Throughout this year's Women's World Cup, UC Davis defender Lindsay Johansen will share her thoughts, views, opinions and experiences about this historic event. As a Vancouver native who has competed at the Division I level for three seasons, Johansen will offer a unique perspective since it is her home country that is hosting women's soccer's most prestigious tournament.


July 2 - On Saturday, June 27, my nation faced a fellow member of the commonwealth when Canada hosted England inside BC Place. This was a highly anticipated quarterfinal match with an uncertain outcome.

Marching towards the stadium before kick-off offered a glimpse of the energy that would be felt inside the stadium. A former teammate of mine, Izzi Howard, who is from Bristol, England, came to the game with me. She stood out in the sea of Canadian flags, shirts and red paint, when walking to the game - this was a good indication of what the crowd that attended this game.

Izzi explained what this game meant to the English rivals: England, under their new manager, Mark Sampson, was not a team expected to make it past the Round of 16. However, England trumped all expectations and was about to face the World Cup host in a stadium packed with 54,000 fans - 95% which were cheering against them. The occasional call of "c'mon England" was instantly echoed by a ferociously loud "let's go Canada!"

We found our seats and took in the atmosphere during each team's national anthem. Everyone anxiously waited for kick-off, which would hopefully lead to a Canadian victory.

A ring of red was surrounding the greenery of the field, growing with energy... until an English player pounced on a defensive mistake by Canada in the 11th minute. My English friend who sat next to me was trying to suppress her excitement, especially when the second goal for England was scored two minutes later. The crowd did not cease to believe, however, stayed on its feet and cheered for every positive play.

Midfielders and strikers for Canada were linking up and exhibiting some promising plays throughout the game, which usually included Christine Sinclair - Canada's captain. As the game progressed, England began to focus its attention towards Canada's goal-scoring threats, which drew reactions from the crowd. However, in the 42nd minute, Canada's aggressiveness paid off and was finished by Sinclair, who picked the ball up out of the net and ran back to the center circle to begin play once again to help her team score the game-tying goal.

The game became increasingly frustrating for Canada since the team was unable to finish additional scoring opportunities while England continued its conservative play and wanted to simply keep the ball out of their defensive third.

When the final whistle blew, the Canadian players dropped to their knees as the English bench sprinted to meet and celebrate with their teammates. It was an emotional and disappointing exit for us because it would have been amazing to see our team play in the semifinal and potentially, the championship match.

I am still looking forward to watching the final match of the World Cup since it will be held in Vancouver, but sadly, not include these familiar players.