Canada will defend gold medal after beating Jamaica in Olympic qualifier

The reigning Olympic gold medalist in women's soccer will defend its title in Paris next year.

Canada's women's national team defeated CONCACAF peer Jamaica 2-1 on Tuesday in the second leg of their Olympic play-in clash, sealing a 4-1 aggregate triumph to secure a berth in the 2024 tournament.

After a gorgeous free-kick from Drew Spence gave Jamaica a surprising lead in the 33rd minute, Canada regrouped to ensure there would be no upset on a picturesque night in Toronto. Cloe Lacasse grabbed the equalizer just six minutes later, and Jordyn Huitema came off the bench to head home the winning tally in the 50th minute in front of 29,212 fans at BMO Field.

Canada, ranked No. 10 in the world, took the first leg 2-0 last week in Kingston.

"It means everything," forward Adriana Leon, who scored in the first leg, told reporters after Tuesday's match. "To be able to go back to the Olympics and defend our gold medal, it's everything we wanted and hopefully (we can) just go to the Olympics firing, ready to bring home another gold medal."

The Canadians will now feature in their fifth consecutive Olympics in women's soccer. They claimed back-to-back bronze medals in 2012 and 2016 before nabbing the top spot on the podium in Tokyo.

Bev Priestman's side, coming off a disappointing display at the recent World Cup, is the fifth team thus far to qualify for next summer's event in France. Canada joins the host nation, the United States, Brazil, and Colombia.

The women's soccer tournament will feature 12 teams in total.

The U.S. qualified directly for the Olympics by winning the CONCACAF W Championship in 2022, defeating Canada in the final and clinching the first of two places in Paris allocated to the confederation.