Matheson ’08 and Canada suffer crucial defeat to skillful German team

In a closely watched rematch between two powerhouses this afternoon, Germany eliminated Diana Matheson ’08 and the Canadian women’s soccer team from gold medal contention. In the day’s second semifinal match, Canada could not reproduce its earlier success and fell, 0-2, to the Germans.

Heading into today’s match, many held their breath for yet another upset. After defeating all three opponents in group play, including the same No. 2 German team, Canada overtook France to advance into the semifinals. During the unexpected streak, Princetonian Matheson led the team, not with her scoring, but with her veteran leadership as a four-time FIFA Women's World Cup veteran.

Today, the Canadians failed to generate the same offensives. An early error translated into a penalty kick and Germany’s first point. While the Canadians remained unfazed and offensively aggressive, the German defense proved insurmountable. By the 60th minute, the Germans had scored yet another goal, thanks to Sara Daebritz.

In the 77th minute, Matheson attempted to take matters into her own hands and score her first goal of these Games, but German goalkeeper Almuth Schult ended the Princeton alum’s scoring pursuits. The save also paved the way to a German shutout of the Canadians.

Despite the loss, Matheson still has the chance to medal in Rio with the bronze medal match against Brazil on Friday at 12:00 p.m. EDT. The Brazilians, similar to the Americans, suffered a heartbreaking loss to Sweden earlier today off a single penalty-kick differential. With both teams refusing to walk away empty handed, Canada and Brazil will surely put everything on the line come Friday.