In Canadian midfielder Jessie Fleming’s eyes, if you don’t take a risk you won’t get the reward, and that’s what the 17-year-old and her teammates did Sunday night in Hamilton.

“We have the players and the personalities to do it,” she said following a hard-fought 2–0 loss to Brazil Sunday, as her team advanced to the Pan Am semi-finals.

Canada took the game to world No. 6 Brazil, rather than sitting back in defence. It meant risking a blowout loss that would see Costa Rica progress to the knockout round ahead of the host country.

But the defensive-minded Canadians did just enough to avoid a lopsided result and elimination.

More, the team was jazzed by a convincing performance, where they dominated for periods on the counter attack against a world powerhouse.

Now it’ll be up to the Canadians to make the most of that confidence boost in a semifinal clash with Group A winners Colombia on Wednesday at CIBC Pan Am Soccer Stadium.

Fleming, a native of London, Ont., is ready to risk it all over again.

“Any of these South America teams are great technicians on the ball, they’re all very skilled and unpredictable at times but I think this team is up for the challenge,” she said. “We’re ready to take on anyone at this point.”

Colombia will be Canada’s toughest opponent so far, next to favourites Brazil.

They’re coming off an impressive Women’s World Cup run, defeating powerhouse France to get through to the round of 16 for the first time and only dropped two points during round robin play at the Pan Am Games, in a 1–1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago.

Colombia’s group stage opponents offered the team less competition in the lead up to the semi-finals.

Neither Argentina nor Trinidad and Tobago played in this summer’s Women’s World Cup; in Group B, every team but Canada fielded a squad made entirely of players just coming off the senior tournament.

Canada will need to be up for Colombia’s physical game, which kept eventual World Cup winners United States from finding the back of the net until the 53rd minute of their round of 16 clash last month.

Centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan, who missed Canada’s 2–0 loss to Costa Rica last week because of school commitment, will prove key for coach Danny Worthington’s team.

And having Buchanan’s schoolmate Ashley Lawrence back will offer vision for Canada’s offence, which hasn’t scored in two games.

To do so, the team needs to get players forward in numbers faster, said Fleming.

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“Sometimes you’re going to concede goals because we’re taking risks in the other half but I’m proud of these guys for wanting to take those risks and hopefully we’ll see the same thing against Colombia.”

Kickoff for the game is a 5:35 p.m. Later than night, Brazil will faceoff versus Mexico in the day’s second semi-final.

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