Domestic Footy.
League 1 Interprovincials Recap & Looking Ahead at Champions Cup
Happy Thursday everyone,
It’s a big day today. NSL Ottawa is finally dropping some news and the Whitecaps are competing in the first-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup (preliminary) match. Plus, the NCAA season kicks off and we heard the NSL website is re-launching as well.
With just over 8 months until the NSL kicks off, all eyes (or at least our eyes) are on the most talented Canadian players who will make up the bulk of the leagues’ rosters. Many of them were in Hamilton this past weekend for the League 1 Canada Interprovincial Championship.
I watched the semi-finals from home but was able to take in the bronze and gold medal games from the media box at Tim Hortons Field, along with a few pals from the Northern Tribune and Canucks abroad. Find their excellent L1 work here.
Here’s how it all went down.
Bronze Medal Game
NDC-Ontario 1:0 Calgary Blizzard
Goal: Adriana Bianchin from Bryana Gaynor (4’)
Stats
Shots 11:3
Shots on Target 6:1
Corners 7:2
Fouls 10:10
NDC-O got off to another quick start, scoring in the first 5 minutes just like against they did against CS MRO in the semis. Adriana Bianchin, the U17 national team forward headed to Pitt next Fall, scored off a Bryana Gaynor cross in the 4th minute. The Blizzard were shocked but responded well with a 10-15 minute offensive push for an equalizer. Their 4-1-4-1 formation was focused on the defensive phase, so they lacked players running into the box to convert a few dangerous chances.
There were a few smaller chances for NDC in the following minutes, primarily created by standout CanW17 midfielder Teegan Meelenhorst (committed to NC State) who played several incisive passes into the final third. Blizzard’s former pro GK Natalie Houghton was up to the job, making a few key saves before the game was forced to pause due to inclement weather.
Following the break, NDC came out flying, pushing for the second goal and the game grew much more physical for the remaining 15 minutes before half.
The physicality remained high through the second half. Set pieces coming every few minutes and the first yellow card being awarded to NDC-O’s Emma Reda. Rehana Murani’s game stood out in the second half. The veteran midfielder (age 33, former USF Player), who works as a sports physican in Calgary, showed her class with a handful of key passes but ran out of steam midway through the second half.
NDC fullback FB Mya Angus had my POTM shout. The left-footed defender was up and down the left flank all game, beating her defenders time and time again to create dangerous scoring chances. She’ll be another fun one to keep an eye on in the YNT setup.
Late in the game, Calgary’s Mykenna Walker received her second yellow card and was ejected from the match. That made their push for an equalizer much more difficult, and they were pretty well hemmed in by NDC for the last 5 minutes. Young GK Noelle Henning (committed to Michigan State) had little to do most of the half and the game ended 1-0. NDC-O took the bronze in what has been a difficult end to the season for the program (Lombardi scandal, two straight league losses, elimination in the semis).
Gold Game
Whitecaps vs Griffons
2:2 (3:2 after PKs)
Goals: Oularbi from He (22’), Hunter (37’ PK, 66’ from Mutipula), Gosselin from Iyare (62’)
Stats
Shots 10:5
Shots on Target 7:5
Corners 5:1
Fouls 7:7
Whitecaps head coach Collar came out with a rotated lineup seen by the fact that three of their best players, Hernandez-Gray, Reed, and de Filippo, did not start. It was a fast-paced game from the beginning. YNT standout Kaylee Hunter (born 2008) got Palacio-Tellier’d (a verb everyone who watched the CSMRO keeper this tournament understands) on a through ball/ one-on-one in the first 8 minutes. CS MRO fired their warning shot two minutes later. A nice cross-pitch switch from standout midfielder Iyare to Algerian U20 player Oularbi created the space for forward Joelle Gosselin whose shot was blocked.
The Griffons continued to push. A strike by Iyare in the 20th from the top of the box is blocked by Nova Scotia’s Bridget Mutipula. Anais Oularbi is involved in that play, too. The UAB transfer ultimately scores the opener in the 22nd thanks to a nice bit of control and a poke past McAslan. Shayla He (2nd-year Montreal Carabins forward) got the assist following a successful dribble from the left flank and a perfectly placed ball to Oularbi.
Oularbi continued to cause trouble. She’s taken down in the box in the 29th minute after megging her defender, but the referee plays on. Minutes later, a beautiful build-up play the Griffons down the right flank involving Oularbi, Gosselin, and Bouity ends in a corner which forces a big save from Morgan McAslan.
The following minutes are defined by two controversial calls. First, Oularbi is brought down in the box but doesn’t get the call. Then Quinn takes a hip check at the top of the box and the ref calls it that time. Captain Kaylee Hunter calmly buries the PK in the bottom corner. Former Liga F forward Jess De Filippo, who scored a brace in the semis, got subbed in for Quinn who appeared to get injured on the play.
The second half offered just as much excitement as the first. The Griffons struck again in the 66th minute. Veteran Joelle Gosselin, formerly a Usports standout with Laval, received the ball at the top of the box and struck a hard low shot into the bottom right corner past McAslan.
Whitecaps fire back soon after thanks for Hunter’s second goal. A great ball in from Mutipula gets knocked on and Hunter is on the spot to slot it home and make it 2:2. She ends up being named the tournament MVP after the game.
Whitecaps’ H-Gray and recent addition Jordan Ziff come into the game, after which point the Griffons are reduced to holding on to the tie vs pushing for the winner. In the 75th minuted De Filippo’s header rattled the post. The game got chipier in the closing minutes. Jeneva’s quality pushed her team forward. Hunter missed a big chance off a counter in the 90th. Josselin’s shot in the final seconds isn’t enough to challenge McAslan. By far one of the best games we’ve seen in a while was to be decided by penalty kicks.
PKs
Round 1 - 1:1
JHG converts
Gosselin rifles it past the keeper
Round 2 - 1:1
Hunter denied by LPT
Ourabi denied by McAslan
Round 3 - 2:1
Wong scores
Iyare hits the post
Round 4 - 2:2
Mayson stopped by LPT
O’Breham top corner
Round 5 - 3:2
Perrault slots it in the bottom corner
Hughes hits the intersection of the crossbar/post
It was a great win from the Whitecaps, though they weren’t happy with trailing twice in the game. I had the chance to chat with coach Katie Collar after the game. “We wanted to keep it exciting for you”, she joked. She remarked that the style of play deployed by CS MRO is similar to what she expects from Allianza making it great preparation. It was pretty clear that she would have preferred not to play Hernandez-Gray to save her for the CONCACAF Champions Cup game tonight against the El Salvadorian club. She told Nelson Mahmoudi that she was omitted for rotation reasons and that she wanted to see her squad’s depth.
One of the best coaches in Canadian women’s soccer over the last five years and a leading candidate for the NSL’s head coaching job, Collar understands the opportunity in front of her and her players. Not only is it a chance to get the whole team ready for the NSL by competing against the best and representing Canada at the continental level, it’s also an opportunity to attract players to the club. With the win, the Caps already qualified for the 25/26 edition of the tournament.
More of the Caps’ star players stuck around for this game than previously expected. Midfielder Hernandez-Gray deferred her start at Auburn in the NCAA, as did Jaime Perrault who would have been down in Texas already. Both players would make Vancouver’s NSL team if they choose to forgo the NCAA entirely. Same with Kaylee Hunter. All three are expected to play in the U20 World Cup later this month, as well. Hernandez-Gray stated that she’s leaning toward the pro route on the AFTN Podcast yesterday and we’re predicting she’ll be one of the NSL’s first signings, which is exciting given her high ceiling.
Collar’s young stars (most born 2007/08) are no strangers to international competition. They won the prestigious FIFA Youth Cup last Spring and went on to win every possible trophy they could win since then. Many of their players have represented Canada at the youth level in locations across central America.
The Whitecaps also made strategic additions to the team, such as aforementioned De Filippo Morgan McAslan, and Jordan Ziff. Welsh midfielder Josie Longhurst has slotted in well, but unfortunately veteran Brianne Reed was walking around with a bandaged knee on Sunday. In her absence, Martin and Mutipula looked solid at the back and earned praise from the coach after the game.
The Whitecaps take the pitch at Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador (8pm ET/ 5pm PT on CONCACAF GO/Youtube).
It gets a lot more exciting if they win the preliminary match to qualify for the tournament.
They’ve been drawn in Group B with Portland, San Diego, Club America, and Panama’s Santa Fe. In speaking with Collar, she seemed fairly confident that her team could advance and earn the chance to play against some of the best teams on the continent. It would be a short turnaround time for August 21st and September 5th away games vs Club America and Santa Fe, respectively.
Then, there’d be the opportunity to play the two NWSL clubs at home in October (1st vs San Diego, 15th vs Portland). The goal would be to host one of the games at BC place, likely the Thorns game considering it would give Sinclair another chance to play at home before she retires. A true full-circle moment if it happens. Stay tuned.