This coming Friday, May 17, Vancouver Whitecaps FC continue their rivalry against Seattle Sounders Women with a specially organized match at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. PT.
Friday’s match will be streamed live on uslnation.com/wleague.
LAST MATCH: JUNE 8, 2012
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
The ‘Caps roster will be mainly comprised of players from the club’s U-18 Girls Elite roster, who have been flying high over the past year.
In March, the Girls Elite team captured the Metro Women’s Soccer League (MWSL) Cup title in their first year in the league, playing much elder competition throughout the season. Currently, the team have started their Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL) Premier Women’s season with two wins from their first two matches.
The team will be coach by Whitecaps FC Girls Elite assistant coach Ruben Casablanca, as head coach Jesse Symons is currently in Morgantown, West Virginia assisting with the EXCELeration Canadian youth national team camp. Also away at the EXCEL camp is Girls Elite midfielder Emma Fletcher.
In addition, the Girls Elite team have traveled to several of the top college showcase tournaments in the United States, impressing at each one. This coming July, the team will go to Sweden to compete in the internationally renowned Gothia Cup.
Joining the team for this match will be Whitecaps FC women’s alums Natalie Boyd, Kirsteen Buchan, Kylle Cook and Jaclyn Sawicki. All four players will represent Canada at this summer’s 2013 Summer Universiade games in Kazan, Russia. The group will also have former Canadian women's national team goalkeeper and current Whitecaps FC Girls Elite goalkeeper coach Taryn Swiatek on the roster.
Ten Girls Elite players on the roster have also represented Canada at the youth international level. Kathryn Baker, Summer Clarke, Jasmin Dhanda, Vanessa Kovacs, Jasmine Mander, Julia McDonald and Aman Shergill have played for the U-17 national team, while Simmrin Dhaliwal, Samantha Donald and Rachel Jones have played for the U-15 national team.
Whitecaps FC roster
19 M - Alessia Azermadhi
2 D - Kathryn Baker
3 M - Natalie Boyd
25 F - Kirsteen Buchan
4 F - Summer Clarke
16 D - Kelly Cook
21 M - Simmrin Dhaliwal
14 M - Sam Donald
11 M- Jasmin Dhanda
7 M - Sam Dion
24 F - Chelsea Harkins
28 M - Reetu Johal
27 D - Rachel Jones
12 M - Vanessa Kovacs
10 M - Jasmine Mander
1 GK - Julia McDonald
6 M - Jaclyn Sawicki
13 D - Aman Shergill
15 F - Sessen Stevens
18 D - Nicole Stewart
30 GK - Taryn Swiatek
SEATTLE SOUNDERS WOMEN
The Sounders will be using Friday’s match as their final tune-up before beginning their United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League season at home to LA Strikers on Monday, May 27.
During their preseason preparations, the Sounders have so far accumulated a record of 2W-1L-1D.
There will be many familiar faces to ‘Caps fans on the Seattle side. The Sounders are led by former Whitecaps FC women’s head coach Hubert Busby Jr., who guided Vancouver to back-to-back W-League Final Four berths in 2010 and 2011.
Busby has recruited several Whitecaps FC women’s alums to his roster, including goalkeeper Erin McNulty, defenders Nikki Ambrose and Shannon Woeller, and striker Jenna Richardson – the 2012 Whitecaps FC women’s Player of the Year.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This will be the 41st meeting between Vancouver and Seattle. The ‘Caps lead the all-time series 24W-7L-9D, including a 13W-3L-5D record in Seattle.
