Formerly | CIAU soccer, CIS soccer |
---|---|
Sport | Soccer |
Founded | 1987 |
No. of teams | 53, in four conferences |
Country | Canada |
Most recent champion(s) | Montreal Carabins (2022) |
Most titles | UBC Thunderbirds (7) [1] |
Official website | usports |
U Sports women's soccer is the highest level of play at the university level under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. [2] As of the 2021 season, 53 teams from Canadian universities are divided into four conferences, drawing from the four conferences of U Sports: Canada West, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. [3] After interconference playoffs have been played, eight teams compete for the Gladys Bean Memorial Trophy, awarded to the U Sports women's soccer championship winner.
The regular season is eight to nine weeks long, depending on the conference. Teams play between 12 and 16 regular season games, depending on conference or division, with teams typically playing a home and home series with every other team in their conference or division. All regular season games are in-conference. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Chantal Navert Memorial award is awarded annually to the Player of the Year in U Sports women's soccer.
After the regular season, single elimination playoff games are held between the top teams in each conference to determine conference champions. In the Canada West and Quebec conferences, the top four teams qualify for the playoffs, with the fourth and first seeded teams playing one match and the third and second seeded teams playing another. The two winning teams then play for the conference championship. Because there are more teams in the Atlantic conference, the top six teams qualify, with the top two teams receiving a first-round bye. The sixth and third seeded teams play one match and the fifth and fourth seeded teams play another. The winning teams then go on to play the top two seeded teams, with the lowest remaining seed playing the first seeded team and the highest remaining seed playing the second seeded team. The winners of these two semi-final matches then play for the Atlantic conference championship.
The Ontario playoff system operates much like the Atlantic one, except it functions for both the West and East divisions. The top six teams from each division (twelve total) qualify for the playoffs, with the top two seeds of each division receiving byes. The champions of each division then play for the OUA conference championship. Because the OUA has 12 teams competing, it necessitates a longer post-season schedule. Consequently, the first round of the playoffs in the OUA occurs during the same week that each of the other three conferences are playing their last regular season games. The four conference champions automatically qualify for the U Sports Women's Soccer Championship.
The U Sports Women's Soccer Championship, first established in 1987, features eight teams in single elimination matches to determine a national champion. The championship hosts 11 games over four days at a predetermined host venue. The host team is automatically qualified for the tournament, as is each of the conference champions. Another berth is awarded to the second-place finisher in the Ontario conference and Canada West conference. The final spot is given to one team from one of the three remaining conferences on a yearly rotational basis. [4]
University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Founded | Soccer Stadium | Stadium Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acadia University | Axewomen | Wolfville | NS | 1838 | Raymond Field | 3,000 |
Cape Breton University | Capers | Sydney | NS | 2005 | CBU Field | N/A |
Dalhousie University | Tigers | Halifax | NS | 1818 | Wickwire Field | 2,000 |
Memorial University of Newfoundland | Sea-Hawks | St. John's | NL | 1925 | King George V Park | 6,400 [5] |
Université de Moncton | Aigles Bleu | Moncton | NB | 1864 | Moncton Stadium | 10,000 |
Mount Allison University | Mounties | Sackville | NB | 1839 | MacAulay Field | 2,500 |
University of New Brunswick | Varsity Reds | Fredericton | NB | 1785 | BMO Centre | 2,500 |
University of Prince Edward Island | Panthers | Charlottetown | PEI | 1969 | UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place | 1,670 |
Saint Mary's University | Huskies | Halifax | NS | 1802 | Huskies Stadium | 4,000 |
St. Francis Xavier University | X-Women | Antigonish | NS | 1853 | Oland Stadium | 4,000 |
University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Founded | Soccer Stadium | Stadium Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bishop's University | Bishop's Gaiters | Sherbrooke | QC | 1843 | Coulter Field | 2,200 |
Concordia University | Stingers | Montreal | QC | 1896 | Concordia Stadium | 4,000 |
Université Laval | Rouge et Or | Quebec City | QC | 1663 | PEPS Stadium | 12,257 |
McGill University | Martlets | Montreal | QC | 1821 | Percival Molson Memorial Stadium | 25,012 |
Université de Montréal | Carabins | Montreal | QC | 1821 | CEPSUM Stadium | 5,100 |
Université du Québec à Montréal | Citadins | Montreal | QC | 1969 | terrain #2 of Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard | 1,000 |
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | Patriotes | Trois-Rivières | QC | 1969 | Stade de l'UQTR | 1,500 |
Université de Sherbrooke | Vert et Or | Sherbrooke | QC | 1843 | Stade de l'Université de Sherbrooke | 3,359 |
The Ottawa Gee-Gees are the athletic teams that represent the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario.
The Queen's Gaels is the Athletics program representing Queen's University at Kingston in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Team colours are blue, red, and gold. The main athletics facilities include Richardson Memorial Stadium, the Queen's Athletics and Recreation Centre, Nixon Field and Tindall Field.
The Guelph Gryphons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports (OUA's), and, where applicable, in the west division. The university teams are often referred to as the Gryphs, which is short for the school's mascot, Gryph, the gryphon.
The U Sports Men's Ice Hockey Championship, is a Canadian university ice hockey tournament conducted by U Sports, and determines the men's national champion. The tournament involves the champions from each of Canada's four regional sports conferences. The David Johnston University Cup is awarded to the winners.
The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's championships, which is more than any top division college in Canada or the United States. The Ravens went on an 87-game winning streak from 2003 to 2006. They also had a 54-game home winning streak. The Ravens finished 2nd in the World University Basketball Championships in 2004.
The Lakehead Thunderwolves are the U Sports varsity athletic teams that represent Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
TMU Bold, formerly known as the Ryerson Rams, are the varsity athletic teams that represent Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Metropolitan University operates 11 men's and women's varsity teams that compete provincially as part of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and nationally as part of U Sports.
The Windsor Lancers are the varsity athletic teams that represent the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The school's varsity program supports 9 different sports. Their mascot is a lancer and the team's colours are blue and gold. The varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics provincial conference and the national U Sports organization. The school joined the Ontario-Quebec Athletic Association in 1952.
U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. At the end of every season, the champions of each conference advance to semifinal bowl games; the winners of these meet in the Vanier Cup national championship.
U Sports men's soccer is the highest level of amateur play of association football in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. As of the 2018 season, 48 teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. At the end of every season, eight teams compete for the Sam Davidson Memorial Trophy, awarded to the U Sports Men's Soccer Championship team.
The UBC Okanagan Heat are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia and currently compete in the Canada West conference of U Sports. The Heat field varsity teams in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and volleyball.
The Mount Royal Cougars are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Cougars field eight varsity teams with four men's teams and four women's teams that compete in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association of U Sports. The Cougars were previously members of the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association prior to the move to CIS in 2012.
The Northern Football Series was a proposed sub-conference and competition for Canadian university football teams which was submitted to all Canadian university football schools on January 5, 2015. It would potentially involve the top two teams from the CWUAA, which covers Western Canada, four teams from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and the top two teams from the Quebec Student Sport Federation (RSEQ). A team from Atlantic University Sport (AUS) could qualify in the second year of operation.
The 2019 U Sports Men's University Cup Hockey Tournament was held March 14–17, 2019, in Lethbridge, Alberta and played at the ENMAX Centre. The Lethbridge Pronghorns, a member of U Sports Canada West conference, were awarded the privilege of hosting this year. The ENMAX center is located 15 minutes from campus, in south Lethbridge. This event marks the first appearance of the tournament in Lethbridge and 10th time in Alberta.
The 2020 U Sports Men's University Cup Hockey Tournament was scheduled for March 2020 in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the Scotiabank Centre, but was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic after the first day of competition. The Acadia Axemen, a member of U Sports Atlantic University Sport conference, were the designated host. Scotiabank Centre is 99 kilometres south of the school's campus (Wolfville). This event marked the third appearance of the tournament in Halifax, which hosted the 2015 and 2016 tournaments. This was the first time that Acadia was the host of the tournament; St. Francis Xavier University and Saint Mary's University split hosting rights (respectively) during the previous two-year stint.
U Sports women's volleyball is the highest level of amateur play of indoor volleyball in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports. 42 teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CW), Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), and Atlantic University Sport (AUS). Following intra-conference playoffs, eight teams are selected to play in a national tournament to compete for the U Sports women's volleyball championship.
U SPORTS Men's Volleyball is the highest level of amateur play of men's indoor volleyball in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports. Thirty-one teams from Canadian universities are divided into three athletic conferences, drawing from the three of the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CW), Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). The Atlantic University Sport (AUS) formerly featured men's volleyball as a U Sports championship sport, but it was removed following the 2017–18 season. The 31 participating teams compete in a regular season and following intra-conference playoffs, eight teams are selected to play in a national tournament to compete for the U Sports men's volleyball championship.
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The 2021 U Sports football season began on August 28, 2021, with the Sherbrooke Vert et Or hosting the Montreal Carabins in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The Atlantic University Sport conference began play on September 17, 2021, and ten Ontario University Athletics teams opened their seasons on September 18, 2021. The Canada West conference began their regular season last with all six teams playing on September 25, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, all conferences except the RSEQ played six regular season games while the RSEQ played eight.
The 2023 U Sports football season began on August 25, 2023, with the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. On the following day, ten Ontario University Athletics teams, four Atlantic University Sport teams, and two RSEQ opened their schedules on August 26, 2023. On the following weekend, the six Canada West teams opened their seasons on September 1, 2023.