SAINTS FINISH FOURTH AT WOMEN'S SOCCER NATIONALS

CCAA Bronze Final: Red Deer Polytechnic Queens 2, St. Clair Saints 1

In the bronze medal final, the RDP Queens (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Bronze medallists) rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the St. Clair Saints (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Champions) 2-1 at Setters Place in Red Deer, Alta.

In the 14th minute, the Saints opened the scoring. A Queens defender attempted to clear out a St. Clair shot but it was deflected into the top of the Queens' net.

The RDP Queens knotted it up 1-1 in the 60th minute. Off a cross by Yuri Umino, Sein Furuyama delivered a well-placed header past Saints third-year goalkeeper Scotlyn Fick.

Nine minutes later, Furuyama lifted the hosts ahead 2-1. The Visual Art Diploma student from Kobe, Japan broke away from the Saints' defenders and beat Fick low.

The St. Clair Saints couldn't even the contest and the Queens solidified national bronze, their first CCAA medal in program history.

Furuyama was recognized as the 4imprint Queens Player of the Game. Alessia Olivito, a third-year midfielder, was named the 4imprint Saints Player of the Match.

CCAA Bronze Semi-Final: St. Clair Saints 1*, VIU Mariners 1 (11-10 PK)

Penalty kicks were needed to decide the last bronze semi-final at Setters Place on Friday.

The St. Clair Saints (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Champions) outlasted the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners (Pacific Western Athletic Association Champions), outscoring the opposition 11-10 in penalty kicks to advance to Saturday's bronze medal match.

The Saints opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Natalie Kersey used her speed up the right side and connected with third-year forward Talia Liburdi who redirected the ball past Mariners fourth-year goalkeeper Kaiden Thorpe.

The Mariners pressed in the second half and were rewarded in the 87th minute. Mary Nicholls sent a free kick into the Saints' box and Hannah Wagner headed the ball past Saints goalkeeper Scotlyn Fick to even the contest 1-1 and send the match to penalty kicks.

The two teams traded goals for 10 rounds of penalty kicks. After the Saints made their 11th consecutive goal, VIU hit the crossbar to end the match and their bronze medal aspirations.

Kersey, a second-year forward, was honoured as the 4imprint Saints Player of the Game. Emma Riccardi, a fourth-year forward, received the recognition for the Mariners.

The St. Clair Saints will challenge the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens on Saturday at 12 p.m. MST in the bronze medal match.

CCAA Bronze Quarter-Final: St. Clair Saints 4, Concordia University Thunder 0

The St. Clair Saints used a stifling defence and timely goals to blank the Concordia University Thunder 4-0 in the bronze quarter-finals at the 2025 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Soccer National Championship in Red Deer, Alta.

In the 14th minute, the Saints (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Champions) broke the stalemate. Victoria Walsh, a third-year forward, broke free from the Thunder's defenders and scored on the left side of the net past Concordia's second-year goalkeeper Taytum Busch.

Early in the second half, St. Clair went up by a pair. Talia Liburdi, a third-year forward from Tecumseh, Ont., manoeuvred around the Thunder defence and struck the ball low into the back of the net.

In the 76th minute, Walsh recorded her second goal of the game, lifting the Saints to a 3-0 lead. Two minutes later, Kaedence Ingram added St. Clair's fourth marker.

Edmonton's Busch was named the 4imprint Thunder Player of the Match. Lily Collins, a third-year defender from Windsor, Ont., received the recognition for the Saints.

The Concordia University Thunder will play the Brandon Bobcats in the placement match on Friday at 12:30 p.m. MST. The St. Clair Saints will challenge the VIU Mariners in the bronze semi-final on Friday at 5:30 p.m. MST.

CCAA Quarter-Final: MSVU Mystics 1, St. Clair Saints 0

A decisive second-half strike was the difference in the opening quarter-final match between the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics and St. Clair Saints at the 2025 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Soccer National Championship in Red Deer, Alta.

The Mystics (Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association Champions) broke the deadlock 14 minutes into the latter half and solidified a 1-0 victory over the Saints (Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association Champions), advancing to the semi-finals.

Wednesday's opening match began with a quick pace as the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics and St. Clair Saints traded shots in the first few minutes at Setters Place. As both teams settled into the match, they elevated their defensive play, not giving up many high-quality scoring opportunities.

The stalemate was nearly broken in the 39th minute. Off a Saints' corner kick, Alessia Olivito, a third-year midfielder, beat MSVU's goalkeeper Morgan Gillis, but not the right post. Just before half-time, the Mystics had their best chance of the contest. From the right side, Beth Padfield attempted to beat Scotlyn Fick high, but the Saints third-year goalkeeper deflected the ball out of harms way.

The Saints opened the second half with a push, but it was the Mystics who converted first. In the 60th minute, Mhyah Allen, a Political Studies student from Dartmouth, N.S., found Ashley Neves in front of the Saints goal. Neves, a fifth-year midfielder, found space low on the left side of the net. St. Clair had several opportunities to even the match in the latter 45 minutes, which included a shot off the Mystics' crossbar.

Gillis made several outstanding saves and MSVU hung on to a 1-0 victory. Gillis, a Sociology and Anthropology student, was recognized as the 4imprint Mystics Player of the Match. Victoria Walsh, a third-year forward from Georgetown, Ont., received the honour for the Saints.

In the semi-finals, the MSVU Mystics will play the Élans de Garneau on Thursday, November 6 at 3 p.m. MST. The St. Clair Saints will face the Concordia University Thunder on Thursday at 10 a.m. MST in the bronze quarter-final.

CCAA Championship Site: www.ccaa.ca/sports/wsoc/championship/index

Source: Red Deer Queens/CCAA Communications