COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ally Sentnor netted the lone goal in the 55th minute, leading the United States to a 1-0 victory over Canada on Wednesday during the SheBelieves Cup.
Sentnor, who recorded her seventh international goal, found the net after a corner taken by Rose Lavelle. She distinguished herself by gathering the ball mid-air and striking it past two defenders, along with Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
The U.S. secured its seventh consecutive shutout, having not conceded a goal since a 3-1 win against Portugal last October.
With two wins, the United States leads the SheBelieves standings, ahead of Canada and Colombia, both having recorded one win. Earlier Wednesday, Colombia edged Argentina 1-0 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Stadium.
“Honestly, our goal was just to win the game,” stated Sentnor. “Knowing it was a rivalry match, we anticipated a tough performance from Canada, and they gave us one. We really had to earn this victory.”
The matchup marks the U.S. team’s dominance over Canada, boasting a record of 55 wins, 4 losses, and 9 draws since their initial encounter in 1986. The last time the U.S. faced Canada, they secured a 3-0 victory in July 2025.
Canada’s last triumph in this rivalry was during the Tokyo Olympics when Jessie Fleming converted a penalty for a 1-0 semifinal win, leading them to the gold medal.
U.S. coach Emma Hayes opted to include Trinity Rodman in the starting lineup, despite her sustaining a blow to the back in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Argentina in Nashville. Rodman has been dealing with a recurring back injury.
Canada, which secured a 4-1 win against Colombia in their tournament opener, was missing Fleming due to an illness.
“I believe we were competitive throughout the match. We maintained our spacing well and showed good discipline,” commented Canada coach Casey Stoney. “There were opportunities in their box where we could have exhibited more composure.”
Despite dominating ball possession at nearly 70%, the first half ended with no goals scored.
Sentnor, who plays for the Kansas City Current, broke the deadlock with her third goal of the year. The 22-year-old was recognized as U.S. Soccer’s young player of the year in 2024.
The United States will face Colombia in the tournament finale on Saturday in Harrison, New Jersey, while Canada will take on Argentina in the early fixture.
This marks the 11th annual SheBelieves Cup hosted by the United States, with Canada participating for the fourth time.