Jessica de Filippo was the hero for Whitecaps FC Girls Elite as she netted a brace from the bench to hand the invincible League1 BC champions a 2-0 victory over Calgary Blizzard, earning the Vancouver-based side a place in the League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship final for the second consecutive year.

The forward, who played just twice for Whitecaps in the League1 BC this year, entered Friday’s semifinal against Calgary at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont. as a substitute to start the second half. Head coach Katie Collar was pleased with her side’s effort to that point, but with the game deadlocked at 0-0 through the first 45 minutes, she knew the team needed a little something extra in front of net.

Enter de Filippo, who didn’t take long to make a difference.

The striker saw her opportunity in the 53rd-minute and took it with aplomb. She collected the ball approximately 25 yards out and whipped her shot past Blizzard goalkeeper Lauren Houghton, who was standing off her line. Whitecaps were quickly up 1-0.

And de Filippo was at it again just three minutes later, latching onto a long through-ball that broke the Blizzard’s backline and coolly slotting it past the on-rushing goalkeeper to give the Whitecaps a two-goal advantage.

The lead was also testament to Whitecaps’ Emily Wong, who continually won possession for her side in the first half and extinguished Calgary’s attempts to attack. Even after her substitution in the 67th minute, Whitecaps stayed strong to seal its place in the final.

Following the match, de Filippo was celebrated by not only her teammates but by the family and friends in the stands at Tim Hortons Field who were lucky enough to be in attendance for a special event for the striker.

Whitecaps will now face Ligue1 Québec representative CS Mont-Royal  in the Championship Final of the 2024 League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship on Sunday, Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. The Blizzard will vie for third-place honours against local side NDC Ontario in the competition’s third-place match, which will kick off at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. Both matches will be played at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont. and will be broadcast on OneSoccer, the dedicated home for soccer in Canada.

The reigning League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship winners will no doubt have eyes on not only retaining their title on Sunday, but securing its place as Canada’s representative in the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup.