SAN SALVADOR — Emily Wong's 25th-minute penalty moved the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite team into the group stage of the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup with a 1-0 preliminary-round victory Thursday over El Salvador's Alianza Women FC.
The victory at Estadio Cuscatlan means Vancouver slots 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.
The 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.
Wong stepped up after Kaylee Hunter, with goalkeeper Roxana Vega beaten on the play, was taken down in an attempted tackle by defender Rosmery Mendoza, who was yellow-carded on the play.
The goal by the 17-year-old Wong, who is headed to Purdue University, was the first ever scored in the tournament
"That feels amazing. The women's game continues to grow and it's just great to be able to be a part of that," said Wong.
Hunter had a chance to double the lead later in the first half but defender Andrea Recinos made a goal-line clearance to deny the goal.
Alianza, eight-time El Salvador champion, pressed for the equalizer in the second half and Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan made a big save in the 79th minute to preserve the lead.
Alianza outshot Vancouver 9-7 (6-3 in shots on target) and had 59 percent possession. The Whitecaps had six corners to Alianza's three.
The Whitecaps were coming off a penalty shootout win Sunday over CS Mont-Royal Outremont in the final of the League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship in Hamilton on Sunday, retaining their national title by a 3-2 score in the shootout. That win earned the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite a berth in the 2025-26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup.
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 team is made up mostly of 16- and 17-year-olds. But with some of the team's graduating seniors leaving for NCAA and Canadian university clubs before the provincial playoffs, Collar strengthened her team with the addition of goalkeepers Dakota Beckett and McAslan, defender Brianne Reed, midfielder Josie Longhurst, midfielder-forward Jessica De Filippo and forward Jourdan Ziff.
Canadian youth internationals Jeneva Hernandez Gray, the team captain, and Jaime Perrault elected to stay with the team for another year.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2024h
The Canadian Press
