Last season, a pair of Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association soccer wildcard teams captured medals at CCAA Nationals. Today, the CCAA announced Wildcard berths for the 2016 season.
For the second consecutive season, wildcard positions in Men’s Soccer will be awarded to second-place teams from the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) and Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST). The 2016 CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship will be hosted by Keyano College in Fort McMurray, AB, Nov. 9-12.
Meanwhile, wildcard spots in Women’s Soccer will be awarded to second-place teams from the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) and PACWEST. The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) earned first-place points but as CCAA Nationals hosts, they relinquish their wildcard berth. The 2016 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship will be hosted by Collège Ahuntsic in Montreal, QC, Nov. 9-12.
CCAA Men’s & Women’s Soccer National Championships consist of eight teams: Five provincial champions, two wildcards and the host.
The wildcard spots are awarded to CCAA member conferences based on their performance at national championships over the past three years. Conferences awarded wildcard positions are eligible to send a second team to Nationals. A conference may not fill more than two spots at a CCAA national championship, which excludes the host conference from being eligible for wildcards.
A season ago, both the Men’s and Women’s Soccer bronze medalists were wildcard teams.
The Algonquin Thunder won bronze at the 2015 CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship in Saint-Lambert, QC, while the Indiennes d’Ahuntsic earned a third-place finish at the 2015 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship in Peterborough, ON.
The following is a list of the 2016 Conference Championships:
MEN
ACAA: Oct. 29-30 at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, NS
RSEQ: Oct. 29-30 at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC
OCAA: Oct. 27-29 at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, ON
ACAC: Oct. 28-30 at Medicine Hat College in Medicine Hat, AB
PACWEST: Oct. 29-30 at Capilano University in Burnaby Lake, BC
WOMEN
ACAA: Oct. 29-30 at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, NS
RSEQ: Oct. 29-30 at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC
OCAA: Oct. 27-29 at St. Clair College in Windsor, ON
ACAC: Oct. 28-30 at Concordia University of Edmonton in Edmonton, AB
PACWEST: Oct. 29-30 at Capilano University in Burnaby Lake, BC
