ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND – Champions!
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy won the prestigious Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup on Thursday after a 1-1 draw and shootout win in the final against FC Basel.
- HIGHLIGHTS: red.sport/de-int/playerpage/1610522
- WATCH REPLAY: fifa.com/fifaplus/en/watch/4uljzsEBbLCiQj32YzWi08
Goalkeeper Leah Parsons, who was given the Golden Glove award as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, made the winning save. Captain Nyema Ingleton earned the Golden Ball as best player.
The ‘Caps earned their way into the semifinals after a 1-1 draw against Swiss side Grasshopper Club Zürich and a resounding 4-0 win over Italian club Juventus. They advanced to the final after a 1-1 draw and shootout win versus FC Zürich.
The final was a tense affair.
FC Basel scored early, with a well placed volley in the third minute. But the ‘Caps kept pressing and controlled the remainder of the match.
It looked like the goal they were pushing for may not come, but they never gave up and finally found the equalizer from Ava Jackson in the final minute of play.
The shootout could have brought nerves after Ingleton hit the post on the first shot, but they kept their composure with calm smiles throughout. They would not miss another penalty as Parsons made two saves to lift them to the trophy.
Whitecaps FC Girls Elite are back in League1 BC action on Wednesday, May 24 when they travel to Nanaimo for their first ever match with Harbourside FC. They are then back at Ken Woods Field against TSS Rovers on Saturday, May 27 in the League1 BC and TELUS featured match. Find the full schedule here: https://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/league1-bc-schedule-announced.
