Concordia to host CCAA’s best in Women’s Soccer

Concordia University of Edmonton will host the 2019 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Soccer National Championship.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) institution will host the event Nov. 6-9, 2019 in Edmonton, AB. Last March, Concordia hosted the 2018 CCAA Badminton National Championships.

In recent years, Concordia has hosted numerous ACAC events, including the 2016 Women’s Soccer Championships. Thunder Athletics will ensure the event is technically exceptional and that student-athletes have an outstanding experience in Edmonton.

“We believe that our institution will put forth an exceptional championship through the support of our senior leadership team, our over 75 student-ambassador volunteers that have expressed interest in the event, our dedicated staff and coaches and our corporate and community partners,” said Joel Mrak, Athletics Director at Concordia.

Clareview Field, which has played host to ACAC Conference Championships, will be the site for all the action. The field features new turf, which was installed for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015.

Despite being a small university within the Canadian post-secondary landscape, Thunder Athletics has enjoyed tremendous success within the ACAC and CCAA. Since 1992, the Thunder have earned eight CCAA National Championship titles and more than 30 ACAC championship banners.

Concordia’s women’s soccer team has medaled in 12 of the past 14 seasons in the ACAC. The women’s soccer program has made four trips to the CCAA National Championships, earning gold in 2009 and silver in 2012.

“In recent years, Concordia has been a force in Alberta,” said Marlene Ford, CCAA Women’s Soccer Convenor. “I expect the Thunder will be ready to go when the best collegiate teams in the country gather in Edmonton to compete for a national title.”

The eight-team tournament will feature conference champions from the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), ACAC, OCAA, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) and Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) as well as two wildcard teams and host Concordia.

The Élans de Garneau have captured four consecutive CCAA titles in Women’s Soccer. The last team other than Garneau to earn CCAA gold was the MacEwan Griffins of the ACAC in 2013.

The 2018 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship will be hosted by Douglas College in Coquitlam, BC, from Nov. 7-10, 2018.

Story by CCAA