Canada's women's soccer team blanks Jamaica in opening match of last-chance Olympic qualifier

Olympic champion Canada is a step closer to the Paris Games after a 2-0 win over Jamaica on Friday in the opening game of a two-legged Olympic qualifier.

And a little farther away from the memory of a dismal World Cup.

The Canadian women had the upper hand for most of the evening and had chances to add to the lead after Nichelle Prince opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Adriana Leon made it 2-0 three minutes into stoppage time, celebrating her 100th cap with a cheeky flick of a Gabby Carle feed for her 30th career goal as Jamaica pressed for an equalizer.

The ball is in Canada's court now.

The second leg goes Tuesday at a sold out BMO Field in Toronto. Away goals score double in the event of a tie, with extra time and a penalty shootout available if needed to decide the outcome.

WATCH | Prince opens scoring against Jamaica:

For Canada coach Bev Priestman, the performance was a welcome bounceback.

"We put a lot of attention on the mindset because I felt that was lacking and affected in the World Cup," Priestman said after the game. "I told them to go out there today and, first and foremost, show that this team's character back. The football will take care of itself. We've been working hard on the pitch on that domain.

Some savvy roster moves and a shift in formation helped.

Priestman fielded a 3-4-3 formation, that at times flowed into a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 depending on the situation.

Prince and Leon worked well up front and the formation gave Canada some welcome width with Ashley Lawrence and Cloe Lacasse causing Jamaica real problems down the flanks.

WATCH | Leon scores in stoppage time:

Sydney Collins was a surprise starter, adding to that width in the first start and second cap for the North Carolina Courage rookie.

While celebrating the win, Priestman sounded a note of caution.