Vancouver Whitecaps FC women played their first preseason match on Sunday afternoon, capturing a 2-1 victory over the Oregon State University (OSU) Beavers at Newport High School in in Bellevue, Washington, led by a goal and an assist from OSU alum Brittany Galindo. The women’s team, which started training this past week, is getting ready for their United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League season opener next Sunday, May 13, as they travel to Vancouver Island to take on provincial rivals Victoria Highlanders FC.
With some players still coming into town and others training with the Canadian national team, head coach Jesse Symons brought a squad that included W-League roster players and U-18 Girls Elite players.
The 'Caps faced some early adversity, as the Beavers got off to a hot start and were awarded a penalty kick, which they capitalized on. Despite going down a goal, goalkeeper Gurveen Clair acted as a calming force for the Blue and White as they eventually weathered the early storm and got to halftime down 1-0.
However, the script would be flipped in the second half as the ‘Caps came out firing on all cylinders and were rewarded for their efforts when a through-ball from Galindo found a streaking Lucielle Kozlov, who then hammered it into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1. As play continued, the ‘Caps came together more and more as a team and that showed as they controlled the bulk of the play in the second half. Eventually, the ‘Caps would break through again as Galindo found the back of the net off a loose ball played in by a Mele French corner to make it 2-1.
With a 2-1 lead, the 'Caps then focused on defence, with substitute goalkeeper Ally Williamson bring the result across the finish line.
"The whole team came together today, which is very pleasing," Symons told whitecapsfc.com. "This was a good team win and hopefully we can continue the momentum into our season opener next Sunday in Victoria."
Vancouver Whitecaps FC women
Gurveen Clair (Ally Williamson 45’); Brie Shaw, Kathryn Baker (Mary McLaughlin 30’), Brittany Galindo, Aman Shergill (Lindsay Johansen 20’); Jenny Jeffers, Danielle Johnson, Brittany Ambrose (Jasmine Mander 45’), Mele French; Jaclyn Sawicki, Elise Wyatt (Lucielle Kozlov 56’)
