a reality check for everyone.”
The Canadian women will face the 11th-ranked Netherlands on Tuesday in Nijmegen. They close out 2025 with a pair of games against No. 8 Japan during FIFA's November window.
Stoney fielded a strong starting 11 on Friday for a total of 813 appearances.
An early goal from Switzerland's Alaia Pilgrim was all the Swiss needed to beat Canada 1-0 in a friendly in Lucerne on Friday.
Canada under pressure
The Swiss put pressure on Canada early and reaped the rewards. The Canadian defense was breached in the 12th minute when Pilgrim, who plays her club soccer for Roma, cleared the ball home from close range after several defenders failed to clear the ball.
Janine Sonis will rue missing four good chances to add to her 36 goals for Canada.
The first happened in the second minute, the shot went right over the crossbar and the Swiss goalkeeper Livia Peng, who plays her club football for the English Chelsea.
The unmarked Sonis had a glorious chance in the 19th minute but her shot bounced off Peng's torso to safety. The game almost repeated itself in the 45th minute when Peng again blocked Sonis' shot. Sonis struck early in the second half and hit the goalpost after a deflection in the 86th minute.
Adriana Leon shot wide in stoppage time in the first half.
Jordyn Huitema, Ashley Lawrence, debutant Florianne Jourde and Nichelle Prince all started for Canada in the second half.
In Canada, goalkeeper Lizianne Proulx (Juventus), defenders Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea) and Vanessa Gilles (Bayern Munich), and midfielder Simi Awuho (Manchester United) remained without injuries.
An injury suffered before arriving at camp kept teenage forward Kayleigh Hunter out of Tuesday's match.
The Canadians entered the game with a 6-2-1 record under Stoney, a former England captain. The Swiss are coached by 65-year-old Swede Pia Sundhage, whose distinguished coaching resume includes stints at the helm of the US, Swedish and Brazilian national teams.
Canada is unbeaten in its five previous meetings with Switzerland (4-0-1) and has won its last three matches, most recently 1-0 in a round of 16 match in Vancouver at the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Switzerland hosted the UEFA Women's Championship this summer, losing 2-0 to Spain in the quarter-finals.
The Swiss were relegated from League A of the UEFA Women's Nations League in June after finishing last (0-4-2) in a group that included sixth-place France, 13th-place Norway and 17th-place Iceland. Portugal at number 23, Scotland at number 25 and Wales at number 32 were also relegated to League B.
The relegation extends Switzerland's qualifying path to the 2027 World Cup. Following the November draw, the Swiss will play in a group of four teams who will compete over six match days between February and June next year for a place in the knockout stages. They will then need to go through two more rounds of negotiations to book a ticket to the World Cup in Brazil.
