Four recent graduates from the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Super REX program, in partnership with BC Soccer, have been called up to Canada's U-20 women's national team for a January identification camp in Markham, Ontario.
Among those included from the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy System are goalkeeper Camellia Xu, defender Mia Pante, midfielder Jazmine Wilkinson, and forward Holly Ward.
This will be Canada Soccer’s second youth camp in back-to-back months following a 10-day women’s U-17 identification camp in Mexico in December. The January camp will be led by Women’s U-20 national team coach Cindy Tye.
Both camps continue Canada’s early preparations for next year’s 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship and 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic. Of note, the U-17 camp in Mexico was Canada Soccer’s first women’s youth camp since the global pandemic which also canceled the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship.
The 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship runs February 25 to March 12 2022 in the Dominican Republic featuring 16 nations divided into four groups (Canada is in a group with El Salvador, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago). From the group phase, the top two nations from each group advance to the knockout phase and from the knockout phase the top three nations qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022.
The 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship runs April 23 to May 8 in the Dominican Republic featuring 16 nations divided into four groups (Canada is in a group alongside Bermuda, Dominican Republic and Jamaica). From the group phase, the top two nations from each group advance to the knockout phase and from the knockout phase the top three nations qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022.
“It’s exciting for the program to re-launch our National Youth Teams since the start of the pandemic and see what talent we have coming through the system,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s women’s national team head coach. “These players have just witnessed our WNT achieve a Gold Medal and the role our Youth National Team Programs had in that unbelievable achievement. I’m sure they need no more motivation to put on the jersey, work hard and dream big.”
Canada Soccer will continue to closely monitor all Covid-19 developments in consultation with the Public Health Agency of Canada and relevant governing bodies through the Canada Soccer Sport Medicine Committee to ensure the safety of all players and staff.
CANADA U-20
GK- Ann Stéphanie Fortin | USA / Rice University
GK- Anna Karpenko | USA / Harvard University
GK- Camellia Xu | USA / University of Montana
CB- Evelyn Arsenault | USA / University of Connecticut
CB- Vivianne Bessette | USA / University of South Florida
CB- Brooklyn Courtnall | USA / University of Southern California
CB- Annika Leslie | USA / West Virginia University
CB- Jade Rose | USA / Harvard University
FB- Zoe Burns | USA / University of Southern California
FB- Mia Pante | USA / Texas A&M University
FB- Grace Stordy | USA / University of Memphis
FB- Élisabeth Tsé | USA / Southern Methodist University
M- Simi Awujo | USA / University of Southern California
M- Florianne Jourde | CAN / Super REX Québec
M- Lara Kazandjian | USA / University of Memphis
M- Keera Melenhorst | USA / University of Oklahoma
M- Nikayla Small | USA / Wake Forest University
M- Sonia Walk | USA / Boston College
M- Jazmine Wilkinson | USA / Arizona State University
F- Miya Grant-Clavijo | USA / Brown University
F- Kaila Novak | USA / UCLA
F- Madeleine Penman-Derstine | USA / University of South Florida
F- Olivia Smith | USA / Florida State University
F- Serita Thurton | USA / University of South Florida
F- Holly Ward | USA / University of Texas
CANADA A-Z
Name | Birthyear | Where they grew up | Active start/first club
Arsenault, Evelyn | 2003 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Kanata
Awujo, Simi | 2003 | Atlanta, GA, USA | AFC Lightning
Bessette, Vivianne | 2002 | Cowansville, QC, CAN | AS Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Burns, Zoe | 2002 | Issaquah, WA, USA | Eastside FC in Preston
Courtnall, Brooklyn | 2002 | Los Angeles, CA, USA | AYSO
Fortin, Ann Stéphanie | 2003 | Sainte-Julie, QC, CAN | CS Sainte Julie
Grant-Clavijo, Miya | 2003 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Jourde, Florianne | 2004 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS Boucaniers Montréal
Karpenko, Anna | 2002 | Richmond Hill, ON, CAN | Richmond Hill SC
Kazandjian, Lara | 2002 | Kirkland, QC, CAN | Lakeshore SC
Leslie, Annika | 2003 | Halifax, NS, CAN | Halifax City SC
Melenhorst, Keera | 2003 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Ottawa Royals
Novak, Kaila | 2002 | St. Thomas, ON, CAN | St. Thomas SC
Pante, Mia | 2003 | North Vancouver, BC, CAN | North Shore GSC
Penman-Derstine, Madeleine | 2003 | Toronto, ON, CAN | SC Toronto
Rose, Jade | 2003 | Markham, ON, CAN | Markham SC
Small, Nikayla | 2003 | Pickering, ON, CAN | Pickering SC
Smith, Olivia | 2004 | Whitby, ON, CAN | Whitby Iroquois SC
Stordy, Grace | 2002 | Calgary, AB, CAN | Willow Ridge
Thurton, Serita | 2002 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Tsé, Élisabeth | 2002 | Québec, QC, CAN | CS Phénix des Rivières de Québec
Walk, Sonia | 2002 | Toronto, ON, CAN | East York SC
Ward, Holly | 2003 | Portland, OR, USA | Portland Foothills SC
Wilkinson, Jazmine | 2002 | Nanaimo, BC, CAN | Harbour City FC
Xu, Camellia | 2002 | Port Moody, BC, CAN | Port Moody SC
CANADA SOCCER’S WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada are Olympic champions (Tokyo 2020), two-time bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016), and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and four consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2021). At Tokyo 2020, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team became the first Canadian team to win three consecutive medals at the Summer Olympic Games and just the third nation in the world to win three medals in women’s soccer.
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all six editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).
