A pair of 17-year-old standouts from the Richmond Girls Soccer Association will be part of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC U18 Elite program this coming season.
Defender Justine Do and forward Summer Clarke have been named to the squad that will be competing in the Metro Women's Soccer League's Premier Division.
Both girls were members of the highly successful Richmond Red Hot Selects that concluded an outstanding run through youth soccer by winning its second straight Provincial Cup championship this past July in Kamloops.
This will be Do's second season with the Whitecaps program after leaving the Red Hot Selects following their Provincial Cup win at the U16 level. Clarke stayed on for one more year to play for her father Clive Clarke.
The Selects enjoyed a dominant campaign that included back-to-back Coastal Cup titles.
Clarke was also busy as a key member with the national Under 17 team, helping Canada qualify for the upcoming FIFA U17 World Cup in Azerbaijan. She was Canada's leading scorer in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, scoring six goals.
This past summer, the Whitecaps Girls Elite team finished as runner's up in both the Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL) Premier Women's regular season, and in the 2012 Challenge Cup.
The team features two other national U17 members - Jasmin Dhanda and Carley Radomski. Meanwhile, Emma Fletcher will be playing for New Zealand. "We're very excited to be kicking off a new season for the Girls Elite program," said Jesse Symons, Whitecaps FC women's and Girls Elite head coach. "This is a very talented group of young players, so we're really looking forward to seeing each of them reach their full potential over the coming months."
The Whitecaps open their MWSL season on Sunday, against West Coast FC Kerrisdale. As a provisional member, all Whitecaps FC Girls Elite results will count in the MWSL Premier standings. However, the team will not be eligible for postseason play.
The Whitecaps FC Girls Elite program is a funded player development program for players who have been identified to move beyond community club soccer.
