By Alan Douglas/whitecapsfc.com
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Prospects Women took to the road Saturday for an afternoon game in Kelowna, BC, against Okanagan Whitecaps FC, and came back with a 5-0 victory at UBC-Okanagan Turf. That puts the team's record at 15W-0L-0D and clinches the Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL) championship for Vancouver, with one match still to play.
The Prospects opened scoring on 14 minutes. Sydney Morrison played a good pass to Natalie Boyd, who slipped a through ball behind the Okanagan defence for Tessa Meyer. She made no mistake to score her fourth goal of the season.
Minutes later, Jenna Di Nunzio on the left found Nikki Wright with a cross, but her header just missed the target. However, it was a sign of things to come from Di Nunzio.
On 21 minutes from a corner, Di Nunzio found defender Erin Uchacz, but Okanagan goalkeeper Teala Mackowetsky made the save.
Seven minutes later, the same two connected again from a corner, and this time Uchacz's header found the top left-hand corner to make it 2-0. That score was still standing up by halftime, but not for much longer.
Three minutes after the restart, Di Nunzio played a ball inside for Wright, who lobbed her finish over Mackowetsky and in to make it 3-0. Between the Whitecaps first team and Prospects, this was the fourth game in five days for Wright, and the fifth goal she has scored in that time. On the season, she now has nine goals for the Prospects.
Just before the hour mark, Di Nunzio again sent in a cross to Maryse Reichgeld, who finished past Mackowetsky for Vancouver's fourth goal.
Reichgeld then closed out the scoring on 66 minutes, getting a pass from Boyd before firing it in for her second of the match. Reichgeld now has goals in four straight PCSL matches, and a total of seven goals in this campaign.
With the defeat, Okanagan Whitecaps drop to 3W-9L-1D.
The Prospects close out their regular season campaign next Sunday, as they host second-place Victoria Highlanders FC at Simon Fraser University Field #4. The Prospects will be looking to set a league record for most wins in a season at 16, and also post the first perfect season in the PCSL Premier Division since the Whitecaps Reserves went 14W-0L-0D in 2007.
Scoring summary:
14' - VAN - Tessa Meyer
28' - VAN - Erin Uchacz
48' - VAN - Nikki Wright
59' - VAN - Maryse Reichgeld
66' - VAN - Maryse Reichgeld
Whitecaps Prospects Women
Ally Williamson; Nicole Segovia (Jenna Di Nunzio 45'), Erin Uchacz, Sydney Morrison (Nicole Segovia 65'), Vanessa Kovacs; Maryse Reichgeld (Abigail Raymer 80'), Natalie Boyd, Tessa Meyer, Jenna Di Nunzio (Kendra Williams 30'); Nikki Wright (Taylor Shannik 30'), Abigail Raymer (Nikki Wright 45')
