The 2022 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament kicks off this weekend, with first round games beginning on Friday, November 11 at 2 p.m. PT.
Our Whitecaps FC Girls Elite alums are representing our club and Canada across many teams that have battled strong across the fall season to qualify for this prestigious single knockout event in the race for the national title. The finals will be hosted in Cary, North Carolina on Dec ember 5.
Kicking off Friday as a tournament #1 seed will be the University of Alabama. Class of 2021 player, Aislin Streicek, from West Vancouver will help lead the Crimson Tide vs. Jackson State University.
A marquee 1st round match features seven of our alumni with the University of Texas hosting in-state rival Texas A&M. The Longhorns are the Big 12 Conference season champions and feature Emma Regan from Burnaby (2018), Teni Akindoju of Halifax (2019), North Vancouver’s Holly Ward (2021), and West Vancouver’s Olivia Ahern (2022). The A&M Aggies bring Calgary’s Andersen Williams (2020), North Vancouver’s Mia Pante (2021), and Victoria’s Bella Lister (2022).
Reigning American Athletic Champions, the University of Memphis, annually boast a long list of Canadians in their lineup. The Tigers will take on Saint Louis University with Calgary’s Mya Jones (2019) and Izzy Monck (2022) alongside Kelowna’s Shae Taylor (2022).
Arizona State will be representing the Pac 12 and is also a hotbed for Canadian talent to land. The Sun Devils will travel north to the University of Portland Pilots home field with Nanaimo’s Jazmine Wilkinson (2019), alongside the Kelowna duo of Andrea Kraetzer (2022) and Ava Wright (2022).
Quinnipiac University makes its return the NCAA tournament after winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title. Vancouver’s Ella Gagno (2021) will be anchoring the Bobcats defense vs. Penn State in the 1st round.
Ariel Young (2019) from Ottawa will help anchor the defence for the American Athletic regular season champions, University of Central Florida, in the playoffs. The UCF Golden Knights will take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the first round.
The NCAA tournament bracket is available at ncaa.com/brackets/soccer-women/d1/2022
