The Laval Rouge et Or women’s soccer team is ready to represent Canada at the 2025 FISU Soccer University World Cup, to be held in Dalian, China, from Sept. 17-28. The eight-team competition includes teams from seven countries and two from the host nation, China.
Laval was drawn into Group B, which also includes Beijing Normal University, the University of Sydney (Australia), and the Polytechnic University of Hauts-de-France. Group A includes the host Shanghai University of Sport, Lagos State University of Nigeria, the University of the Extreme South of Santa Catarina of Brazil and Spain’s University of Valencia.
Laval won bronze at the 2024 FISU America qualifying tournament in Uruguay last year and is a wildcard selection to the 2025 World Cup. After last year’s South American adventure, the Rouge et Or won the RSEQ title and fell 1-0 to UBC in the national championship game. This year, Laval is tied for first in the RSEQ with a 3-2-0 record and is No. 11 in the U SPORTS national rankings.
Group stage competition for the Rouge et Or begins on Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. local time (Sept. 17, 9:30 p.m. Eastern), when they open against Beijing Normal. They face Sydney on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. (7 a.m. Eastern) and close out the group stage on Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. (2 a.m. Eastern) against Hauts-de-France Polytechnic.
The top two finishers from each group advance to the semifinals, set for Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. (2 a.m. Eastern), with the bronze and gold medal games following for Sept. 27.
Laval’s roster includes 10 returnees from the squad that travelled to Uruguay 16 months ago, including Emmanuelle Collin, the 2023 RSEQ rookie of the year, and Léa Mallais, who was named a 2023 U SPORTS championship all-star. The full roster is below this release.
This will be Canada’s second appearance at the University World Cup, as the Ottawa Gee-Gees won the inaugural event in 2019, which was also held in China.
The games will be carried live on FISU’s YouTube channel, which can be reached at www.FISU.tv.
Laval Women’s Soccer Roster
| # | Athlete | Pos | Hometown | Major |
| 1 | Anne-Gabrielle Pouliot | GK | Lévis, Que. | Kinesiology |
| 2 | Florence Thibeault | D | Repentigny, Que. | Medicine |
| 4 | Emmanuelle Collin | M | St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Que. | Physical & Health Education |
| 5 | Jeanne Hillion | D | Geneva, Switzerland | Management (cert.) |
| 7 | Mathilde Rousseau | D | Lévis, Que. | Medicine |
| 9 | Émilie Grondines | F | Boucherville, Que. | Physical & Health Education |
| 10 | Alexie Poirier | F | Quebec City, Que. | Nursing |
| 12 | Léa Mallais | M | Laval, Que. | Business Administration |
| 13 | Mérédith St-Pierre | D | Quebec City, Que. | Physical & Health Education |
| 14 | Elsa Lessard | M | Ste-Julie, Que. | Business Administration |
| 15 | Laurence Pelletier | D | St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Que. | Nursing |
| 18 | Mathilde Beaudry | F | Quebec City, Que. | Nursing |
| 20 | Mélodie Lavigueur | M | St-Pierre-de l’Île d’Orléans, Que. | Int’l Studies & Modern Languages |
| 21 | Angélique Dumas | M | St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Que. | M. Physiotherapy |
| 23 | Rosalie Stabile | GK | Granby, Que. | Law |
| 24 | Victoria Dupont | F | St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. | Multidisciplinary |
| 25 | Geneviève Girard | M | Quebec City, Que. | M. Philosophy |
| 26 | Anais Bujold-Samson | F | Quebec City, Que. | Biomedical Science |
Team staff:
- Head Coach: David Desloges
- Assistant Coach: Yann Le Roy
- Physiotherapist: Patricia Lantier
- Team Officials: Julie Dionne, Jean-Noël Corriveau
Laval Schedule
(All times local, subtract 12 hours for Eastern Time)
| Group Stage | |||
| Sept. 18 | 9:30 a.m. | Beijing Normal (CHN) | |
| Sept. 19 | 7 p.m. | Sydney (AUS) | |
| Sept. 21 | 2 p.m. | Hauts-de-France Polytechnic (FRA) | |
| Sept. 25 | 11:30 a.m. | 5th place / 7th place games | |
| 2 p.m. | Semifinals | ||
| Sept. 27 | 10:30 a.m. | Bronze medal | |
| 3:30 pm. | |||
| Knockout Rounds | | |
| Sept. 25 | 11:30 a.m. | 5th place / 7th place games |
| 2 p.m. | Semifinals | |
| Sept. 27 | 10:30 a.m. | Bronze medal |
| 3:30 pm. | Gold Medal |