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Coquitlam soccer player to compete at U-20 World Cup. Then, she's off to college

Jeneva Hernandez-Gray was named to Canada's under-20 roster for the women's world cup in Colombia and will take to the pitch this weekend.
Tri-City News Staff
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Coquitlam's Jeneva Hernandez Gray, a midfielder with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC girls elite academy program, will suit up for Canada's national under-20 women's team at the FIFA 2024 U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia.BOB FRID/VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

This will be a pretty fun send-off before Jeneva Hernandez-Gray before she hits the books on a new school year.

The Coquitlam midfielder is in Colombia with Canada's national under-20 women's soccer team in hopes of erasing a 22-year medal drought.

The 18-year-old is competing at the FIFA 2024 U-20 Women's World Cup starting tomorrow, Aug. 31 in the second major international tournament of her young career.

Hernandez-Gray, an alumna of Port Coquitlam Euro-Rite FC, was one of 21 players selected to the national squad — one of three from B.C.

It's her first World Cup event since the FIFA 2022 U-17 Women's World Cup in India. She suited up in all three group stage matches, but Canada finished with a 0-2-1 record and didn't make the knockout round.

Hernandez-Gray has tallied two international goals and contributed six assists across 20 caps in a maple leaf kit.

In this past season with Vancouver Whitecaps Girls FC Elite, she finished second in League1 BC's scoring race with eight goals in 10 regular-season matches, leading to the accolade of women's player of the year.

This will likely be the last tournament of the summer before Hernandez-Gray begins her collegiate career.

In December 2023, she committed to Auburn University — one of the largest schools in the southern U.S. — with the Tigers in NCAA Div. I women's soccer for the fall 2024 campaign.

Hernandez-Gray was also named to Canada’s national women’s team for two exhibition matches last winter against Australia, including Christine Sinclair's final international game on Dec. 5, 2023, at BC Place in Vancouver.

This weekend, she'll look to add more experience (and more goals) to her résumé at the U-20 Women's World Cup. Canada's first and only medal was a silver at the inaugural tournament in 2002.

"This tournament is a great opportunity to test our young players," said under-20 head coach Cindy Tye in a news release.

"It offers them the chance to accumulate memorable experiences and matches. We will be faced with various styles of play, challenged to adapt each game, while maintaining our identity. We are excited about this roster; they are versatile and ready to gain valuable experience on the world stage."

Canada will take on France tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT; Fiji on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m.; and Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m.

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