Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Always a staple of their success since joining Canada West in 2014, the MacEwan Griffins women's soccer program has enjoyed a strong history of great goalkeeping.
The next chapter in that tradition is about to drop as head coach Dean Cordeiro is adding two new recruits at the position for the 2025 season.
The first of those to be announced is Beaumont's Carly Uchacz, who comes in with a high pedigree, having been a part of the prestigious Vancouver Whitecaps Super REX program for two years (2022-23 and 2023-24).
Uchacz moved back home this past season to complete her high school education at Strathcona Christian, while playing for the St. Albert Impact.
"We're very happy she decided to come back home," said Cordeiro. "We've got big plans for her. She's come in with a lot of accolades already in a very young career. She is an excellent addition to our goalkeeper union here at MacEwan."
Uchacz has the potentially to play right out of the gate, already with the poise to make an impact as a Canada West rookie.
"We feel Carly is a keeper who can step in and contribute right away," said Cordeiro. "We're excited about the possible tandem that she'll form with Sabrina (Alexander).
"We have had a long history of some very good goalkeeping here at MacEwan and we're excited about this next cycle with some of these young players coming in and Sabrina only midway through her career (going into her third season). We've set ourselves up nicely here for the present and the future."
While in Vancouver, Uchacz helped the Whitecaps win the B.C. League One championship. She's now suiting up for the St. Albert Impact in League One Alberta.
"She's just got good poise and great command of the 18-yard box," said Cordeiro. "She's an amazing shot stopper and her distribution is very good. She's really tough to beat in 1v1 scenarios, as well. She's very well rounded. And especially at her age, she's ahead of the game where we see her development in such a critical position.
"We feel Carly is going to be someone who will step in and be in the mix right away. We're excited Carly decided to be a Griffin and play for her hometown university."
