HAMILTON — The Whitecaps FC Girls Elite team retained its League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship on Sunday, defeating CS Mont-Royal Outremont 3-2 in a penalty shootout.
The match went to penalties after it finished knotted at 2-2 after regulation time with Kaylee Hunter scoring both goals for the Vancouver team, in the 37th, from the penalty spot, and 64th minute.
Anais Naila Oularbim, in the 23rd minute, and Joëlle Gosselin, in the 58th, replied for the Quebec side.
Vancouver won the penalty shootout when Rose Hughes, needing to score to keep Mont-Royal Outremont in it, hit the goalpost with her spot kick.
The tournament featured the four provincial champions from League1 Ontario, League1 BC, Ligue1 Quebec, and — for the first time — League1 Alberta.
Vancouver and Mont-Royal Outremont advanced to the final by beating the Calgary Blizzard and NDC Ontario, respectively, in semifinal play at Tim Hortons Field.
NDC Ontario edged Calgary 1-0 to finish third.
Under coach Katie Collar, Vancouver topped the League1 B.C. regular-season standings at 10-0-2, outscoring the opposition 48-7, before beating Burnaby FC 2-1 Sunday for its third straight playoff title.
The Whitecaps girls head to El Salvador next for a playoff Thursday against El Salvador's Alianza Women FC to determine the final berth in the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup.
The inaugural 2024-25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup runs through May 2025, featuring the top women’s clubs from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The winner will represent CONCACAF at the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2026.
The Vancouver-Alianza playoff winner will slot into Group B of the CONCACAF tournament for games Aug. 21 at Mexico's Club America and Sept. 4 at Panama's Santa Fe before hosting the NWSL's San Diego Wave on Oct. 1 and Portland Thorns on Oct. 15.
Sunday's win earned the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite a berth in the 2025-26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2024.
The Canadian Press
