VANCOUVER, BC – For the first time in University of Guelph history, the national coach of the year in Canadian university women's soccer is a Guelph Gryphon. On Wednesday night (Nov. 11) in Vancouver at the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Soccer All-Canadian banquet, Guelph Gryphons women's soccer head coach,
Shayne Campbell, was named the recipient of the 2026 Fox 40 U SPORTS Coach of the Year award. Campbell, who is now in his 10th season as head coach of the University of Guelph women's soccer program, becomes the first Gryphon in the 40-year history of the national award to be named U SPORTS Coach of the Year in women's soccer.
Since taking over as head coach of the Gryphons women's soccer program 10 seasons ago,
Shayne Campbell has been named OUA Coach of the Year five times, and now takes home the national honour. This season,
Shayne Campbell helped guide the Gryphons women's soccer team to a feat that had previously never been accomplished by any OUA women's soccer program - taking all three points in every single regular season match played, with Guelph finishing the 2026 OUA regular season with a perfect 12-0-0 record. The Gryphons would go on to defeat the Western Mustangs and Nipissing Lakers in the OUA playoffs, before falling just short versus the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA gold medal game to claim OUA silver medals for a second straight year. In the process, the Gryphons qualified for nationals for a second consecutive year.
The Gryphons have now qualified for the national championship tournament six times in program history, with three of those coming with
Shayne Campbell as head coach (2017, 2025 & 2026). Back in 2017, his first season as head coach, Campbell led the Gryphons to their first and only OUA title in program history. In his 10 seasons as head coach of the University of Guelph women's soccer program, the team has posted a remarkable overall record (regular season and playoffs combined) of 88-28-22 (wins-losses-draws). Campbell and the Gryphons will now begin their pursuit of their first national championship in program history when they take on the Atlantic (AUS) champion, Dalhousie Tigers in the U SPORTS quarterfinals on Thursday evening (Nov. 12), with kickoff set for 6:00pm (ET) from Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. All 11 matches from the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championships
streamed live online, free of charge, on CBC Sports digital platforms (CBC gem, CBC Sports YouTube, cbc.ca). For more information on the 2026 U SPORTS major award winners and All-Canadians, visit www.usports.ca.
2026–27 Women's Soccer U SPORTS Major Award Winners
U SPORTS Player of the Year (Chantal Navert Memorial Award): Blessing Mayi Kith (Montreal Carabins)
U SPORTS Rookie of the Year: Brooke Miller (Mount Royal Cougars)
U SPORTS Student-Athlete Community Service: Grace Nolan (Memorial Sea-hawks)
U SPORTS Coach of the Year: Shayne Campbell (Guelph Gryphons)
2026–27 Women's Soccer All-Canadians and All-Rookie Team
U SPORTS First Team All-Canadians
| Pos. |
Athlete |
University |
Yr |
Hometown |
Academic Program |
| GK |
Floor Ursem |
Thompson Rivers |
2 |
Uitgeest, Netherlands |
Chemical Biology |
| D |
Sophia Ferreira |
UBC |
5 |
Coquitlam, B.C. |
Unclassified |
| D |
Blessing Mayi Kith |
Montréal |
3 |
Quebec City, Que. |
Sociology |
| M |
Jillian Curtis |
UNB |
4 |
Corpus Christi, Texas |
Engineering |
| M |
Ashley Greco |
Laurier |
3 |
Vaughan, Ont. |
Kinesiology |
| M |
Grace Hannaford |
Cape Breton |
5 |
Hammonds Plains, N.S. |
Science |
| F |
Bianca Cavalcanti |
Manitoba |
4 |
Recife, Brazil |
Biosystems Engineering |
| F |
Sabrina Mangiaracina |
Ottawa |
4 |
Ottawa, Ont. |
Management |
| F |
Zahra Metivier |
McGill |
5 |
Toronto, Ont. |
Educational Leadership (M.A.) |
| F |
Maddy Norman |
UBC |
3 |
Surrey, B.C. |
Kinesiology |
| F |
Sally Steinberg |
Dalhousie |
4 |
Ancaster, Ont. |
Biochemistry |
U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadians
| Pos. |
Athlete |
University |
Yr |
Hometown |
Academic Program |
| GK |
Anna Bianca Stevens-Cardin |
Montréal |
5 |
Montreal, Que. |
Architecture |
| D |
Cassandra Décombe |
Montréal |
5 |
Montreal, Que. |
Business Administration |
| D |
Evana Eyubeh |
UNB |
3 |
Mississauga, Ont. |
Science |
| D |
Sarah Giles |
Dalhousie |
4 |
Toronto, Ont. |
Commerce |
| D |
Mykena Walker |
Calgary |
5 |
Airdrie, Alta. |
Medicine |
| M |
Poppy Honeybone |
McGill |
4 |
Seattle, Wash. |
Biochemistry |
| M |
Karine Vilain |
Montréal |
3 |
Montreal, Que. |
Industrial Engineering |
| M |
Ally Wilton |
Dalhousie |
5 |
Bedford, N.S. |
Engineering |
| F |
Nia Fleming-Thompson |
York |
3 |
Mississauga, Ont. |
Biology |
| F |
Hannah Neville |
Nipissing |
3 |
Paradise, N.L. |
Criminal Justice |
| F |
Gracie Somers |
Ottawa |
5 |
Bedford, N.S. |
Education |
U SPORTS All-Rookie Team
| Pos. |
Athlete |
University |
Hometown |
Academic Program |
| GK |
Anaëlle Marthouret |
Laval |
Vienne, France |
Occupational Therapy |
| D |
Anne Chapados |
Montréal |
Saint-Bruno, Que. |
Law |
| D |
Delaney Haibeck |
Dalhousie |
North Vancouver, B.C. |
Social Sciences |
| D |
Tylie Theriault |
Nipissing |
Ottawa, Ont. |
Physical & Health Education |
| D |
Bianca Zarriello |
McGill |
Laval, Que. |
Psychology |
| M |
Jada Buchanan |
Acadia |
Bridgewater, N.S. |
Kinesiology |
| M |
Felicia Hanisch |
UBC |
Gloucester, Ont. |
Arts |
| M |
Allison Hill |
Thompson Rivers |
Kamloops, B.C. |
Science |
| M |
Brooke Miller |
Mount Royal |
Cochrane, Alta. |
Physical Education |
| M |
Marylou Peladeau |
Ottawa |
Gatineau, Que. |
Physical Education |
| F |
Maria Annibale |
McMaster |
North York, Ont. |
Kinesiology |
| F |
Ava MacDonald |
Cape Breton |
Sydney, N.S. |
Science |
