The Vancouver Whitecaps may be idle until August 24, but their League1 BC Women’s team is on an absolute tear. You should probably pay attention to them.
The Whitecaps Girls Elite Academy team (consists primarily of 15 to 17-year-olds) have advanced to the Women’s Champions Cup group stage after a 1-0 win over El Salvador’s Alianza FC. This is a brand new tournament and the Whitecaps have already made history.
They are fresh off winning their second straight League1 Canada tournament and three straight League1 BC titles. What makes them even more impressive is that the Whitecaps Girls Elite have won 28 consecutive matches in all competitions. The last time they lost was June 11, 2023. To say that it is incredible is an understatement.
The only goal of the game came from midfielder Emily Wong in the 25th minute. She was cool as ice from the penalty spot after forward Kaylee Hunter was pulled down in the box. Led by captain Jeneva Hernandez-Gray, the Whitecaps continued to push on for a second goal but managed to handle Alianza.
Wong’s goal was the first goal of the W Champions Cup. Once again, Vancouver was making history.
Goalkeeper Morgan McAslan made four saves to keep the clean sheet.
“They are young, absolutely,” said Whitecaps girls elite head coach Katie Collar after the match. “I think one of the cool things about them being young is they play free. It’s something that we see as a super strength of ours. We definitely need some experience and we’ve added a couple of players with experience and we are definitely young in this tournament. But I think for us, focusing on the good things about it and …those kids, they’re ready to play and they’re excited to be here and they have something to prove.”
“We fought hard until the end and overall, it’s a team effort,” said Wong to CONCACAF. “We all dug deep, and we know how to win matches, so that’s what we did today.”
Whitecaps to face other Canadian stars in group stage
Hernandez-Grey was called up for the senior Canada women’s team in late 2023. That was for Christine Sinclair’s farewell tour.
However, the 17-year-old will get to share the pitch with the Canadian soccer legend one more time. The Whitecaps will face a couple of NWSL teams at BC Place.
Kailen Sheridan and the San Diego Loyal come to town on October 1. On October 15, Sinclair, Janine Beckie, Jesse Fleming and the Portland Thorns will roll into BC Place. Sinclair will play in her home province once more.
The Whitecaps will play two away matches before those games. On August 21, they head to Mexico City to face Club América and on September 4, they face Panama’s Sante Fe.
Big challenges are ahead for the Whitecaps Girls Elite team and they are going to want to prove they can handle them.