François Bourgeais of the Indiens d’Ahuntsic is the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year.
He received the award this evening during the CCAA All-Canadian Banquet at the 2018 CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship, hosted by Holland College in Charlottetown, PE.
With an incredible 18 new players on the team this year, Bourgais guided Ahuntsic to a 9-0-1 record and first-place finish in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).
“François masterfully managed an almost complete overhaul of his roster at Ahuntsic this season,” said Wade Kolmel, CCAA Men’s Soccer Convenor. “With an unbeaten record in the competitive RSEQ, the Indiens have certainly earned their way to CCAA Nationals.”
Bourgeais’ new-look Indiens, with the average player age of only 18 years old, improved on a 7-2-1 record from a year ago by respecting certain principles of play.
In addition to his role at Collège Ahuntsic, Bourgeais is the assistant technical director with the Club de Soccer St-Hubert, where he oversees the development of the men’s and women’s elite teams. His other responsibilities include recruiting coaches, players as well as technical planning while he also coaches the club’s PLSQ team.
“A former professional player in Europe and now a coach in the sport-study program, François has added extensive experience to our staff and credibility to the Ahuntsic soccer program,” said Christian Moisan, Assistant Director, Student Affairs.
CCAA Coach of the Year winners receive a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA National Championship Awards Banquet.
OTHER NOMINEES
Marc
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Sean
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Dave
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John-Ryan
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Langara Falcons |
Lethbridge Kodiaks |
Durham Lords |
St. Thomas Tommies |
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The Falcons placed third in the PACWEST with a five-point improvement over last season as Langara qualified for the playoffs for the first time in four years. Rizzardo’s goal is to build a cohesive team that supports each other on and off the field. He has also coached at the North American Masters and World Masters. A physiotherapist, Rizzardo was part of the Core Medical Team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He has recently presented at Sport Physio Canada conferences, where he has spoken about concussions and soccer. |
Carey led Lethbridge to a 7-3-2 record and second-place finish in the ACAC South Division. Faced with a high roster turnover and a younger lineup, Carey successfully implemented a positive culture change while maintaining consistent performances and results as the Kodiaks improved steadily in all aspects of the game. Carey’s goal is to have a fun, healthy learning environment where players want to play year in and year out. He is also President of the Vulcan Soccer Association, a Technical Committee Member for Lethbridge Football Club, a referee and coaches youth soccer. |
Ashfield guided the Lords to an undefeated regular season at 6-0-4 as Durham finished just one point out of first place in the OCAA East Division. The Lords bench boss served as a mentor to Bruce Cullen in his new coaching role with the Lords. Ashfield, who also coaches the varsity indoor soccer team at Durham, assists with fundraising events and teaches the value of volunteering through working with Special Olympians in the community. In addition, he also scouts for Ontario Soccer Youth Development. |
After finishing at the bottom of the standings last season with only one victory, Morrison led the Tommies to a 7-2-3 record and second-place finish in the ACAA. St. Thomas’ starting lineup featured six rookies, but the biggest improvement was the maturity and attitude of the returning players. Morrison has coached at nearly every level and really enjoys working with the U11/U12 girls groups as he has dedicated himself to helping grow the women’s game in recent years. He is also a long-time board member for the local, regional and provincial soccer associations and still plays competitively. |