For the second year in a row, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite emerged victorious at the League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship on Sunday, as they triumphed over CS Mont-Royal Outremont in a penalty shootout at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field, lifting the trophy after a hard-fought contest that ended 2-2 over 90 minutes.

The Whitecaps will, as a result, represent Canada in the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup, earning that honour for a second time.

In Sunday’s championship final, it was the Québecois side Mont-Royal Outremont who drew first blood by striking quickly in transition thanks to a good vertical ball forward. Forward Anaïs Oularbi won a battle with a Whitecaps centre-back to bring down the forward pass, using the outside of her foot to flick it deftly over the goalkeeper and in to put her side up 1-0.

The lead would not last long, though. Ten minutes before halftime, the Whitecaps’ Quinn Johnson found her way into the box, but was cut down in the area by CSMRO defender Rose Hughes, winning a penalty for the B.C. side. Kaylee Hunter stepped up to the spot for the Whitecaps, rolling it confidently into the bottom right corner to equalize.

Immediately after her side drew level, Whitecaps coach Katelyn Collar turned to her bench, bringing one of her key impact players into the match. Johnson made way for 23-year-old Jessica De Filippo, scorer of both her side’s goals in Friday night’s semifinal victory, as the Whitecaps sought a new attacking spark before the break.

Coming out of halftime, the two sides continued to press for an advantage, and once again it was Mont-Royal Outremont who broke the deadlock. This time, centre-forward Joëlle Gosselin found a pocket of space just outside the corner of the penalty area and turned toward goal, taking one touch before lifting a perfectly-placed shot over traffic and into the far side of the net. Gosselin’s strike from distance was her second of the competition, having also scored in the semifinal against NDC Ontario.

Still, though, the Whitecaps would not roll over. Less than five minutes after falling behind they struck back, as Hunter made a trailing run into the box and was in perfect position as CSMRO were unable to clear Bridget Mutipula’s ball across the area. Hunter fired at goal with her first touch and found the side netting, scoring her second of the match to equalize once again.

After making it 2-2, the Whitecaps had the greater share of chances; De Filippo hit the post with a header in the 75th minute, and they threatened the goal several more times in the dying minutes, but goalkeeper Lea Palacio-Tellier did an outstanding job keeping Mont-Royal Outremont in the game with multiple saves and brave claims.

With neither side able to find a third goal in the 90 minutes, the final proceeded directly to penalties. As the two teams went blow-for-blow, with both goalkeepers making an excellent save in the second round of spot kicks, it came down to the fifth set of takers. Jaime Perrault slotted her penalty for the Whitecaps, before CSMRO’s Rose Hughes hit the crossbar with her attempt as the B.C. side were crowned champions.

Hunter, with her brace in Sunday’s final, was named the Player of the Tournament for the 2024 League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship.

For the Whitecaps, attention now turns to the the 2024-25 Concacaf W Champions Cup, for which they qualified by winning last year’s Inter-Provincial Championship. They’ll head down to El Salvador this week, where they’ll take on Alianza in the preliminary round as they make their maiden voyage on the continental stage.

Earlier in the afternoon on Sunday, NDC Ontario triumphed in the Inter-Provincial Championship’s third place game, claiming the bronze medal over League1 Alberta representatives Calgary Blizzard.

The League1 Ontario champions won 1-0 in a spirited contest as Adriana Bianchin scored in just the fifth minute. NDCO held on to their slim lead for the remainder of the affair, despite a disjointed first half which featured a brief weather delay, seeing out the victory to cap off a successful season.