Alidou scores hat-trick as CanWNT beats Taiwan 7-0 to win Pinatar Cup

The Casey Stoney era is off to an encouraging start.

Canada's women's national soccer team won the Pinatar Cup for the first time Tuesday, blowing away Taiwan 7-0 in the last match of the four-team invitational tournament in Murcia, Spain.

Midfielder Marie-Yasmine Alidou scored a first-half hat-trick, leading the sixth-ranked Canadians to a comprehensive victory over the No. 42 team in the FIFA rankings.

The 29-year-old Alidou, who plays for Portuguese club Benfica, scored three goals within the opening 33 minutes of the one-sided contest. She now has five tallies in eight appearances for the national team.

Jordyn Huitema, Megan Reid, and Clarissa Larisey also got on the scoresheet for Canada, which had 74% of the ball in a dominant first half.

Stoney, making her debut as Canada's new coach at the Pinatar Cup, oversaw a 1-1 draw with China in the tournament opener last week, followed by a 2-0 triumph over Mexico. Other results in the competition meant that a victory by any scoreline Tuesday would be enough for Stoney's side to win the event.

Canada wasted no time putting the match beyond doubt, with Alidou finding the net twice within the first 15 minutes.

Stoney made good on her stated goal of using her entire squad as she tries to familiarize herself with the players at her disposal. She made six changes from the lineup that started against Mexico and, in total, gave minutes to all but two players who were part of the roster for the three-match tournament. Simi Awujo and Jade Rose, both nursing injuries, were the only players called up who didn't see the pitch in Spain.

Stoney is hopeful Canada can schedule matches at home during the next international window, which runs from March 31 to April 8.