ALAJUELA — Anabelle Chukwu scored twice as Canada opened play at the CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship on Thursday with a comfortable 7-1 win over Panama.
The 18-year-old from Ottawa added to her Canadian youth international scoring record, previously held by Christine Sinclair. Chukwu now has 36 goals in 38 games from the under-15 to under-20 level.
Jadea Collin, Jeneva Hernandez Gray, Lea Larouche, Stephanie Schoeley and Liana Tarasco also scored for Canada, which led 5-1 at the half.
Chukwu and Hernandez Gray were substituted at halftime with the game well in hand.
Canada continues Group B play on Saturday against Nicaragua before facing defending champion Mexico on Monday.
The eight-team CONCACAF tournament, which runs through June 8 at Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium in Alajuela, will send four CONCACAF sides to the 24-team FIFA U-20 World Cup, scheduled for September 2026, in Poland.
Group A features host Costa Rica, the United States, Puerto Rico and Guyana, The top two from each group will advance to the semifinals, securing World Cup qualification in the process.
Hernandez Gray, who plays in Portugal for Sporting CP, has one senior cap for Canada. Chukwu, who plays collegiate soccer at Notre Dame, has been called into camp by the Canadian senior side but has yet to win a cap.
Sherline King scored for Panama, taking advantage of a Canadian turnover to cut the deficit to 3-1 in the 24th minute.
Canada outshot Panama 17-1 (10-1 in shots on target) in the first half and had five corners to none for Panama with 68 percent possession. The final shot count was 30-2 (12-2 in shots on target).
Hernandez Gray's goal, which put Canada up 2-0 in the 18th minute, was a beauty. She shifted the ball to her right to evade a defender and then, from the edge of the penalty box, fired a low shot into the corner.
Schoeley and Tarasco added late goals in the 85th and 93rd minute.
Panama had to replace injured goalkeeper Nicollete Mas just seven minutes into the game with Elsa Grant taking over.
The U.S. and Mexico, as the top-ranked countries in CONCACAF, skipped the qualifying round and were given direct entry to the CONCACAF championship. Canada and 23 other teams had to win their way there, with Costa Rica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Puerto Rico also topping their groups.
Canada booked its ticket to the main CONCACAF tournament by winning its qualifying group with ease in February. The Canadians outscored their qualifying opposition 43-0, dispatching Dominica 22-0, Bermuda 9-0 and host Trinidad and Tobago 12-0.
The Dominica win was the second-largest in CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Qualifiers history, behind the Dominican Republic’s 25-0 romp over the British Virgin Islands in September 2005.
Canada coach Cindy Tye has retained 18 players from that qualifying squad.
Panama went 2-0-1 in winning its qualifying group, outscoring the opposition 16-1.
Canada won the CONCACAF tournament in 2004 and 2008 and was runner-up to the U.S. in 2002, when the age group was under-19. The Americans are looking for their eighth title, having last won in 2020 and 2022.
Canada has taken part in nine of the previous 11 editions of the FIFA U-20 tournament, missing out in 2010 and 2018. The Canadians lost 2-1 to Spain in the round of 16 at last year's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025
The Canadian Press
