EDMONTON - The Canadian womens soccer team is looking to be tested before next years World Cup, and they definitely were on Saturday.An early goal by Yuki Ogimi was all Japan needed in a 3-0 victory over Canada in a womens soccer friendly at Commonwealth Stadium.With an automatic berth as the hosts of the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup, the Canadian women dont need to go through the qualifying stages and have been setting up a series of friendlies to keep sharp in advance of the event.Japan was precisely the challenge they were looking for as the reigning World Cup champions and silver medallist at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.Canada won bronze at the same Olympic Games.Canadian head coach John Herdman said it wasnt an ideal performance, but his team has plenty of time to work out the bugs before the big games begin.It was a bit rough, but it is about bringing the best teams here, he said. As soon as you give the Japanese an inch, they take a yard with that quality that they have. We struggled with their pace in the first 10 minutes, but once we got a hold of it we showed what our potential is for the World Cup.There was a 40-minute period there where the girls should be very proud of their performance and what our style can look like. If we can progress and keep that going for the next eight months, we will be in a much better place.Herdman said he hopes to have his squad play in 12 games in advance of next summers World Cup.The player of the game for Canada was defender Allysha Chapman, who earned her first international cap. Chapman said she can only imagine what it could be like to play in front of a full house in cavernous Commonwealth in Edmonton in 2015 after playing her first game in front of a relatively sparse crowd of 9,654 on Saturday.I think it would be amazing, she said. To have that whole stadium full would be unreal.The passing ability of the strong Japanese squad was on full display in the ninth minute as they took a 1-0 lead. Japan used a three-way passing play that had the Canadian defenders running around before Ogimi put the ball in the corner of the net past Canadian goalie Erin McLeod.Canada came close in the 15th minute as McLeod sent a long ball on the Japanese net, but opposing keeper Erina Yamane leapt up to corral the ball before Christine Sinclair could get a head on it. In the 25th minute, Melissa Tancredi headed a ball just wide of the net.Sinclair, playing in her 211th game for Canada, had another opportunity with a sliding shot in tight that Yamane was able to save and the defence was able to clear with Canadian players in the box.Japanese head coach Norio Sasaki said it was important that his team got the early lead, because Canada came on strong afterwards.We started the match in a good way and it was good that we scored first, he said through a translator. If Canada would have scored with the header on the cross from the right side, the game might have gone differently. Most of our players have experience with the World Cup and the Olympics, so we were able to end the game well. Im happy with the result, but it would have been better had we been able to stop the amount of offence Canada had after our first goal.Canada continued to press early in the second half as Josee Belanger got a shot on net that almost fooled Yamane, followed up a minute later by Sophie Schmidt sending a ball just wide.Japan turned the tide in the 66th minute with their best opportunity in some time, but McLeod was able to make a point-blank save on Ogimi. Moments later McLeod got a hand up in time to deflect a good strike from Japans Kozue Ando.That renewed pressure paid off in the 70th minute as Yuri Kawamura headed in her first goal for the Japanese senior team on a play set up by a corner kick.Canada tried to get back into the game and had their closest chance of the second half in the 73rd minute when Sinclair headed a ball wide of the target.Canadian midfielder Diana Matheson left the game in the 78th minute with an apparent leg injury.Japan made it 3-0 in the 80th minute as Saori Ariyoshi made a great crossing pass to give Nahomi Kawasumi an easy tap-in goal.Kawasumi also hit a post in the 90th minute.Coach Sasaki was asked about the challenges of playing on artificial turf, a controversial component of the 2015 World Cup in Canada.The balls dont act regularly, but I think if we get used to it, we can handle it well, he said. It was a good opportunity for us to play here. Our players are very short and we do a lot of sliding. We had some scratches. Maybe they could water the pitch a bit to help cope with that.The two teams play again on Tuesday in Vancouver.NOTES: The last time these two teams met was in both nations opening matches at the 2012 Olympics in London when Japan came away as 2-1 winners. Melissa Tancredi scored the lone goal for Canada … It was the first appearance by the Canadian women in Commonwealth Stadium since Oct. 30, 2013, when they defeated South Korea 3-0… Canada as hosts and Japan as the reigning champions will be two of the 24 finalists that take part in next years FIFA Womens World Cup Canada 2015. The 52 matches in the final competition will be played from June 6 to 5 July… There was a moment of silence before the game to recognize the two soldiers killed this week in separate attacks. The Canadian team wore black armbands to honour the fallen military members. 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HABS HEADED TO CONFERENCE FINAL The Montreal Canadiens scored early in Game Seven, built a lead and protected it well on their way to a 3-1 series-clinching win over the Boston Bruins. While this game or series isnt necessarily a referendum on the value of fourth lines, the Canadiens certainly benefitted from production lower down their forward depth chart.As an elite athlete and Olympic gold medallist, how did you make the transition to sports broadcaster?Well, the camera never scared me – I always enjoyed doing interviews and tried to have fun with them. And when an opportunity presents itself, I like to dive at it head-first. When I was competing on Battle of the Blades, [I was asked] to come in for a screen test with Leafs TV. It was something I was interested in, so I immediately decided to jump at it. I fell in love with the job the second they put that mic in my hand, and Ive worked hard every day trying to get better. Its my new passion.How does your experience in sports shape your perspective on what athletes go through?Being an athlete is a privilege, its not something I took for granted. And its something that allows me to connect with and relate to other athletes as theyre competing at the top level. Having been able to play at such a high level, Ive seen a lot of fantastic athletes and the way they prepare. You can relate with steps theyre walking through: going over shifts in their mind, or even calming their nerves [in the clutch]. And the quality that all competitive athletes have in common is the fact that we all want to be perfect. Thats what we strive for, even though its never really attainable. So I understand that feeling, and I empathize with them. Youre well known as an Olympic hockey player, but do you play any other sports?I was most focused on hockey and soccer up until I went to college, and I ended up having to choose one, because you cant play both. But in high school I played flag football, softball, basketball, cross country, track and field, soccer, and of course hockey. I just enjoy competing, and I think it was also a cheap excuse to get out of class sometimes!One other sport Im passionate about: I recently fell in love with my road bike. Ive got the need for speed. Oh, and I also play tennis with friends for fun. By no means am I Serena Williams, though in my head sometimes I do think I hit as hard as she does!You were a panelist for womens hockey broadcasts on TSN during the Sochi Olympics. What was it like covering a team you played for?Those are my best friends – theyre my sisters. I spent years training with them. Weve laughed together, cried together, won together, and learned together. So to step in and cover it was an emotional experience, having just been released from the team. It was also a great learning experience for me. I wanted to give not only the Canadian women but the sport of womens hockey the best possible coverage, because I think they deserve it. I put a lot of pressure on myself to come up with unique points to break down the game differently, not only to show how skilled these athletes are, but to teach the viewer about our sport, because its a little different from the mens game. Due to the no body contact rules, its a speed and finesse game. It made me proud to be able to talk about my friends, not only from Canada, but the USA, Finland, Sweden, Swiitzerland, and more.dddddddddddd To share their stories with the rest of Canada, and to let viewers know how much attention they deserve.Youre also part of the Champions network with the Special Olympics, how did you get involved with it?It was actually through Jamie Salé. I got to know her through Battle of the Blades, and she was so helpful and patient – I dont know if Id have been able to half the things on that show if it werent for her. She reached out to me and asked if Id be interested in helping out. Im an honourary chair with Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, and this was another chance to give back and stay involved with the athletic community, so it was an easy decision. Weve got a really good team in place, and there are many events to come.Who were your sports heroes growing up?As a kid, you always look up to your parents. My mom played baseball. She was a rover, and she had a hot glove. And my dad played hockey at the collegiate level and junior level in Sudbury. My dad coached a college team, the Cambrian College Golden Shields, and I lived at the rink, watching them play. So my dads hockey players were my first true hockey idols. They were a big, tough team, and it helped shape my game. I wasnt the biggest, but I played mean.When womens hockey emerged with the Womens World Championship in 1990, there was one player who I played a lot like, and that was Geraldine Heaney. She came to Sudbury one year to my dads hockey school, so I actually got to play with my idol at the age of 12. She snapped a picture with me wearing her silver medal from Nagano, and I knew immediately that the Olympics was something I was prepared to do anything for. Whats your favourite sports team?I went to college at Ohio State University, so Im a Buckeye. I bleed scarlet and grey through and through. Aaron Ward tries to make fun of me about it, but his Michigan Wolverines have a hard time standing up to the Buckeyes. Ohio State-Michigan football games are the best: I remember one game at the end of the year we beat them 52-49, and I rushed the field with everyone and ripped out part of the 50-yard line. We planted it in our front yard at the house I lived in.Youre currently hosting TSNs French Open Primetime broadcasts, who are some players youre looking forward to covering at the tournament?Well, I think Roger Federer owns the title of most talented, but Novak Djokovic is the most entertaining tennis player out there. I always like watching him because he brings lightheartedness to the game. He pushes the envelope of traditional tennis etiquette. And of course the young Canadian players: Eugenie Bouchard is so young and so talented, and Milos Raonic is just waiting for his breakthrough moment. This is the first tennis tournament Ive covered, and if he does well, obviously I must have had something to do with it, right? Maybe that will be my claim to fame.Tessa Bonhomme hosts French Open Primetime, airing every evening of the tournament on TSN. Visit TSN.ca for full schedule info. 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