The CONCACAF W Champions Cup was always meant to be a learning experience for the Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite Academy Team
Remember, this is a team of 15 to 17-year-olds playing against grown women. The Whitecaps welcomed the San Diego Wave to BC Place on Tuesday night. They were led by the likes of Canadian women’s national team goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, (She did not play) and forward Maria Sanchez. (She came off the bench in the 66th minute)
The game ended in a loss but there were still things to like.
Whitecaps fought well
The big negative to take away from this match was the Whitecaps did not manage a single shot on target. They managed two shots total in the game.
The Wave, on the other hand, managed 32 shots and Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan made seven saves. She was probably the best player on the pitch, not just for the Whitecaps but for both teams.
Other than McAslan’s saves, the Whitecaps defended well. The back four of Racquel Partovi, Brianne Reed, T.G. Mayson and J.Q. Perreault made some solid plays to prevent the Wave from getting more high-quality chances.
Unfortunately, it couldn’t last forever.
The Wave beat McAslan twice. First, Kaitlyn Torpey found a way behind the Vancouver defence in the 59th minute.
Just seven minutes later, San Diego went on the transition and Amirah Ali beat McAslan twice.
Despite giving up the two goals, it was a solid performance by the Whitecaps.
Not afraid of a challenge
Whitecaps Girls Elite head coach Katie Collar gave out high praise for her team.
“These young players can battle against top players, and I think it shows that they’re ready,” she said per Ben Steiner of CBC Sports and the Northern Futbol podcast. “Our players are ready for a pathway, our players are ready to play at this level.”
“I think [the Whitecaps] were better than our girls thought and they realized that pretty quickly, they were like: ‘Oh, this is a real game.” said Wave head coach Landon Donovan per Steiner. “I gave them a lot of credit for that.”
Many of these players will eventually go pro and some could even play in the Northern Super League next year. The Whitecaps proved they can go toe to toe with the pros and are up for the challenge.
Up next for Vancouver in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup is the Portland Thorns on October 15. Christine Sinclair will play one final match at BC Place. Kickoff is at 7:00 pm.