Allysha Chapman helps Canada women’s soccer team win Olympic Gold

Tokyo, Japan – Allysha Chapman is an Olympic gold medalist after Canada knocked off Sweden in penalties on Friday morning in the gold medal match at the Yokohama International Stadium.

Chapman earned the start on the backline, her fourth of the Olympics, and played all the way into the first extra time stanza as she was subbed out in the 93^rd minute of play. Sweden took the lead in the 34th minute, but a 67^th minute penalty kick conversion by Jesse Fleming leveled things up for the Canadian side at one apiece.

The match would go to penalties to decide the gold. Canada took a 1-0 advantage in penalties after the first round of the shootout before failing to score any of their next three attempts. After three rounds, Sweden led 2-1 and the hopes for Canada looked dim. Sweden and Canada both had their shots denied in the fourth round before Sweden’s gold-medal winning attempt sailed high in the fifth round. Canada’s Deanne Rose stepped up and cashed in the fifth round attempt to bring things level at two. In the first round of the sudden death portion of the shootout, Sweden’s attempt was saved, and then Julia Grosso sealed the deal for Canada with a conversion. Canada won the shootout by a tally of 3-2.

It was the first ever Olympic gold medal match that went to a shootout and it marks the first Olympic gold medal for Canada. Chapman, who became LSU soccer’s first player to ever earn a medal at the Olympics, is now a two-time Olympic medalist with gold this summer and then a bronze from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Chapman’s Career Capsule While at LSU (2009-11)
The most decorated defensive standout in the history of the LSU Soccer program … Earned All-SEC honors in each of her three seasons with the Tigers from 2009-11 … Earned back-to-back First-Team All-SEC selections in 2010 and 2011 after claiming Second-Team All-SEC honors in her first season with the team as a sophomore in 2009 … Became the first Tiger to be named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year with her performance as a senior in 2011 … Left the program as one of only five Tigers to earn three All-SEC honors in a career, joining the likes of Melissa Clarke, Ashley Mitnick, Chelsea Potts and Malorie Rutledge … Joined Rutledge as the only LSU Soccer players to earn at least two First-Team All-SEC honors in a career … Was also a three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-South Region performer, earning third-team honors in 2009 and 2010 and first-team accolades in 2011 … Started 66 of 67 career games in her three seasons with the Tigers … Helped guide the team to SEC West championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2011 … Also helped lead the Tigers to a pair of runner-up finishes in the SEC season standings in those two years … Finished her career with one goal and seven assists for nine points on the offensive end of the field … An outstanding student who was a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll … Graduated from LSU in December 2011 with a degree in biology.