Canada Soccer announced on Wednesday that the Canadian women's national team will continue their celebration tour with a long-awaited series of matches in British Columbia in April. Taking on Nigeria at BC Place in Vancouver on April 8, followed by a match at Starlight Stadium in Langford three days later, the matches will be celebrating more than just the gold medal. They will be the final two matches of Stephanie Labbé's career as well, as the gold medal-winning goalkeeper takes the field for the last time after announcing her retirement in January. One of the best goalkeepers in the world, her absence will be felt when the retirement is official, but she is excited about the next group of goalkeepers coming through the ranks. "It's extremely exciting for me, I've known for years that the Canadian goalkeeper spot is extremely deep, and I was extremely fortunate to grow up and train and learn from two of the best goalkeepers in the world behind Erin (McLeod) and Karina (LeBlanc )," Labbé said in a press conference on Wednesday. "Training with Kailen (Sheridan) and Sabrina (D'Angelo) for so many years and getting a few sessions in with Rylee (Foster) as well, and seeing the strength that they have, is so exciting. They've been clawing and ripping at my heels for the last couple of years, so I'm really excited to see them step into these moments. "We got a sign of that in the past tournament in England. It was really exciting for me to be watching as a fan, and see Kailen come into her own and step onto the field and show what she's been doing at the professional level on the international stage. It was only half a game, but seeing Sabrina as well, I thought she brought incredible composure and calmness to the field and I think that both of them are incredible goalkeepers." They will also be honouring captain Christine Sinclair, who will play in her home province of British Columbia for the first time since breaking the record for most international goals back in early 2020. Julia Grosso, who scored the gold medal-winning penalty in Tokyo, and Jordyn Huitema are among the other players from the province. "I think there's a lot of relevance to Vancouver," said Canada head coach Bev Priestman in a press conference. "You've got Christine Sinclair breaking that world record, and there's a lot of ties to Vancouver. If you look at the World Cup, this team is cherished in this part of the country. We get to celebrate players who have come through the Vancouver Whitecaps -- Jordyn, Julia -- who put the ball in the back of the net. "And Steph gets to do a farewell. She got us on that podium, and I think the whole country wants to celebrate that departure, and it will be really important for that group. I'm massively excited, it's not that far away." While it is a camp where Canada will be celebrating a few achievements, it is still an important camp to prepare for the Concacaf W Championship this summer. That tournament will act as the qualifying tournament for next year's World Cup, as well as the next Olympics, in Paris in 2024. Success at that tournament is crucial, and this camp will be an important chance to prepare. "I felt like in the Arnold Clark Cup we took some steps forward in particular areas, and I would like to see that again," said Priestman. "The confidence that we showed in the last celebration tour, in that first game against New Zealand, I would love to see that in front of the home fans. "I think there's some relevance with what we will experience with Nigeria that we need to practice - player marking, transitions. Some elements that are really relevant for the summer, so from a boring, tactical view I'll be hoping to see some of that. We hear a lot about the gold medal, but I'd like to see it on the pitch. We've seen that and the impact that that's had on players' confidence." Priestman also suggested that players from Canada's U20 team, who recently finished third at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, may get a look in this camp. "I think you'll see an addition, some additions, but that group have only just started their journey," Priestman said. "They haven't really had camps per se, but that was the start. The U17 group are about to go to qualifiers as well, and it's been a big part of our system to bring youth players in, and I'm committed to doing that. You will see some players feature."

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