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www.oakvillebeaver.com Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2008 35 THRILL OF VICTORY: Oakville's Kara Lang celebrates her game-winning goal Wednesday in Canada's 2-1 victory as Argentine keeper Vanina Correa cringes after surrendering Canada's second goal. STEVE RUSSELL / TORSTAR NEWS SERVICES Lang helps Canada claim first Olympic victory By Doug Smith TORSTAR NEWS SERVICES TIANJIN ­ Candace Chapman made history. It just took her a minute to realize it. With a well-placed blast from about 30 metres out, the Ajax native scored the first goal for Canada in Olympic women's soccer history Wednesday. Oakville's Kara Lang would add another historic moment, scoring the game-winning goal in the 71st minute, propelling her team to a 2-1 victory over Argentina to open the Beijing Games. "After the ball went in the net, I turned around and it just hit me that this is the first goal we've ever had in the Olympics," said Chapman. "It was a special moment for me and my teammates." Canada controlled the match pretty well from start to finish, outshooting Argentina 9-3. Even an 85th-minute goal by Argentina's Ludmila Manicler couldn't dampen the celebration of Canada's debut in Olympic women's soccer. "It's huge," said striker Christine Sinclair. "Obviously we didn't play as well as we would have liked to, but it's the first game of the Olympics. "We were a little nervous, a little anxious, but we always say the first game in a tournament is the hardest to get a result in." The result puts Canada in a good spot to earn a berth in the quarter-finals next week. Canada faces China on Saturday (the game will be broadcast on CBC) and completes the first-round on Tuesday against Sweden. Both games are 7:45 a.m. starts local time. The top two teams from the group advance and the third-place team will, too, if it has one of the best two records of the third-placed teams in each of the four groups. China upset Sweden, ranked third in the world, 2-1 in the other Group E game Wednesday. For Chapman, the historic goal came only after some quick thinking. After Rhian Wilkinson's corner was deflected back towards midfield, Chapman stepped into a right-footed shot from well out, hitting nothing but the back of the net for her fifth goal with the national team. "Chappy is just a phenomenally skilled player," said Lang. "I don't mean to kind of offend defenders out there but she's definitely one of the more skilled defenders that you'll find in women's soccer in general. She's a very technical player and her passing is just fantastic and she's showed tonight, her finishing is great, too." Lang's goal was brilliant, with Wilkinson taking a free kick from about 30 metres that the 22-year-old headed on spectacularly from about 15 metres out. It was the 33rd career goal for Lang, who now sits just five behind Silvana Burtini for third on Canada's all-time list. Lang almost scored twice in the first half. She slipped the ball past Argentine keeper Vanina Correa in the 34th minute off a long free kick from Clare Rustad. Lang, however, was called offside on the play. Then on the final play of the first half, her free kick from the top of the box was stopped by Correa. Canada had a huge size advantage over the Argentines and used it often. The backline of Chapman, Emily Zurrer, Martine Franko and Rhian Wilkinson simply overpowered the Argentine attack and Canada won nearly every ball in the air up front. The game was played in stifling heat, with temperatures of about 35C at kickoff; strength-sapping humidity and under a cloud of grey, polluted, stagnant air that's been the trademark of the run-up to the Games. "I think (it was a factor) just in the sense that you'll start to feel a bit more tired earlier on in the game than you would in another environment," said Lang. "But like I've said so many times before, it's something that both teams have to deal with so I don't think it's necessarily going to change the game too much or the outcome of the game." Midfielder Diana Matheson of Oakville played the first 80 minutes of the Olympic opener, going off in favour of Brittany Timko just before Argentina scored its goal. The game was played in front of a crowd of approximately 20,000 at the Tianjin Olympic Stadium. --with files from Canadian Soccer Association