Whitecaps Elite Girls graduating 10 grade 12 players to post-secondary institutions next fall
Five Whitecaps Elite Girls join NCAA ranks, UBC also a beneficiary of the program
By Lev Jackson
10 Whitecaps Elite Girls have been selected to play at CIS and NCAA schools.
With grade 12 members of the Whitecaps Elite Girls program graduating high school and ending their time with the program, 10 talented and intelligent young ladies will further their soccer development and education at the post-secondary level.
“Our 2013 graduating players have selected some great schools,” Whitecaps FC Girls Elite head coach Jesse Symons said on the team’s website.
“Every player has picked a strong school, whether that be in the CIS or NCAA, so full credit to them for selecting schools that fit their needs both in the classroom and on the soccer field.”
Five of the Whitecaps girls are headed to American schools, where they will play NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) soccer.
Louisiana State University may well have won the Canadian women’s soccer lottery, able to convince two terrific talents in midfielder Emma Fletcher and striker Summer Clarke to attend this fall.
The two created great chemistry in the Whitecaps’ program and will no doubt become big assets for the LSU team over the next few years.
Clarke was incredibly impressive at the 2011 NCAA Final Four Showcase tournament.
Both Clarke and Fletcher played as underage players at the 2012 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan, with Clarke suiting up for Canada and Fletcher representing New Zealand.
Like Clarke, defenders Kathryn Baker and Justine Do knew where they would playing for a while.
Baker will suit-up for Oregon State University this season, while Do will join Yale University in the Ivy League.
Midfielder Samantha Dion will be soaking up the sun in California while putting in hours of training and study at St. Mary’s College of California.
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Goalkeeper Julia McDonald, who has been called up to Canada’s U17 women’s national team, will stay in the great white north, having been being accepted at the University of Ottawa.
In Vancouver, UBC has always used the Whitecaps Girls Elite program as a breeding ground. The current Thunderbird roster has no less than 10 alumni players at any given time.
This year, the Whitecaps sent another three players to UBC.
Defender Aman Shergill, midfielder Jasmine Mander and striker Jasmin Dhanda will all be playing for UBC this fall.
The University of the Fraser Valley was also able to keep a Whitecaps talent in the province, signing defender Carly Radomski.
Radomski is a product of the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League, and was the first ever Premier League player to play for the Whitecaps.
She joined the Elite program late last season and also gained experience with the U17 women’s national team.
The girls still have Whitecaps duties and will be in action on Saturday against SurDel FC in their final round robin game of the MWSL Cup.
Category: Soccer
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