CCAA Women's Soccer Semifinal Preview: VIU vs Ahuntsic
Mariners face the top seed in the country with a berth in the national title game on the line
RED DEER, AB - Only three women's soccer teams earned the top ranking in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Assocation national rankings this season. Two of them go head-to-head today as the Mariners take on Les Aigles du Collège Ahuntsic (Montreal, QC) in a national semifinal.
- What: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Soccer National Championship - Semifinal round
- Where: Setters Place at Great Chief Park, Red Deer, Alberta
- When: Thursday, November 6 at 5:30 pm Mountain Time / 4:30 pm Pacific Time
- Watch: CCAA Live online (pay per view)
How We Got Here
The PACWEST champion Mariners defeated the host and ACAC bronze medallist Red Deer Queens in an exciting quarterfinal match on November 5. Jada Kamerman scored VIU's goal midway through the second half after redirecting an Avery Henderson cross into the Red Deer net. VIU goalkeeper Kaiden Thorpe made five saves to keep the Queens at bay.
Les Aigles, the RSEQ champions, have been the CCAA's top-ranked team since September 23. They won CCAA silver last year and the national championship in 2022. They haven't lost a game this season and looked strong in a 5-1 CCAA quarterfinal win over the MCAC-champion Brandon University Bobcats on November 5. Five different players scored for Les Aigles.
Watch Out Now
Ahuntsic: Their lineup featues three RSEQ first team all-stars: leading scorer Camille Tremblay, Raphaëlle Malo, and Kylie Mitchell. Tremblay was named Ahuntsic's player of the game in their quarterfinal win.
VIU: Midfielder Jada Kamerman scored VIU's lone goal against Red Deer and goalkeeper Kaiden Thorpe continued her excellent season with another shutout. Jade Dillabough, who led many dangerous runs against Red Deer, was named VIU's player of the game.
The Path Ahead
The winner of this game advances directly to the CCAA gold medal match on Saturday, November 8 at 3 pm Mountain / 2 pm Pacific. They will face the winner of the Garneau and MSVU semifinal.
The loser moves to the bronze bracket and will face the OCAA champion St. Clair Saints in a bronze semifinal Friday at 5:30 pm Mountain / 4:30 pm Pacific.
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.