Match Report:

By Alan Douglas/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps women kicked off their first road trip of the season with a 1-1 draw against Real Colorado Cougars in Denver on Wednesday night.

Whitecaps forward Julie Armstrong netted her first-ever W-League goal just four minutes in to give Vancouver an early lead. But a defensive lapse on a corner kick allowed the home team to draw level with a quarter of an hour remaining.

The Whitecaps made several changes from the side that defeated Los Angeles Legends 2-1 last Friday, with Emily Zurrer and Jodi-Ann Robinson back in the starting XI after returning from the Canadian national team's recent tour of Australia. As well, Justine Bernier was given the nod to make her Whitecaps debut in goal.

This was the season opener for the Cougars, who have traditionally been the strongest of the Colorado-based teams. The Whitecaps, however, wasted little time upsetting their hosts plans. Four minutes in, Tiffeny Milbrett sent a through ball ahead to put Armstrong in on goal, and the 18-year-old finished it off to record her first senior goal in a Whitecaps uniform.

Milbrett came close to doubling Vancouver's lead later in the half, as she fired into the side-netting from 15 yards out on the left.

At the other end, Vancouver's defence did a good job shutting down the Real Colorado attack, as they limited the home side to just four shots over the course of the game.

Goalkeeper Bernier was rarely tested, but nonetheless acquitted herself well in her first match for Vancouver. According to Whitecaps coach Bob Birarda, “Justine did a good job of controlling the box and interacting with the back four. She managed the game very well. She slowed the play down at the right times, sped it up at the right times, and started a number of our attacks with some decent distribution."

Five minutes into the second half, the Whitecaps brought on the two most recent additions to the squad, with Finnish international striker Sanna Talonen making her Whitecaps debut, while Canadian international midfielder Sophie Schmidt returned for her fourth season with the club.

“Sanna is a very good player,” said Birarda, “and has looked sharp in training. She was certainly a presence when she came into the game.”

The 'Caps had a great chance to add an insurance goal, as defender Allysha Chapman slammed a 35-yard shot against the crossbar.

Colorado then netted an equalizer on their only good chance of the game. On minute 74, substitute midfielder Brittney McDonald fired the ball into the net during a scramble in front of the Vancouver goal after the Whitecaps defence failed to deal with a corner kick.

“You hate to drop points any time,” said Birarda, “but this is a very young team and we're going to make mistakes at the wrong time. The important thing is we are learning from those mistakes and getting better. I am encouraged. There were a lot of really good things tonight, and we're starting to look far better organized at the back.”

Despite the difficulty of playing at altitude, the Whitecaps pressed for a winner and came close with two minutes remaining, but Milbrett headed just wide of the post from a good position 14 yards out.

“The altitude certainly took its toll today,” remarked Birarda. “It is very tough to play here. But this was a decent step for this young crew.”


The Whitecaps remain undefeated on the season at 1-0-2. They also keep their streak alive of never having lost away to any of the W-League's Colorado-based sides, with a combined record now of 18-0-4 in the US state, and 5-0-3 in Denver against the Cougars.

With the draw, Vancouver move into second place in the Western Conference on five points, one point back of the 2-0-0 Pali Blues.

The Whitecaps now travel north to take on Fort Collins Force on Friday evening, in what will be the season opener for another Colorado-based club.

Scoring Summaries:
4' 0-1 Julie Armstrong
Tiffeny Milbrett (no assist given) threaded a 20-yard pass ahead to Julie Armstrong, who got in behind the Real Colorado back four and slipped it past Cougars goalkeeper Briana Schulze for her first-ever W-League goal.

74' 1-1 Brittney McDonald (Megan Flanagan)
Vancouver failed to a clear a corner kick, and as the ball dropped to feet at the edge of the six-yard box, several players fought for it. Brittany McDonald finally forced the ball over the line in a scramble for Real Colorado's equalizer.

Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 8 – Real Colorado 4
Saves: Vancouver 1 – Real Colorado 4
Fouls: Vancouver 8 – Real Colorado 1
Offsides: Vancouver 0 – Real Colorado 1
Corners: Vancouver 8 – Real Colorado 2

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
26.Justine Bernier; 2.Emily Zurrer, 4.Lexi Morton, 6.Myriam Bouchard, 29.Allysha Chapman; 8.Kaylyn Kyle (23.Tina Romagnuolo 78'), 11.Selenia Iacchelli, 13.Chelsea Stewart; 9.Julie Armstrong (16.Sophie Schmidt 76'), 22.Jodi-Ann Robinson (14.Sanna Talonen 50'), 25.Tiffeny Milbrett

Subs not used: 1.Erin McNulty, 3.Shannon Woeller, 21.Paige Adams, 28.Taryne Boudreau

Real Colorado Cougars
1.Briana Schulze; 4.Nicole Lukens, 8.Raydan Phillips, 19 Keelin Winters; 3.Afton Sauer, 9.Lindsay Ratterman (20.Marissa McBride 45'), 11.Brianna Young, 13.Kerstyn Farrell (17.Brittney MacDonald 63'), 22.Megan Flanagan (2.Kathryn Schubert 80'); 12.Karter Haug, 23.Traci Dreesen (16.Mariah Johnston 58')