Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – For as long as they've been in Canada West, the Griffins women's soccer team has enjoyed some of the best goalkeeping in the conference.
A staple of their success in the U SPORTS ranks since 2014, the position has always been one of strength for the Griffins.
Continuing that succession of talent, head coach Dean Cordeiro has added who he considers to be the best goalkeeper in Alberta in the 2005 age group – Edmonton's Sabrina Alexander.
"She's the top goalkeeper in the class," said Cordeiro. "With a goalkeeper graduating (Bianca Castillo), we love the addition of Sabrina. She'll come in and compete right away.
"The other thing we love about Sabrina is she's a lefty, so it changes the picture with the distribution. She's got great distribution capabilities, is an amazing shot stopper and is a natural leader. We're excited about what Sabrina brings to the table."
Alexander came out of the Sherwood Park Phoenix program and played for Team Alberta in multiple seasons in her youth.
The 5-foot-8 Jasper Place product is currently getting healthy from an injury ahead of her first Canada West season, while staying in an elite training environment as a member of the St. Albert Impact's League One squad.
"It's really been kind of our backbone – our strength down the spine, for sure," said Cordeiro of a position that once featured French Div. 1 professional keeper Emily Burns, who graduated from the program after the 2019 season. "We always build out of the back, and we need players who possess a certain skill-set. All the keepers we have, their distribution is very, very good, and that's important to fit to how we play through the units of players and our playing style.
"We're very excited to add Sabrina to the long list of talented goalkeepers who've donned the Maroon and White. We already know she's a great fit with the players and we can't wait to see her in action."
Alexander is familiar with several members of the Griffins, having also played for the St. Albert Impact in UWS in 2021 and for Cordeiro's club team Northwest United in 2022.
