Canada's Adriana Leon scores, named player of the match for West Ham United

Canadian national team forward Adriana Leon was named player of the match for West Ham United after scoring the opening goal in a tough 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday at Chigwell Construction Stadium in London, England.

Just over a month removed from winning gold at Tokyo 2020 in her Olympic debut, Leon is back playing her third season as one of five national team members in the FA Women's Super League.

The 28-year-old gave her team an early lead after receiving a pass from Claudia Walker and sending a well-placed strike to the bottom corner past an outstretched Hannah Hampton in the eighth minute.

West Ham applied major pressure to take control early on, but Aston Villa battled back for the late equalizer in extra time. Remi Allen scored a header against Mackenzie Arnold with one minute remaining to salvage the point.

WATCH | Leon scores opener in West Ham United's draw with Aston Villa:

Canada's Adriana Leon scores opener in West Ham United's draw

3 years ago

Duration 1:20

Adriana Leon of King City, Ont., scored in the eighth minute and was named the player of the match in West Ham's 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in FA Women's Super League play.

Aston Villa remains atop the standings with four points, while Leon helped West Ham earn its first point with their first goal of the new campaign. She is off to a strong start after missing most of the second half of the last WSL season with a foot injury.

Leon was instrumental in Canada's success in Tokyo, with a goal in the preliminary round against Great Britain and a shootout goal in the quarter-final against Brazil.

Other Canadians in WSL action this weekend are Janine Beckie (Manchester City), Chelsea's Jessie Fleming, Deanne Rose (Reading) and Shelina Zadorsky (Tottenham Hotspur).