SAN DIEGO AWAY PREVIEW

July 11, 2007 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC women look to secure top spot in the W-League Western Conference when they visit San Diego Sunwaves on Wednesday.

Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego will be the venue for the important midweek match-up, as Bob Birarda’s side look to extend their two-point lead at the top of the Western Conference standings. The Whitecaps missed the chance to be in a better position heading to southern California, as Vancouver had to salvage a late 2-2 draw with Mile High Edge in Chilliwack on Sunday.

Both Vancouver and San Diego met for the first time on June 10 at Swangard Stadium, and the Whitecaps needed to pull off late heroics that day to claim a 2-2 draw with the Sunwaves. Elizabeth Remy’s two goals looked to have taken San Diego to an important win, but a returning Tiffeny Milbrett and Holly Gault made sure there was a share of the spoils last month. Since the San Diego clash, the Whitecaps have recorded three victories and a draw before claiming another point against Mile High.

Birarda’s side now prepare for their last away game of the season, with Elio Bello’s Sunwaves well prepared for the visit of Vancouver. San Diego last played in the W-League on June 24 when they defeated Mile High 4-0 and have since enjoyed a break of more than two weeks. After starting their campaign with six games on the road, the Sunwaves are in the middle of an end-of-season home stand of six matches. They also have a new addition in their ranks after the arrival of prolific Mexican striker Maribel Dominguez on July 8 following the completion of her club commitments in Spain.

Birarda is all too aware of the qualities that Dominguez will bring to the Sunwaves and Wednesday’s game. “Maribel Dominguez is a very good player and is maybe the best player in the league,” he told whitecapsfc.com. “It’ll be like when Tiffeny came into our group, as her addition in San Diego may bring a lot of success. It’ll be interesting to see if it takes them some time to adjust once she gets there. She’s such a powerful personality and such a powerful player, but it might take a game or two for her to adjust. I’m sure hoping that’s the case when we go and play them.”

With the top two sides in the Western Conference set to meet in the playoffs, Wednesday’s game will go a long way to determining who will host that game on July 28.

Following their trip to San Diego, the Whitecaps will return home to complete their regular season campaign. This will include a third meeting with Pacific Northwest rivals Seattle Crossfire Sounders on Saturday before hosting Real Colorado Cougars on July 21.

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