Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite did not disappoint in their final match of their Pacific Coast Soccer League (PSCL), beating Kamloops Heat 7-2 to win the Dave Fryatt Challenge Cup and in the process becoming the first ever Canadian-based team to win the PCSL treble - the PCSL Women's Premier regular season title, the Challenge Cup, and the McAdams Cup contested between clubs from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.
Earlier this month, the Girls Elite squad captured the Gothia World Youth Cup in Gothenburg Sweden, beating top teams from countries such as Sweden, Spain, and Norway in the process. In addition, in the past year the girls have also won the Metro Women's Soccer League (MWSL) regular season and cup titles while also impressing in a number of elite showcase tournaments. Next up for the Girls Elite team is a trip to Sherbrooke, Quebec, to represent Team BC at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
"The team was extremely motivated to have their last performance of the PCSL season be a great one," said Whitecaps FC Girls Elite head coach Jesse Symons after the match. "They've really come together this year and have played a very attractive style of soccer, looking to be creative and positive with the ball and they definitely brought it out in today's final."
On Sunday the Girls Elite team put in one of their best performances of the season by attacking with fluidity and speed.
The match started off well for the young 'Caps with Alessia Azermadhi putting through Chelsea Harkins to score the opening goal on nine minutes. Kamloops came right back off kickoff with Alanna Bekkering (a former Whitecaps FC Prospects player) scoring off of a cross on the left side.
This woke up the 'Caps, who were not going to have the lead slip away again. A second goal from Harkins off of a cross from Summer Clarke restored the lead at minute 18, and this time Whitecaps FC would turn up the tempo to score two more goals before halftime.
Azermadhi scored off of a cross by Jasmin Dhanda followed by a goal just before the half on an individual effort by Sessen Stevens to secure a 4-1 lead at the break.
The second half saw more of the same with the 'Caps playing some tremendous passing combination sequences, making it difficult for Kamloops to get on the ball to get back in the match.
Stevens scored her second of the match in minute 56 off of a clever one-two combination down the right flank with Clarke.
Harkins then added two more goals in the second half to round out the scoring on her way to being named Player of the Game with four goals and one assist.
"This group of players really care about each other," added Symons. "They have worked tirelessly over the past 11 months and to be rewarded with positive results is a credit to their mentality and approach to each match they play."
The 1995-born players will be graduating from the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite program and be off to their university programs in the next two weeks.
The 1996-born players will begin training again in late August with the new intake of 1997-born players in preparation for the he 2013-14 program and the start of the MWSL season in September.
