Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – For the third time since 2019, the MacEwan Griffins women's soccer team is centring its spring schedule around a trip to Hawaii during Reading Week.
The Griffins will be saying 'Aloha' from Feb. 14-23 as they get a nice respite from Edmonton winter and get a chance to play some top competition, too.
They'll face Leahi Soccer Club Feb. 18, fellow Canada West side UNBC – who are also on a Hawaii trip at that time – Feb. 20 and the University of Hawaii Feb. 22.
"It's just such an amazing opportunity for the team just to build on its culture and that continuity within our squad, and to get some really good competition," said MacEwan head coach Dean Cordeiro. "We've built a really good relationship back to my college days at Concordia with the University of Hawaii. I brought my collegiate team there. Now, this is the third time I've brought a MacEwan team there. We know we're going to get good competition; we know it's going to be amazing weather."
MacEwan beat the University of Hawaii 2-0 on their trip to Honolulu last February.
The three games they'll play in Hawaii are among 13 exhibition contests on MacEwan's schedule – one of which has already been played: a 6-1 Griffins' win over Concordia of Edmonton last Friday.
It's the busiest spring schedule the Griffins have perhaps ever had, but that's by design, explained Cordeiro.
"We have a heavy slate, but it's important," he said. "We always try to emulate what we do in the fall and winter season. With 14 regular season games in the fall, this year, we're at 13 games in the winter season.
"It's a good kind of consistency," he added. "We're playing pretty much every Friday – an 11v11 fixture – and I think that's important with all the training we've got going on."
Besides their Hawaii schedule, the Griffins will also face four other Canada West opponents – Calgary, Trinity Western, Victoria, and Mount Royal –two top Alberta club teams (St. Albert Impact and Calgary Foothills) and Concordia two more times.
"I love the variety we have with five U SPORTS opponents, an NCAA opponent, Concordia and then some of the top clubs in Alberta. Playing 13 games is important over the next couple months and will really pave the way to get a good look at all of our players here in preparation for next season."
