CW Men's Soccer Playoff Preview
Quarter-final and semifinal action takes place this weekend
Article by Brian Swane, special to CW
Oct. 24, 2024 - The 2024 Canada West men’s soccer playoffs begin this weekend, with quarterfinal and semifinal matches hosted by Alberta and UBC.
Competition kicks off Friday (Oct. 25), and by the time the dust has settled on Sunday, two teams will have booked a spot in the championship final.
There is tremendous history among the programs in this year’s playoff field, who combine to account for all but one of the previous 51 Canada West men’s soccer championships.
Seven of the eight teams also reached the quarterfinals last year, when Mount Royal captured the Canada West men’s soccer championship trophy for the first time by ending UBC’s run of five consecutive conference titles.
Two of Friday’s quarterfinals are rematches from the 2023 postseason, which saw Alberta defeat Trinity Western in the quarter-final round and Mount Royal beat Victoria in the semifinals.
All games will be broadcast live on Canada West TV.
Here’s a look at who to watch on the pitch this weekend:
Victoria (9-2-4, Second in Pacific Division) vs. Mount Royal (7-2-5, Third in Prairie Division) – Friday 11:30 a.m. MDT at Foote Field in Edmonton
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 22: Victoria 0 at Mount Royal 1
- Who to Watch:
- Callum Weir (Victoria, second year, goalkeeper) allowed just three goals during the regular season, as he ranked first in the conference with a save percentage of .921 and led all ‘keepers with a 0.21 goals against average.
- Alex Kemsley (Mount Royal, third year, defender) scored the only goal when the Cougars faced the Vikes during the regular season. The native of England was on the pitch when MRU defeated UBC to become champs last year.
Alberta (10-1-3, First in Prairie Division) vs. Trinity Western (6-6-3, Fourth in Pacific Division) – Friday 2:15 p.m. MDT at Foote Field in Edmonton
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 21: Trinity Western 2 at Alberta 3
- Who to Watch:
- Marcus Velado-Tsegaye (Alberta, third year, forward) tied for the team lead this season with five goals, and also recorded a pair of assists, in 13 matches. The local product was named a Canada West First Team All-Star in 2023.
- Charles Nana (Trinity Western, fourth year, forward) tied for second in Canada West this season with 13 points, from seven goals and six assists. He scored for the Spartans in their match against the Golden Bears last month.
Calgary (7-2-5, Second in Prairie Division) vs. UFV (8-5-3, Third in Pacific Division) – Friday 4 p.m. PDT at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 22: UFV 0 at Calgary 5
- Who to Watch:
- Mateo Brazinha (UFV, third year, forward) tied for the Canada West lead with eight goals and ranked first in the conference with nine assists. The Port Coquitlam product had at least one point in 12 of the 15 matches he played.
- Owen Antoniuk (Calgary, third year, midfield) also found the back of the net eight times during the regular season, including scoring three times for the Dinos in their regular season victory over the Cascades last month
UBC (11-1-3, First in Pacific Division) vs. Lethbridge (3-4-7, Fourth in Prairie Division) – Friday 7 p.m. PDT at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 13: Lethbridge 1 at UBC 1
- Who to Watch:
- Henri Godbout (UBC, first year, forward) had a spectacular debut campaign with the T-Birds, scoring seven times, including a conference-best five game-winning goals. He also led Canada West with 51 shots.
- Will Hughes (Lethbridge, fourth year, defender) played the full 90 minutes in all 13 matches he suited up for during the regular season. The Lethbridge product was named a Canada West Second Team All-Star last year.
Looking Ahead: Semifinal Schedule
Semifinal #1 - Mount Royal/Victoria winner vs. Trinity Western/Alberta winner
Sunday, Oct. 27: 2:15 p.m. MDT at Foote Field in Edmonton
Semifinal #2 - UFV/Calgary winner vs Lethbridge/UBC winner
Sunday, Oct. 27: 1 p.m. PDT at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver