Vancouver Whitecaps FC Prospect teams had an excellent first day of action at the Odyssey Cup tournament in Los Angeles, California.The Whitecaps earned eight wins from their ten tournament games on Saturday, with the only setbacks being suffered by the U-13 & U-14 Boys. The U-13 Boys drew 2-2 in their second game after winning 2-1 in their tournament opener, while the U-14 Boys recovered from a 4-1 defeat in their first game to win 5-1 later in the day.It was a different story for the U-12, U-13, and U-14 Girls, as all three teams claimed a pair of wins each on Saturday. The U-12 Girls claimed 4-2 and 3-0 successes, while the U-13 Girls romped to 7-0 and 5-0 victories. The U-14 Girls won their first game 2-0 before finding the net with more frequency in an emphatic 8-0 victory in their second contest.The Whitecaps will now look to cap the weekend with their final Odyssey Cup games on Sunday before returning home to Vancouver. Follow the results at
whitecapsfc.com/youth
.
Game Recaps
U-12 GIRLS
Game One: 4-2 win vs Force SC
The U-12 Girls started their tournament with a 4-2 victory over host side Force SC. Aman Shergill, Chelsea Harkins, Samantha Dion, and Mikaela Kautzky all found the scoresheet against their Los Angeles-based opponents.
Game Two: 3-0 win vs Glendora FC
The U-12 Girls followed their first win with a second victory over another California club in Glendora FC. The Whitecaps three goals came from Mikaela Kautzky, Aman Shergill, and Nicole Turney. The U-12 Girls will play West LA in their third game of the tournament on Sunday morning.
U-13 GIRLS
Game One: 7-0 win vs El Segundo Gunners
The U-13 Girls made easy work of the El Segundo Gunners in their first game, with Gianna Cornale and Sam McKluskie each scoring a pair of goals for Vancouver. Madison Guy, Amrit Berar, and Desiree Patterson each found the scoresheet in a seven-goal rout.
Game Two: 5-0 win vs Oxnard FC
The U-13 Girls followed their emphatic first win with an equally impressive 5-0 victory over California’s Oxnard FC. Sam McKluskie added to her two goals in the El Segundo game with a hat-trick against Oxnard. Aoi Ichiyama added to the scoreline with a pair of goals to complete the result. Their third game will be on Sunday morning when they face host club Force SC.
U-14 GIRLS
Game One: 2-0 win vs Arsenal SC
Despite poor field conditions, the U-14 Girls made a winning start with a 2-0 win over Arsenal SC, with both goals coming early in each half. Navneet Samra and Jasmine Grewal scored the goals for Vancouver.
Game Two: 8-0 win vs West LA
A hat-trick from Shayla Chorney helped the Whitecaps to a resounding 8-0 win over West LA. Navneet Samra had a pair of goals, while Lucielle Kozlov, Allie Weib, and Keenya Pierre each added single strikes in an emphatic eight-goal victory.The U-14 Girls will now play in a semifinal match on Sunday.
U-13 BOYS
Game One: 2-1 win vs Los Alamitos Vikings
Goals by Michael North and Giovanni Whelan gave the U-13 Boys a 2-1 victory over Los Alamitos Vikings in their opening Odyssey Cup contest.
Game Two: 2-2 draw vs Central Valley Cyclones
The U-13 Boys had to settle for a 2-2 draw after a thrilling contest with California’s Central Valley Cyclones. Despite taking the lead on two occasions through Sean Einarsson and Brody Huitema, the Cyclones fought back to earn a draw with Vancouver. Huitema had two chances to win the game, but he missed the target on both occasions.Their next game is Sunday afternoon when they face Los Alamitos Vikings SE.
U-14 BOYS
Game One: 4-1 loss vs Gold Coast Xtreme Italia III
The U-14 Boys had a rough start to their Odyssey Cup campaign, as California’s Gold Coast Xtreme Italia III ran out 4-1 winners. Ranked number one in the California South region, Italia III were 2-0 in front before Yassin Essa pulled a goal back for the Whitecaps just before halftime. Gold Coast then extended their lead on the counter-attack before capping the win with a late fourth goal.
Game Two: 5-1 win vs San Luis Obispo Fire
The Whitecaps turned things around with a convincing 5-1 victory over San Luis Obispo Fire. Domenic Rigaux opened the scoring on a header from a Yassin Essa cross. Carlos Marquez made it 2-0 after converting a nice through ball from Spencer DeBoice before the Fire pulled a goal back just before halftime. Essa restored the two-goal advantage with a great individual effort before Faisal Arif capped the win with a pair of late goals.The U-14 Boys’ next games on Sunday are against Los Angeles-based side Palos Verdes Raiders and Los Alamitos Vikings Barcelona.
