Canada Soccer has invited 28 players to the final U-20 women’s camp of 2017 from December 10 to 17 in Burnaby, BC, including nine players from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX program. The camp is a key touchpoint ahead of January’s CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship in Trinidad and Tobago, which serves as the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018 held later in the year.
The camp will provide Canada Soccer’s technical staff with an opportunity to assess the group in order to select the 20 player roster for January as well the chance to mold and refine the team’s tactical strategies in line with the Women’s EXCEL Curriculum to ready the team for tournament play.
Teni Akindoju, Maya Antoine, Tanya Boychuk, Ashley Cathro, Julia Grosso, Kaela Hansen, Emma Regan, Jayde Riviere, and Caitlin Shaw are the players participating in the camp from the WFC Girls Elite REX program.
“With all players now available following the conclusion of the NCAA season, it’s a great opportunity to really test where this group is at both individually and as a collective team preparing for tournament play,“ said coach Bev Priestman. "We have a good mix of players, some of who have had experience with the Women’s National Team, some which have some great experience in the National Excel program as well as some young emerging talent from the U-17 program that we believe can bring something to this group.”
As the final camp of 2017, much of the focus will be on building greater on-field connections ahead of the final pre-tournament camp from January 8 to 15 in Cancun, Mexico and the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championships which runs from January 18 to 28 in Trinidad and Tobago.
“We are encouraged by what we’ve seen from our young players over the course of 2017, so we are really looking forward to testing them in both the CONCACAF U-20 and U-17 Championships next year,” said Priestman. “Getting international tournament experience is one of the most important items in the player development pathway for these young players aspiring towards the Women’s National Team. Next year’s CONCACAF and FIFA tournaments will provide invaluable experiences for our Canadian players, but also it will give us an opportunity to test ourselves against the best from our region and the world.”
Canada was drawn into Group A for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championships which also includes Costa Rica, Haiti and hosts Trinidad & Tobago.
CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship Trinidad & Tobago 2018 – Canada’s Match Schedule (all times local to Trinidad and Tobago in AST)
• Group Stage
Thursday, January 18, 2018, 16:00 Costa Rica v Canada
Saturday, January 20, 2018,18:30 Canada v Trinidad & Tobago
Monday, January 22, 2018, 16:00 Haiti v Canada
• Friday, January 26, 2018 – Semifinals 18:30 1A v 2B
• Sunday, January 28, 2018 – 3rd Place Match and Final
Canada Soccer Women’s EXCEL Camp Roster (By Name, Year Born, Club and Hometown)
1. Teni Akindoju, 2001, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX / Soccer Nova Scotia REX Program / Dunbrack Soccer Club, Halifax, NS
2. Maya Antoine, 2001, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX / Vaughan Soccer Club (League1 Ontario), Vaughan, ON
3. Caleigh Boeckx, 2000, Calgary REX / Calgary South West United, Calgary, AB
4. Tanya Boychuk, 2000, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer Rex, Burnaby, BC / FC Edmonton Girls REX, Edmonton, AB
5. Gabrielle Carle, 1998, Florida State University (NCAA), Lévis, QC
6. Ashley Cathro, 2000, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX, Victoria, BC
7. Samantha Chang, 2000, Unionville-Milliken SC (League1 Ontario), Mississauga, ON
8. Malikae Dayes, 1999, University of Maryland, Brampton, ON
9. Jessica De Filippo, 2001, Quebec REX / Lakeshore SC, Saint-Lazare, QC
10. Mollie Eriksson, 2000, West Ottawa Soccer Club, Ottawa, ON (GK)
11. Kennedy Faulknor, 1999, UCLA (NCAA), Markham, ON
12. Shana Flynn, 2000, Unionville-Milliken SC (League1 Ontario), Brampton, ON
13. Rylee Foster, 1998, West Virginia University (NCAA), Cambridge, ON (GK)
14. Marika Guay, 2000, Quebec REX/ Lakeshore SC, Châteauguay, QC
15. Julia Grosso, 2000, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX, Vancouver, BC
16. Kaela Hansen, 2000, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REC, Burnaby, BC
17. Vital Kats, 1999, Kent State University (NCAA), Toronto, ON
18. Florence Laroche, 2000, Quebec REX/ Lakeshore SC, Laval, QC
19. Nadège L’Espérance, 1999, University of Louisville (NCAA), Candiac, QC
20. Jessica Lisi, 1998, University of Memphis (NCAA), Woodbridge, ON
21. Lysianne Proulx, 1999, Syracuse University (NCAA), Boucherville, QC (GK)
22. Lauren Raimondo, 1999, Harvard University (NCAA), St. Catharines, ON
23. Emma Regan, 2000, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX, Burnaby, BC
24. Jayde Riviere, 2001, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX / Markham Soccer Club, Pickering, ON
25. Caitlin Shaw, 2001, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite BC Soccer REX, Coquitlam, BC
26. Sarah Stratigakis, 1999, University of Michigan (NCAA), Woodbridge, ON
27. Hannah Taylor, 1999, University of Oregon (NCAA), Edmonds, WA
28. Ariel Young, 2001, Ottawa Fury, Ottawa, ON
About Canada Soccer’s Women’s National EXCEL Program
Canada Soccer Women’s National EXCEL Program brings together the best with the best at the national youth level, throughout each year. Operating across the U-14 to U-20 age groups, the program is designed to deliver an aligned talent structure and system that progresses more top players to Canada’s Women’s National Team. Major competitions which are viewed as staging posts to assess development, allows for the development of the Women’s EXCEL Team Playing Model and tournament processes and expertise, ultimately preparing players for when they do progress up the system.
Additionally, the most talented U14 to U18 players are offered a specialised daily training environment through the Regional EXCEL Program, which delivers Canada Soccer’s national curriculum year-round through a two tiered talent system, with three Super Centres streamlining Canada’s National EXCEL Players into training environments in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec from smaller provincial licenced Centres.
Canada Soccer’s EXCEL System, designed by Women's EXCEL Program Director and Women’s National Team Head Coach John Herdman, has already produced eight Women’s National Team players, and Olympic bronze medalists in Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Jessie Fleming, Rebecca Quinn, Janine Beckie, Shelina Zadorsky, Deanne Rose, and Gabrielle Carle, three of whom are still eligible for youth competition.
