VANCOUVER, BC – Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy midfielder Jeneva Hernandez Gray has earned her first call-up to the Canadian women's national team for upcoming friendlies against Australia on December 1 in Langford, BC and December 5 at BC Place in Vancouver, BC. The December 5 match will also see three Whitecaps FC alumni recognized for their careers with Canada, including Erin McLeod, Sophie Schmidt, and Christine Sinclair.
The 17-year-old joins three other Whitecaps FC Girls Elite graduates on the roster, including defender Jayde Riviere, midfielder Julia Grosso, and striker Jordyn Huitema. Fellow Girls Elite graduate Emma Regan was unavailable due to injury.
Hernandez Gray was recently named the 2023 Whitecaps FC Female Most Promising Player and was a key part of the Girls Elite Academy's historic season that saw the team capture five different trophies.
Over the past two years, Hernandez Gray has come up clutch in the biggest moments. Last year, she scored the winning goal in the League1 BC final, and this year she assisted the winning goal to repeat as champions at BC Place. The product of Coquitlam, BC also scored twice in the 5-4 thriller over Unity FC to clinch the regular season title, and had a goal and an assist in the League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship final.
Hernandez Gray has previously represented Canada at the U-15, U-17, and U-20 national team levels, playing at the 2022 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and helping the Red & White qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia.
CANADA SQUAD
GK- Sabrina D’Angelo | ENG / Arsenal FC
GK- Lysianne Proulx | AUS / Melbourne City FC
GK- Kailen Sheridan | USA / San Diego Wave FC
CB- Kadeisha Buchanan | ENG / Chelsea FC
CB- Vanessa Gilles | FRA / FCF Olympique Lyonnais
CB- Jade Rose | USA / Harvard University
CB- Shelina Zadorsky | ENG / Tottenham Hotspur
FB- Gabrielle Carle | USA / Washington Spirit
FB- Sydney Collins | USA / NC Courage
FB- Ashley Lawrence | ENG / Chelsea FC
FB- Jayde Riviere | ENG / Manchester United FC
FB- Bianca St-Georges | USA / Chicago Red Stars
M- Simi Awujo | USA / University of Southern California
M- Jessie Fleming | ENG / Chelsea FC
M- Julia Grosso | ITA / Juventus FC
M- Jeneva Hernandez Gray | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Quinn | USA / OL Reign
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Houston Dash*
F- Jordyn Huitema | USA / OL Reign
F- Cloé Lacasse | ENG / Arsenal FC
F- Adriana Leon | ENG / Aston Villa
F- Nichelle Prince | USA / Houston Dash
F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
F- Olivia Smith | POR / Sporting CP
F- Evelyne Viens | ITA / AS Roma
*Sophie Schmidt will join the team on 2 December following the first match of the series.
CANADA (A-Z)
Player | Age | City in which they grew up | Notable youth clubs
Nom de joueur | Âge | Lieu où il a grandi | Début d’activité/premier club
Awujo, Simi | she/elle | 19 | Atlanta, GA, USA | AFC Lightning
Buchanan, Kadeisha | she/elle | 27 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brams United SC
Carle, Gabrielle | she/elle | 25 | Lévis, QC, CAN | AS Chaudière-Est
Collins, Sydney | she/elle | 24 | Beaverton, OR, USA |
D’Angelo, Sabrina | she/elle | 30 | Welland, ON, CAN | Welland SC Wizards
Fleming, Jessie | she/elle | 25 | London, ON, CAN | Nor’West Optimist SC
Gilles, Vanessa | she/elle | 27 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Ottawa Capital United SC
Grosso, Julia | she/elle | 23 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | Vancouver’s Italian Canadian SF
Hernandez Gray, Jeneva | she/elle | 17 | Coquitlam, BC, CAN | Port Coquitlam Euro-Rite FC
Huitema, Jordyn | she/elle | 22 | Chilliwack, BC, CAN | Chilliwack FC
Lacasse, Cloé | she/elle | 30 | Sudbury, ON, CAN | Sudbury
Lawrence, Ashley | she/elle | 28 | Caledon East, ON, CAN | Brams United SC
Leon, Adriana | she/elle | 31 | Maple and King City, ON, CAN | Vaughan Azzuri
Prince, Nichelle | she/elle | 28 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Proulx, Lysianne | she/elle | 24 | Boucherville, QC, CAN | CS Boucherville
Quinn | they/iel | 28 | Toronto, ON, CAN | North Toronto SC
Riviere, Jayde | she/elle | 22 | Markham, ON, CAN | West Rouge SC
Rose, Jade | she/elle | 20 | Markham, ON, CAN | Markham SC
Schmidt, Sophie | she/elle | she/elle | 34 | Abbotsford, BC, CAN | Abbotsford
Sheridan, Kailen | she/elle | 28 | Whitby, ON, CAN | Pickering SC
Sinclair, Christine | she/elle | 40 | Burnaby, BC, CAN | South Burnaby Metro Club Bees
Smith, Olivia | she/elle | 19 | Whitby, ON, CAN | Whitby Iroquois SC
St-Georges, Bianca | she/elle | 26 | St-Charles-Borommée, QC, CAN | St-Félix De Valois
Viens, Evelyne | she/elle | 26 | L’Ancienne-Lorette, QC, CAN | AS Mistral Laurentien
Zadorsky, Shelina | she/elle | 31 | Kitchener & London, ON, CAN | Kitchener SC
