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Canada is headed to the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, thanks to BCPL alumna Kaylee Hunter.

The 18-year-old striker scored a hat trick for Canada on Thursday morning as they beat France 3-1 in the round of 16, securing a quarterfinal berth against either Japan or North Korea.

Hunter, now a star for AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League, played the 2023 and 2024 campaigns with Whitecaps FC Girls Elite in the BCPL. She led the Whitecaps to back-to-back titles at the Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship, and in 2024 she was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after scoring two goals in the final.

Over her two seasons with Whitecaps Girls Elite, Hunter scored 18 goals in BCPL (then League1 BC) action.

Prior to her move to B.C., Hunter played in her hometown for Calgary Blizzard SC, participating in the 2023 League1 Alberta Exhibition Series.

Hunter has been an important player for Canada at the U-20 level, scoring seven goals in three games at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship qualifiers before helping Canada win the Concacaf title for the first time since 2008. She has also already earned two caps for the senior women’s national team, making her debut in March at the SheBelieves Cup against Argentina.

She is one of several Premier Soccer Leagues Canada alumnae in Canada’s squad at the U-20 World Cup, which includes Olivia Chisholm (NDC Ontario), Jeneva Hernandez Gray (Whitecaps Girls Elite), and Annabelle Chukwu (NDCO and Ottawa South United). In total, 16 of the 21 players on the roster have connections to the PSLC pathway, including eight who developed or competed with programs now connected to the BCPL.

Thursday’s hat trick brings Hunter’s scoring total at this World Cup to four goals, making her Canada’s leading scorer — joint-second in the tournament’s Golden Boot race. She has played a key role throughout the tournament, appearing in all four matches and starting three.

Canada advanced to the knockout stages by finishing third in Group B, where they lost to Brazil but got a point against England and beat Tanzania. They moved on as one of the best third-placed teams, and took on Group C winners France.

The Canadian women’s U-20 team has played in the World Cup quarterfinals on just three previous occasions, most recently in 2014. Their best ever finish was 2002, when Christine Sinclair led Canada to the final before bowing out in extra time against the United States.

Canada’s quarterfinal against North Korea or Japan will be played on Sunday, Sept. 20 in Łodz.