The Canadian Soccer Association announced on Tuesday that three Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite players have been named to Canada's final roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship in Jamaica. The Red and White begin their challenge against the region's best this coming Thursday, October 31 versus Guatemala.
Included among the 20 players are defenders Rachel Jones and Simmrin Dhaliwal, and midfielder Jenna Baxter (pictured). All three players took part in the previous Women's Excel camp in September. Prior to joining the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite program, all three players developed through the BC Soccer Provincial Development Program and the National Training Centre and played in the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League. Baxter most recently joined the program from Surrey United SC, while Jones and Dhaliwal enter their second seasons with Whitecaps FC after coming from Mountain United.
“Taking the group from 23 to 20 was a very, very difficult decision,” said head coach Bev Priestman. “(It’s) a credit to many girls in the group for rising to the challenge and pushing themselves to show more and more over the course of the programme so far.”
The team travels from Florida, where they held their pre-tournament camp, to Jamaica on Tuesday in advance of their opening game of the competition against Guatemala on Thursday. Two days later, the team will take on Trinidad and Tobago before wrapping up the group stage on Monday, November 4 against the defending champions from the United States.
The top two teams in the eight-team tournament earn berths in next year’s 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in Costa Rica.
CANADA
GK- Rylee Foster | CAN / Woodbridge SC
GK- Devon Kerr | CAN / Glen Shields FC
D- Easther Mayi Kith | CAN / Laser de Joliette
D- Mika Richards | CAN / Brams United SC
D- Rachel Jones | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
D- Nadia Pestell | CAN / Brams United
D- Bianca St-Georges | CAN / Laser de Joliette
D- Simmrin Dhaliwal | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
M- Jenna Baxter | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
M- Jessie Fleming | CAN / London NorWest SC
M- Sarah Kinzner | CAN / Calgary Foothills
M- Avery Lakeman | CAN / Edmonton Drillers
M- Karima Lemire | CAN / Varennes
M- Sarah Stratigakis | CAN / Woodbridge SC
F- Emily Borgmann | CAN / Burlington SC
F- Nadya Gill | CAN / Vaughan SC
F- Anyssa Ibrahim | CAN / Terrebonne
F- Marie Levasseur | CAN / Haute St-Charles
F- Jessica Lisi | CAN / Woodbridge SC
F- Marie-Mychèle Métivier | CAN / Armada Chaudière-Est
