LANGLEY, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy advanced to the League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship final with a 2-1 win over League1 Ontario champions Alliance United FC at Willoughby Community Park on Friday night.
The final will be played this coming Sunday, August 13 at 4 p.m. PT, back at Willoughby Community Park. The 'Caps will take on League1 Québec champions Programme Excel Féminin (PEF) - part of the academy of fellow MLS club CF Montréal - who defeated League1 BC's Unity FC 6-4 in the other semifinal. Tickets are available at the door, or online HERE. Children 12 and under are admitted free. The match will also be broadcast live on OneSoccer, FuboTV, and TELUS channel 1993.
At the end of a tight first half, the 'Caps earned a penalty kick after a shot from captain Kierra Blundell resulted in a handball in the box. Blundell, the League1 BC co-winner of the golden boot, finished it herself to give the 'Caps a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Midway through the second half, Blundell found the back of the net again. Fullback Jaime Perrault made a great run down the right flank, sending in a cross to Pre-Academy call-up Zahra Bains, who directed the ball to Blundell with a brilliant back heel flick. Blundell would make no mistake to double the lead, 2-0.
Three minutes later, Alliance United FC would cut the lead to 2-1 after Hannah Chown got on the end of a free kick in the box and struck it in with her left foot.
Pre-Academy call-ups Racquel Partovi and Ava Burdeyny would both come on late to make their debuts.
Blundell would nearly complete her hat-trick late, hitting the post. Ultimately no more goals would come, but the 'Caps would hang on to win and advance to the final.
Whitecaps FC Girls Elite will now be seeking their sixth trophy in the past year, adding to their League1 BC regular season title (2023), playoff titles (2022 and 2023), Juan de Fuca Plate (2023), and FIFA/Blue Stars Youth Cup (2023).
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Sheila Couture
Scoring summary
45' – VAN – Kierra Blundell (penalty kick)
69' – VAN – Kierra Blundell (Zahra Bains)
72' – ALL – Hannah Chown
Statistics
Shots: ALL 4 - VAN 14
Shots on Goal: ALL 1 - VAN 5
Fouls: ALL 5 - VAN 3
Offsides: ALL 4 - VAN 4
Corners: ALL 2 - VAN 3
Yellow cards: ALL 2 - VAN 1
Red cards: ALL - VAN
Cautions
65' – ALL – Hannah Chown
77' – VAN – Joy Kimwemwe
88' – ALL – Chelsea Cheung
Alliance United FC
30.Levanta Staggolis; 3.Hope Windebank (7.Anne Yeomans 88'), 13.Cassie Chan, 4.Hannah Chown, 2.Jenny Wolever; 16.Miranda Badovinac, 15.Kristin Parkes (18.Holly Whelan 57'), 17.Hannah Anderson, 8.Chelsea Cheung; 9.Laura Gosse © (20.Vita Naihin 53'), 19.Leda Naihin (6.Valentina Greco 79')
Substitutes not used
5.Samantha Gravina, 11.Antonia Figueroa, 12.Julia Cochrane, 14.Hannah Chau-Stacey, 22.Maddie Mackay
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
31.Carly Uchacz; 12.Jaime Perrault, 6.Emily Wong, 22.Tea Mayson (17.Bridget Mutipula 80'), 3.Iba Oching; 11.Noelle Sather, 21.Jeneva Hernandez-Gray, 24.Keelyn Stewart (28.Zahra Bains HT); 18.Emma Yee, 13.Joy Kimwemwe (4.Racquel Partovi 83') (2.Ava Burdeyny 90'+2), 9.Kierra Blundell ©
Substitutes not used
30.Sidney Venier, 7.Chloe Taylor, 15.Aja Turner, 25.Taegan Stewart, 27.Mia Guterres
