TORONTO – U SPORTS announced the seedings and bracket for the 2024 BMO U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship, to be hosted by Dalhousie University in Halifax. The tournament gets underway on Thursday, Nov. 7 and concludes the following Sunday, Nov. 10.
As Canada West bronze medalist, the Trinity Western Spartans qualify for their 15th championship tournament, and their fourth straight. The Spartans, who have five national titles, will begin the tournament with a quarter final match-up against the Laval Rouge et Or. It will be the fifth time the Spartans have faced the Rouge et Or at the U SPORTS championship. The last time TWU faced Laval was a 3-0 win in last year's semi-final. The Spartans are 4-1 lifetime against the Rouge et Or. Also on the TWU side of the draw are the University of Victoria and the Ottawa Gee Gees. Last season the Spartans lost 1-0 in overtime to the UBC Thunderbirds in the gold medal game.
The eight participating teams, listed in order of seedings, are as follows:
· #1, UBC Thunderbirds, Canada West champions (14-0-0 regular season, 2-0-0 playoffs)
· #2, Laval Rouge et Or, RSEQ champions (6-3-5, 1-0-1)
· #3, Ottawa Gee-Gees, OUA champions (11-1-0, 2-0-1)
· #4, Cape Breton Capers, AUS champions (10-0-2, 2-0-0)
· #5, Nipissing Lakers, OUA finalists (9-3-0, 2-1-0)
· #6, Victoria Vikes, CW finalists (7-2-5, 2-1-0)
· #7, Trinity Western Spartans, CW bronze medallists (8-4-2, 2-1-0)
· #8, Dalhousie Tigers, hosts (5-4-3, 0-1-0)
TWU's record against teams at this year's championship.
At championship and overall record.
No.1 UBC Thunderbirds 0-3 (19-31-12)
No. 2 Laval Rouge et Or 4-1 (4-1)
No. 3 Ottawa Gee-Gees 1-2 (1-2)
No. 4 Cape Breton Capers 5-0
No. 5 Nipissing Lakers 0-0 (0-0)
No. 6 Victoria Vikes 2-0 (30-20-7)
No. 8 Dalhousie Tigers 0-0 (0-0)
In women's soccer, the four conference champions are seeded in positions one through four, based on their conference's top finisher at last year's national championship. The remaining four teams are placed into predetermined spots in the bracket based on their finish in their respective conference playoffs. National rankings play no role in teams' placement within the bracket.
The entire tournament will be played at Wickwire Field on the campus of Dalhousie University. The four quarterfinals will be played on Thursday, November 7, as follows: (all times Atlantic)
· 11 a.m. #7 Trinity Western vs. #2 Laval
· 1:30 p.m. #6 Victoria vs. #3 Ottawa
· 5 p.m. #1 UBC at #8 Dalhousie
· 7:30 p.m. #5 Nipissing vs. #4 Cape Breton
Game Day 2 is set for Friday, November 10, and will see consolation games at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with championship semifinals to follow at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The lone game on Saturday, November 11, will be the fifth-place game, set for 4 p.m. The final day is Sunday, November 12, and will feature the bronze-medal game at 12:30 p.m. and the championship at 4 p.m.
Tickets for the event are currently on sale at https://usportstickets.ca
All 11 games of the championship will be streamed on CBC digital platforms in English, and RadioCanada.ca/Sports, ICITou.TV and usports.ca in French.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country, and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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