How Vanessa Gilles changed the Olympic trajectory of Canadian women's soccer
Defender has offered a window into team's pain, perseverance en route to quarters
The ball dribbled to Vanessa Gilles' feet, with no French player on her in front of the net.
With one kick, Gilles sent the ball flying past the French keeper and into the net, changing the trajectory of Canada's Olympic tournament in the process. The win gave Canada the most dangerous thing you can have in sport: momentum.
That would have been unthinkable just a day before, when the Canadians learned they'd be stripped of six points due to a drone-spying scandal involving head coach Bev Priestman and two staff members.
Gilles played hero again on Wednesday, heading the ball into the net to score the only goal Canada needed to defeat Colombia 1-0 and book a ticket to the quarterfinals.
But Gilles has been more than Canada's scoring leader on the pitch.
She's part of a defensive back line that's kept the Canadians afloat through three must-win games. With the missing six points, the margin of victory was thin. Only three wins would be enough.
She's also been the public face of a team that's felt under siege over the last week, offering a window into their pain and perseverance. There's no indication players were involved in the spying scandal, but the players had to play without their coach, overcome the six-point deficit and face questions about what happened.
WATCH | Against all odds, Gilles sends Canadians into Olympic soccer quarterfinals:
After the France game, she told Radio-Canada's Christine Roger that players had been too upset to sleep or eat as the news came out over the last few days.
"We're not cheaters," Gilles said through tears. "We're damn good players. We're a damn good team. We're a damn good group and we proved that today."
Even Canadian women's hockey captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who knows a thing or two about summoning everything you have to come up big when it matters most, sent her support.
"No matter what happens next in their Olympic journey, in my heart and mind, they have already won," Poulin wrote in a message posted on her Instagram account.
"The world might be against us but Canada is sticking together and hopefully we go all the way," Gilles said.
A key defensive cog
Gilles came late to soccer. She started playing at age 16 after quitting competitive tennis, drawn to the idea of sacrificing for her teammates.
In college at the University of Cincinnati, Gilles wasn't always the fastest player. But she constantly worked, focusing on getting better in her weakest areas, according to her coach at Cincinnati, Neil Stafford.
She wasn't always the loudest leader. But people listened when she spoke, her vulnerability shining through.
And when she found herself on a big stage, she relished the opportunity to deliver.
"It's almost like she sees what she's going to do and believes that she's going to do it," said Stafford, who now coaches at Anna Maria College.
"She just manifests things into reality. I've always been in awe of Vanessa for that ability because it's the greatest I've ever seen in my coaching career."
After competing for her father's birth country, France, at the under-23 level, Gilles made the switch to her birth country, Canada, and made her senior national team debut in 2019.
Since then, she's seen highs and lows inside the women's national team programme. She was part of the team that won gold in Tokyo. She was there when Canada crashed out of the group stage at the World Cup in 2023, a disappointment for the Olympic champions.
And she's been there as the team has battled with its federation over the last few years for equal treatment.
"I think Vanessa Gilles has been a real touchstone for this team from a leadership perspective both on and off the pitch," former national team player and CBC analyst Clare Rustad said on CBC Sports Primetime after the win against Colombia.
"She's also been a big reason why they were able to close this match out defensively."
Gilles said she's gotten more messages from people over the last week than she has when she won an Olympic gold medal.
WATCH | How Canada can approach quarterfinal match against Germany:
After a difficult week, she said all she felt now was pride: for her teammates, for the staff remaining in Paris, some doing more than one job to replace those who were forced to leave, and for those cheering them on back at home.
"When adversity and pressure comes, we really rely on each other, supporters, fans, family, friends that have done the same to help us through it," Gilles said.
'The heartbeat of this team'
Gilles, along with defenders Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence and Jade Rose, played a full 90 minutes against Colombia.
Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who has allowed only two goals over three group-stage games, called the backs "unstoppable."
"The biggest thing about them is their never say die attitude," Sheridan told Roger. "I've never seen any of them give up, and I don't think we'll ever see that any time soon. They are the heartbeat of this team. They've always been the heartbeat of this team."
Sheridan said it had been the worst week of her life.
But she credited work on mental focus, undertaken after the tough performance at the World Cup, for the team's ability to get past the distractions. That, she said, has helped them do "the impossible."
"We have such a special group of human beings on this team," Sheridan said. "I'm just really proud of everybody."
Then she stopped for a second and smiled.
"Man, it feels so good. It does. To have everybody go against you for a little while and then to prove them wrong."
Canada will play fourth-ranked Germany in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. You can watch Olympic coverage on CBC TV, CBC Gem, the CBC Olympics app and the CBC Olympics website.
The last time these two teams played at the Olympics was in the semifinals in Rio in 2016. Germany won 2-0 to move on and ultimately win gold, while the Canadians brought home bronze.
The last time these two teams played on any stage was in February 2022 at the Arnold Clark Cup. Canada won 1-0.
The lone goal scorer? Vanessa Gilles.
WATCH | Rustad breaks down Canada's win over Colombia on CBC Sports Primetime panel:
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