VANCOUVER - Second-half substitute Aya Sameshima scored in stoppage time after Sophie Schmidt had tied it late as Japan defeated Canada 3-2 on Tuesday in a wild international women's soccer friendly.
Sameshima jumped on a mistake in defence and moved in alone on Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe before burying the winner.
Schmidt brought her team level moments earlier with her second of the night for Canada after Yuki Ogimi scored in the 76th to give Japan a 2-1 lead. Ogimi, who also scored in Japan's 3-0 victory over Canada on Saturday in Edmonton, pounced on an error by Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan and lobbed a shot up and over a helpless Labbe to break a 1-1 tie.
Asana Nagasato also scored for Japan, which is ranked third in the world by FIFA.
Down 1-0 in the second half, No. 8 Canada tied things in the 58th minute when Schmidt rifled a shot off a corner kick that Japanese goalkeeper Miho Fukumoto completely whiffed on moments after Jessie Fleming was denied in front of goal.
The effort cancelled out a stunning volley from Nagasato after another corner that gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute. Schmidt could only clear the ball as far as Nagasato, who pounded a shot off the crossbar and in from about 25 yards out past Labbe.
The game was played on the turf at B.C. Place Stadium, which will host the final of next summer's Women's World Cup.
Canadian head coach John Herdman made five changes from Saturday's lineup, including Labbe getting a start ahead of Erin McLeod. Herdman said before the match that McLeod — who backstopped Canada to bronze at the 2012 Olympics — remains his first choice, but added that competition for spots is a good thing.
Japanese head coach Norio Sasaki — whose team is the reigning world champions and Olympic bronze medallists — made nine changes to his starting 11, including all three goal scorers from Saturday.
Canada played well for stretches in Saturday's loss but was undone by Japan's superior class.
Outside of captain Christine Sinclair, goal scoring has been a consistent problem for Canada and Herdman is trying out different tactics and personnel in the buildup to the showcase tournament.
Fleming moved in on a 2-on-1 break in the seventh minute, but decided on an aerial pass that failed to connect when a better option might have been to put a shot on target.
Sinclair had an effort blocked in 16th minute and another headed chance in the 26th. Fleming tried her luck again in the 28th minute, but her shot was blocked and Adriana Leon missed on the follow up.
Leon then missed another grade-A chance at the end of the half after taking a Sinclair.
Canada returned to B.C. Place for the first time since a 2-1 defeat to Germany in June that saw the visitors waste a number of chances in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the scoreline suggested.
Canadian midfielder Diana Matheson, who scored the goal in Canada's 1-0 Olympic bronze-medal victory against France two years ago, suffered a knee injury Saturday and was not available for the game. ...
A group of elite female players have filed a human rights complaint that FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association are discriminating against women by making them play on artificial turf when the men's World Cup is held on natural grass. There are no Canadian players named to avoid conflicts with the CSA, which doubles as the tournament's national organizing committee. ... Attendance was 14,328.
