Canada's 6-0 win over Costa Rica on Tuesday night may not have carried competitive stakes, but it offered another glimpse into the Stoney era. The result was emphatic, but the manner in which it came about proved to be more encouraging.

On a humid evening in Cartago, Canada combined patience, intensity, and ruthlessness to overwhelm a Costa Rican side that never truly found a foothold in the match. By the final whistle, Janine Sonis had a hat-trick and six different Canadian attackers had contributed to the scoreline.

The warning signs appeared early.

Canada controlled possession from the opening minutes and immediately pushed Costa Rica deeper into their own half. The breakthrough arrived in the eighth minute when Evelyne Viens finished off a well-worked attacking move to give them the lead. Rather than easing off, Canada continued to dictate the tempo, moving the ball quickly and forcing Costa Rica to spend long stretches defending.

For all of Canada's dominance, Costa Rica initially managed to limit the damage to a certain extent. The hosts remained organised and looked capable of reaching half time trailing by only a single goal.

That changed shortly before the break.

Sonis doubled Canada's advantage in the 41st minute, rewarding another spell of sustained pressure and giving the visitors a much more comfortable cushion heading into half time. Costa Rica had spent much of the first half chasing the game, and conceding a second just before the interval left them scrambling.

If there was any hope of a second-half response from the hosts, it dissipated almost immediately after the restart.

The defining moment came in the 53rd minute when Costa Rica's María Paula Coto was shown a red card for violent conduct. Down to ten players against a Canadian side that was already ahead, the contest effectively became damage limitation for the home team.

One minute later, Sonis stepped forward and converted a penalty to score her second of the evening. The timing could not have been more devastating for Costa Rica. What had been a difficult situation instantly became an impossible one.

From there, Canada played with freedom.

The passing became sharper. The movement became more fluid. Every attack carried the feeling that another goal might be coming.

Sonis completed her hat-trick in the 78th minute, producing a standout individual performance that further cemented her growing reputation in the national team. By the time she left the field, she was not only the most dangerous player of the night but had also moved into fourth place on Canada's all-time scoring list.

The late stages became a celebration of Canada's attacking depth.

Jordyn Huitema added a goal in the 84th minute, continuing her return to form after an encouraging club season, while Marie-Yasmine Alidou rounded out the scoring deep into stoppage time. The 6-0 final scoreline reflected the gap between the two teams on the night, but also Canada's refusal to settle — which, when you think about Canada, makes perfect sense. Even against opposition where the result felt assured, Canada continued to move forward and look for more. The statistics only reinforced what was visible throughout the match.

Canada finished with 68 percent possession and outshot Costa Rica 28-4, rarely giving the hosts a chance to create any sustained rhythm. Defensively, Canada remained calm whenever needed, while offensively they found ways to stretch and expose Costa Rica's back line. It would be easy to chalk the result up to ease against a side that played almost 40 minutes with ten players, but from a different perspective, this kind of performance is exactly what fans want to see ahead of future World Cup and Olympic qualifiers.

What Stoney will likely appreciate most is not the scoreline itself, but the variety of contributors. Young defender Élisabeth Tsé also earned her first senior international cap, another reminder that Canada's next generation is steadily gaining opportunities within the programme.

For one night in Costa Rica, everything seemed to click.

Canada looked confident and increasingly comfortable with the ideas their coach is trying to implement. Friendly or not, performances like this have a way of building belief. And on Tuesday, belief was in no short supply.