The first-ever Ooks Invitational Exhibition Series wrapped up on Aug. 17 at the Millennium Place Outdoor Soccer Fields after four days of preseason soccer featuring teams from across Western Canada.

The Ooks women’s soccer team went 1-1 in their two matches during the event, winning 4-1 against the Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks on day one and dropping 4-0 to the University of Calgary Dinos on day three. On the men’s side, the Ooks tied 2-2 against the Kodiaks on day two.

Hosted by the Ooks women’s soccer program, the series brought programs from the U SPORTS Canada West conference and Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) together. The event offered men and women’s soccer teams a chance to prepare for their upcoming seasons. 

Event runs smoothly, Ooks gain early-season test

The Exhibition Series hosted 13 programs and 17 games in a four-day span. NAIT women’s soccer head coach and event organizer, Dhee Govender, believed the event was “very successful.”

“There weren’t any negative comments, and from what I’ve seen and heard from the coaches, they seemed to have enjoyed it,” Govender said in an interview with the Nugget. “It was a bit overwhelming, but I thought everything ran smoothly, and I guess the way we would deem if it was a success is if we run this again and we get the same amount of interest.”

Govender hopes the Ooks can use their experience playing against the Dinos and Kodiaks as a stepping stone to prepare them for their season.

“These were kind of our first two competitive games that we’ve played,” Govender said. “And we wanted also to be able to see how we stacked up against a giant in U SPORTS in the U of C [Dinos], and their program runs very, very deep with the player pool that they have.”

“I think it was a little bit of a baptism for our program and the players of our program to be able to face top competition like that in preparation for our season, which really gives us an opportunity to work out some of the kinks.”

Ooks eye return of Invitational

With the inaugural event now finished, it is still a possibility that the Ooks host the Invitational next year. Some obstacles will need to be solved for the event to return in 2026, but Govender remains optimistic about the chances. 

“The foundation is there,” Govender explained. “I think it can be something that we want to do annually … The blueprint is there. We’ve done it. We’ve had our go at it. We’ll get feedback from coaches on some calls here during the next couple of weeks and see.”

“For me, I’d love to put it on again. I’m a big believer in collaborating with other programs and schools. I’m a big believer in growing the game in our community, especially on the female side.” 

The Ooks soccer teams will now prepare for the start of their season on Sept. 6 against the Concordia Thunder.

Feature image via NAIT Ooks