It's that time of year again! The Ooks are sending both soccer teams to the 2025 ACAC Championships this weekend.

Hosted by the Lethbridge Kodiaks, the Ooks soccer teams will travel five hours south to face off in what promises to be a windy, competitive, and physical weekend of competition. 

As the NAIT Ooks women's soccer team gears up for their last week of training, they feel ready to prove themself as a top team in the league. Going into provincials as the second seed in the North, the Ooks finished the regular season with an impressive 9-2-1 record. With 12 games in their past, the Ooks hope the upcoming weekend will see the teams best performance yet. 

Last year the women's team finished the season on a disappointing note, losing their final game to Northwestern Polytechnic and finishing just shy of a provincial spot. One year later, Head Coach Dhee Govender is proud of his team but determined to push them till the end. 

"We want to play three games. What we've been doing all year is utilizing our whole squad and we want to be able to continue doing that in the best and most effective way possible to get our desired results," said Govender. 

Coach Govender isn't the only one ready for a redemption weekend. Veteran players, Carly Speelman and Danja Fredrickson are excited but level headed, reminding themselves and their teammates of the three big games still left to be played. 

"I try to keep our environment lighthearted while making sure that everybody is still working hard," said Speelman."Making sure everyone is focused during practice and even small moments like warm-ups make all the difference," she added.

"I just want to lead by example. By staying calm and collected, I hope it rubs off on the rest of the team," said Fredrickson. 

For the NAIT Ooks men's soccer team, they head into provincials as reigning champions. They finished the regular season in second place with an undefeated record of 8-0-4 in the North. With a new roster consisting of six first yearplayers, the Ooks won't let any pressure distract them from their goal. 

"We've got good players. We've got a chance to win. We will just keep doing what we have been all year," said Head Coach Jeff Paulus. "This is why we train for three months and put in all the hard work. It really is the best time of year," he added. 

As for third year midfielder Hossie Kifle, he's optimistic his team will be a force to be reckoned with. 

"This is a business trip. We are going into the weekend with a winning mentality," Kifle said. "We are a good team, very experienced and very fast paced. We are going in with high hopes but keeping pressure on ourselves because we know what we can achieve," he added. 

NAIT women will kick off in their first match on Friday, Oct. 24., vs Lethbridge Kodiaks at 12:30p.m.

NAIT men will follow at 3:00p.m., vs Lethbridge Kodiaks. 

All games will be streamed on ACACTV.