Struggles continue through second straight women’s curling loss for frustrated Team Homan

The struggles continued for Rachel Homan and Team Canada Saturday morning when they were beaten 7-6 by Great Britain at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

It was Canada’s second straight loss. Hoping to bounce back from their shocking loss to the United States Friday afternoon, Homan, third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes, discovered early it was going to be another difficult game on the ice sheets of the Cortina Olympic Stadium.

Canada had a chance to get off on the right foot in the first end when it had last rock and looked set for a multiple score end. A missed line call on Homan’s first stone, a soft double take-out try, turned the end and Homan had to draw for a single.

It turned out to be that type of game for Canada. Little mistakes that cost them rock positioning and key shots by Rebecca Morrison and her teammates added up to Great Britain scoring three in the third end. Britain followed with a steal of one in the fourth to take control of a game that they never really surrendered.

“I think we’re struggling a little bit with, like, lines,” offered Miskew. “We’re throwing a lot of rocks and just missing. That’s part of curling and I think we’ll be able to figure it out and figure out if there are any trends we can find. But for the most part, close and just on the wrong side of the inch.

“Just missing, just missing high or just missing low,” she continued. “We’ll just try to figure out a way to make it a little bit closer.

“They played well, give them credit, especially Rebecca played very well.”

Winless in their first two games and outscored by a combined 16-7, Great Britain tactically blanked the second end and it paid off. A pick on a Fleury stone and Homan’s half shot on a double attempt allowed Morrison to draw for three.

Canada had the Olympic rookies from Great Britain in trouble in the fourth, sitting three counters, until third Jennifer Dodds pulled off a triple that left two British stones the only ones in the house. Homan whiffed on a desperate try to rub her own stone into a counting position and gave Team GB a steal of one.

The teams traded singles for three ends, Canada having opportunities to either steal or for multiple scores until either Dodds or Morrison produced key shots to end the threats and keep Great Britain in control of the scoreboard.

That was typical of the game. Canada was missing by inches while Great Britain, although their shooting percentages weren’t exceptional, made the key shots when needed. While the British teammates were smiling, at times laughing, and enjoying their game, the body language said Homan and company were confused.

Morrison and crew basically ended Canadian hopes with a deuce in eight. Canada had another chance to steal after a Dodds runback kicked a Canadian stone into the four foot as second counter. But with a chance to sit three and put pressure on Morrison, Homan, shooting 64 percent at this point, wrecked on a guard. Morrison, averaging 84 percent, drew the button for the two.

Great Britain outcurled Canada 86 to 83 with Morrison outshooting Homan 88 to 70. Fleury and Wilkes curled 91 percent and Miskew 81.

Through the first three games Homan is averaging 72 percent and Miskew, her lifelong teammate who turned 37 Saturday, was only slightly better at 77 percent.

Rebecca Morrison and teammates have been tasked with trying to bring Great Britain back to the elite level it enjoyed for all the years it was represented by Eve Muirhead, whose impressive resume includes Olympic and world championship gold medals. The team took a major step forward with their win over the Homan team that has dominated women’s curling the last two years.

In the other morning games, Italy (Stefania Constantini) lost 8-7 to China (Wang Rui) and Switzerland (Silvana Tirinzoni) was upset by Japan (Sayaka Yoshimura) 7-5.

After five draws Sweden (Anna Hasselborg) is setting the pace at 3-0 followed by Switzerland, Korea (Gim Eun-ji), China and the United States (Tabitha Peterson) at 2-1, Canada, Denmark (Madeleine Dupont), Japan and Great Britain at 1-2 and Italy 0-3.

The ten teams each play nine round-robin games with the top four teams then advancing to next weekend’s playoffs.