In front of a record crowd for a women's soccer qualifier, Canada qualified for the London Olympics with an emotional 3-1 win over Mexico at B.C. Place on Friday.

Goalie and Maple Ridge hometown hero Karina LeBlanc made a victory lap around the soccer field holding up the Canadian flag with teammate Christine Sinclair.

The post-game reaction spoke volumes about how deeply this team felt the disappointment of last summer's Women's World Cup, and how badly it wanted a shot at redemption.

Redemption, they have been saying for two weeks here, can only come in London, not from qualifying for London. But now that door is open.

Burnaby's Sinclair scored twice, including a brilliant and crucial third goal, and booked their Olympic ticket in front of 23,000 boisterous fans.

"It's been an amazing journey," said Canada's coach John Herdman, who took over in September following the resignation of Carolina Morace. "They're an inspiration to their country. They knew what they had on their shoulders and there was no way they were going to let Mexico tip them over in their own country, in their own stadium.

"Some just unbelievable performances tonight," he said.

LeBlanc, who dyed her hair red, came up big when Mexico made its second-half push. She couldn't do anything about Veronica Perez's blast in the 67th minute that cut Canada's lead in half, but she made calm, key saves after.

Sinclair opened the scoring in the 16th minute, as ruthless as ever with a high finish from the left side. She played a part in the wonderfully crafted second goal that ended with Kelly Parker picking out Melissa Tancredi on the doorstep. And Sinclair's sensational chip over Mexico's goalkeeper, Cecilia Santiago, sealed victory in the 76th minute.

Still, there were other standouts.

Desiree Scott, shifted under Herdman from the wing to a holding midfield role, was everywhere, disrupting Mexico's midfield, making tackles and moving the ball. It was her breakout game for Canada.

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