CCAA Women's Soccer Quarterfinal Preview: VIU vs Red Deer

The Mariners open up the national championship by facing the host Red Deer Polytechnic Queens

VIU Mariners women's soccer huddle — The Mariners huddle prior to their PACWEST championship game in Squamish, BC. VIU won that game 2-0 over Douglas to advance to the CCAA national championship. Photo: Mary Kessenich

November 5, 2025

RED DEER, AB - The Mariners have returned to the CCAA Women's Soccer National Championships a year after finishing fourth at the 2024 tournament in BC. The path to improving on that finish starts with a difficult matchup against the host Red Deer Polytechnic Queens.

What: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Soccer National Championship - Quarterfinal round
Where: Setters Place at Great Chief Park, Red Deer, Alberta
When: Wednesday, November 5 at 5:30 pm Mountain Time / 4:30 pm Pacific Time
Watch: CCAA Live online (pay per view)

How We Got Here

The Mariners qualified for the national championship after winning the PACWEST conference championship on October 26 with a 2-0 victory over the Douglas Royals. VIU, which finished the regular season with a record of 10 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, was ranked fourth in the final CCAA national rankings of the season. Including the postseason, VIU scored 36 goals and allowed 5.

VIU Mariners women's soccer at the CCAA Women's Soccer national championship
The Mariners discuss tactics during a Tuesday, November 4 practice in Red Deer, Alberta. Photo courtesy Red Deer Athletics / CCAA

The Queens qualified for the tournament automatically as the host school, but were one of the strongest teams in the ACAC's south division. The Queens dropped the conference semifinal 1-0 to the eventual champions, Concordia University of Edmonton, but rebounded to defeat SAIT for ACAC bronze. Including the postseason, Red Deer earned 10 wins, 4 losses, and a tie, and scored 46 goals while allowing 12.

Watch Out Now

Red Deer: The Queens featured four ACAC All-Conference players: forwards Sein Furuyama and McKenna Leslie; midfielder Olivia Lundell; and defender Payton Erick. Leslie and Lundell scored at a pace just below a goal per game.

VIU: Midfielder Jada Kamerman was voted PACWEST women's soccer player of the year and named MVP of the PACWEST Championship. She is joined by conference all-stars Mary Nicholls, Kaiden Thorpe, Emma Thornton, and Mary Huggill. Huggill was also named conference rookie of the year and Thorpe only allowed one goal all season.

The Path Ahead

The winner will advance to a Thursday semifinal at 5:30 pm Mountain Time against the RSEQ champion Aigles d'Ahuntsic or MCAC champion Brandon Bobcats. The VIU/Red Deer loser will face the loser of the Ahuntsic/Brandon game at 12:30 pm Mountain Time.

For more information on the Mariners, please contact Matt Carter, VIU Communications and Sports Information Coordinator. For more information on the CCAA Women's Soccer National Championship, visit the championship website.