MONTREAL — Evelyne Viens scored twice in front of her home crowd on Tuesday night.
Only it didn’t quite feel like a home game for Canada.
Viens had two first-half goals as Canada rolled to a two-game sweep over Haiti with a 3-1 win in a women’s international soccer friendly. The vast majority of the 18,321 rowdy spectators on hand at Stade Saputo, however, supported the visiting side.
"It was between pleasant and strange,” said Viens, a 28-year-old from L'Ancienne-Lorette, Que. “It was a good crowd, and we hoped we’d get a better fan base for us, but still a good atmosphere.”
Fans from Montreal’s large Haitian community decked the stands in the country’s blue, red and white colours, chanted “Haiti! Haiti!” and cheered loudly at every touch of the ball — even a routine clearance.
When Haitian captain Melchie Dumornay scored on a penalty kick during first-half stoppage time, the building erupted.
"I thought it was brilliant in terms of the atmosphere, what the fans brought,” Canada coach Casey Stoney said. “It was not in our favour, but at the same time, it just shows how beautifully diverse this country is.”
The Haitian women’s national team does not play games or practise in Haiti after security concerns forced the team to close its training centre years ago.
Tuesday’s match was a taste of what it would feel like.
"We knew that in Montreal, we'd be playing at home,” Haiti coach Malou Quignette said. “It was ‘magnifique.’ We played with 13, I don’t even know how many — 18,000.”
One fan invaded the pitch in the 88th minute and briefly hugged Haiti’s Roseline Eloissaint before security rushed in to escort him off the pitch.
Many more jumped over the barrier around the field while players applauded the crowd after the match. One fan running proudly with a Haitian flag dodged a few security guards to the crowd’s delight before getting tackled.
“I expected there to be a lot of people because I know there are a lot of Haitians in Montreal, who love football,” said Dumornay, a star for Lyon in France.
As for what else happened in the game, Holly Ward tallied her first Canadian senior national team goal and added an assist.
The 21-year-old Vancouver Rise FC forward made her second senior appearance.
"Oh my gosh. I have so many emotions,” she said. “This is genuinely something I've dreamed of for my entire life.”
Captain Jessie Fleming provided two first-half assists for Canada.
Seventh-ranked Canada also beat No. 53 Haiti 4-1 on Saturday in a farewell game for veteran midfielder Desiree Scott in her hometown of Winnipeg. The Canadian women improved to 5-0-0 against Haiti with Tuesday’s win.
Seven minutes in on Tuesday, Canada’s Olivia Smith needed to be carried off the field on a stretcher after a Haitian clearance hit her in the face at the edge of the 18-yard box. Stoney said Smith was being assessed for a concussion after the match.
A number of fresh faces filled Stoney’s starting 11. Defender Zara Chavoshi made her senior debut, while Ward and Emma Regan of AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League also featured in the young, experimental lineup.
The Ward selection certainly paid off.
She doubled the lead with a header on Fleming’s cross in the 23rd minute, before setting up Viens for her second with a superb through ball to make it 3-0 just 42 minutes in.
"Really bright spark,” Stoney said of Ward. “We've seen what she's been doing in the NSL, but to be able to step into this level against a physically strong Haitian team … I thought it was a real bright spark.”
Canada fended off two Haitian chances in the first half. Louis Batcheba’s shot from inside the box sailed over the bar in the 32nd minute and Gabrielle Carle slid to block a chance from Sherly Jeudy in the 40th.
Fans finally jumped out of their seats when Dumornay converted her penalty low to the bottom right corner after Canadian defender Marie Levasseur fouled Kethna Louis.
"We were expecting it. It wasn't explicitly said, which I think it maybe should have,” defender Gabrielle Carle said of the atmosphere. "I think some people weren't expecting this. Growing up in Quebec and Montreal, you know that there's a very proud Haitian population here.
“It was really cool to experience that.”
Haiti controlled more of the play in the second half — giving the crowd more energy.
“When we started to keep the ball, the crowd was quiet, like we had to have more of the ball,” Stoney said. “If we keep the ball, we keep control of the game, the crowd doesn't become a factor.”
Dumornay had a chance to cut the lead to 3-2 with a shot from just outside the six-yard box in the 68th. She almost scored again when she pounced on a turnover in second-half stoppage time, but Canadian ‘keeper Sabrina D'Angelo got her arm out for a miraculous save.
Fans began chanting Dumornay's name in the dying seconds after the Haitian captain dazzled with multiple moves on a rush through the midfield.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
