SAN DIEGO (Sept. 30, 2024) – San Diego Wave FC travels to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the club’s third group stage match of the Concacaf W Champions Cup at BC Place on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
The match will mark the first-ever meeting between San Diego and Vancouver. The ‘Caps compete in League1 British Columbia and earned their spot in the tournament by winning the Canadian Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship and becoming the 2023 Champions of League1. The Canadian side advanced out of the preliminary round with a 1-0 win over Alianza Women FC to earn a spot in Group B alongside the Wave, Portland Thorns, Santa Fé FC, and Club América.
Last Time Out
In San Diego’s last Concacaf W Champions Cup match, the team came from behind to defeat Portland Thorns FC 3-2 at Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 18. Sophia Smith opened the scoring in the 26th minute for Portland while rookie Reilyn Turner doubled the lead in the 54th minute. Midfielder Makenzy Doniak was taken down in the box in the 64th minute before Sánchez converted her first Wave FC penalty kick. Just 90 seconds later, forward Delphine Cascarino beat two Portland defenders on the end line and sent a perfectly placed cross to Sánchez who towered over her defender and struck it with her head, powering the shot past Portland goalkeeper Shelby Hogan. San Diego earned their second penalty of the evening in the 85th minute when forward Amirah Ali took a shot that hit the hand of a Portland defender. The Mexican international stepped up again and went to the same spot to beat Hogan for a hat-trick.
Vancouver earned a 2-1 win in the club’s first group stage match of the Concacaf W Champions Cup against Santa Fé FC in Panama on Sept. 4. The ‘Caps opened the scoring in the 34th minute when Kaylee Hunter played a ball through the Panamanian defense to Jourdan Ziff who hit a left-footed shot over the Santa Fé goalkeeper. Vancouver then doubled the lead when Brianne Reed finished a corner kick with a first-time shot in the 78th minute. Santa Fé FC would pull one back in the 85th minute by way of a penalty kick goal.
Players to Watch
10 of the last 14 goals in all competitions for the Wave have involved San Diego’s Maria Sánchez. In the club’s last match, the forward recorded her team-leading fourth assist of the season when she played a ball out wide to midfielder Melanie Barcenas who dribbled at the backline and took a shot to secure her first professional goal. With the three goals in the Wave’s last Concacaf match, Sánchez also became the first Mexican international to record a hat-trick for an NWSL team.
Vancouver’s Jeneva Hernandez Gray is one of the team’s key players and was named League1 BC’s Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, and Midfielder of the Year in 2023. In the 2024 League1 BC regular season, Gray scored eight goals across eight matches. The 17-year-old also captained the club’s first Concacaf match against Alianza Women FC that earned the ‘Caps a spot in the group stage of the tournament.
How to Watch
Tuesday’s match between the Wave and the Whitecaps will be played at BC Place in Vancouver with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
