Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The high standard expected of the Griffins women's soccer program, which is less than three years removed from a U SPORTS national championship, has already been on full display in the opening week of training camp.
The veterans and rookies are both taking turns pushing the pace as head coach Dean Cordeiro's terrific recruiting class – eight strong – is melding nicely with a strong crop of returning players.
"The team is looking really good," said Cordeiro, whose squad saw its first on-field action together early this week. "We're super excited. Our first-year freshmen and transfers bring such a high standard, so it's really made for great competition the first couple days of camp. It's an amazing group.
The returning Griffins players, including many of their starters from last season's Prairie Division-winning squad that went 10-2-2, have led the way to a seamless August start.
"I just love the fact that we had so many young players these last couple of years play prominent roles within the team," said Cordeiro. "Everybody being a year older and a year more experienced is massive for our group. Our third and fourth years are deep and we've got the right people in the right spots. As a collective, they're bringing out the best in themselves, but they're also raising the bar for the younger players within our program.
"We've been impressed with our first and second-year players. The healthy competition within the group is off the charts right now."
The team is just four days away from their preseason opener when they'll host UNBC (Aug. 13, 11 a.m., Clarke Stadium). They'll also host Lethbridge next week (Aug. 14, 3 p.m., Clarke Stadium).
A trip to Kelowna for a two-game non-conference set at UBC Okanagan (Aug. 23-24), followed by Edmonton-based exhibition matches against ACAC teams Concordia (Aug. 26) and NAIT (Aug. 28) will get them tuned up for their regular season opener at Saskatchewan on Sept. 7.
"We're happy with it," said Cordeiro. "We've got six good games. It's a nice array of U SPORTS teams and top local colleges to supplement what we keep building within our training camp.
"We're excited about our slate. It starts next week. We've got UNBC and Lethbridge coming to town, so we're looking forward to those matches. Then we have pretty much two games a week going into the start of our season. We're looking forward to a great start."
