December 1 was a big day for CONCACAF soccer. Mexico contested the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Final against Spain - a match also significant for featuring the first Caribbean referees to participate in a World Cup final at any level.
And Canada played New Zealand in the tournament’s third-place play-off.
Both games followed a similar pattern. In the third-place playoff, Canada fell behind early to two goals from Grace Wisnewski. Lara Kazandjian’s second-half strike gave Canada hope, but the equalizer never came. New Zealand clinched its highest-ever finish at a Women’s U-17 World Cup with the 2-1 win.