Canada shut out in road loss by Switzerland

• Canada 0, Switzerland 1 (Pilgrim 12’)  
• Olivia Smith subbed out in 1st half with an apparent ankle injury  
• PSG’s Florianne Jourde earns her senior team debut for Canada  

The message from Casey Stoney to her Canadian women’s team was crystal clear in the buildup to Friday’s friendly with Switzerland.    

“The level needs to go up,” Stoney said, a not-so-veiled reference to her side’s poor showing in its previous outing in the summer.    

But the passive Canadians looked second-best against the Swiss, squandering several scoring chances and allowing themselves to be physically bullied in a 1-0 loss at the Swissporarena in Lucerne.    

Without any FIFA windows in August or September, this was Canada’s first match since suffering a humbling 3-0 defeat to the United States in Washington, D.C. on July 2 in a game that Stoney called "a reality check" for her team. Rather than raise the level, the Canadians maintained the status quo en route to losing consecutive matches for the first time since 2024 prior to Stoney’s appointment in January.