SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Emily Wong’s 25th-minute penalty kick propelled the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite team into the group stage of the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup with a 1-0 preliminary round win over Alianza Women FC of El Salvador on Thursday.

With the victory at Estadio Cuscatlan, Vancouver will be placed in Group B of the CONCACAF tournament, where they will play games at Club America in Mexico on August 21 and Santa Fe in Panama on September 4, before hosting the NWSL’s San Diego Wave on October 1 and the Portland Thorns on October 15.

The 2024-25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup will run until May 2025 and will include the best women’s clubs from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The winner will represent CONCACAF at the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2026.

Wong came on after Kaylee Hunter, who had gotten past goalkeeper Roxana Vega on the play, was brought down in an attempted tackle by defender Rosmery Mendoza, who received a yellow card for the effort.

The goal by 17-year-old Wong, who attends Purdue University, was the first ever scored in the tournament.

“It’s an incredible feeling. Women’s football continues to grow and it’s great to be a part of it,” said Wong.

Hunter had a chance to double the lead later in the first half, but defender Andrea Recinos made a goal-line save.

Alianza, the eight-time champions from El Salvador, pushed for an equalizer in the second half and Vancouver goalkeeper Morgan McAslan made a great save in the 79th minute to preserve the lead.

Alianza had more shots on goal than Vancouver (9:7, 6:3 shots on goal) and had 59 percent possession. The Whitecaps had six corners, Alianza three.

The Whitecaps defeated CS Mont-Royal Outremont on penalties in the League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship final in Hamilton on Sunday to retain their national title with a 3-2 penalty shootout. The win secured the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite a spot in the 2025-26 CONCACAF W Champions Cup.

Under coach Katie Collar, Vancouver led the League1 BC regular season standings at 10-0-2, outscoring opponents 48-7, before defeating Burnaby FC 2-1 on Sunday to secure its third consecutive playoff title.

The team is comprised primarily of 16- and 17-year-olds, but with several of the team’s graduates moving on to NCAA and Canadian university clubs prior to the provincial playoffs, Collar bolstered her team with goalkeepers Dakota Beckett and McAslan, defender Brianne Reed, midfielder Josie Longhurst, midfielder Jessica De Filippo and forward Jourdan Ziff.

Canadian youth international players Jeneva Hernandez Gray, the team captain, and Jaime Perrault have decided to stay with the team for another year.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 15, 2024.

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