Canadian NCAA Preview 2026: Seniors

Senior year marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another. After years of development in the NCAA, these players enter their final collegiate seasons as established leaders, proven performers, and key contributors for their programs. The expectations are higher, the stakes are greater, and every performance carries added significance.

For Canadian players, there has never been a better time to make that leap. With opportunities growing through the Northern Super League, the NWSL, and leagues across Europe, a strong senior season can open doors at the professional level. This year's senior class features former youth internationals, conference standouts, and even players with senior national team experience, all looking to use one final NCAA campaign as a springboard to the next stage of their careers.

The midfielder from Toronto has already made three senior appearances for the CanWNT, last in June 2025. She has U17 and U20 World Cup experience and is blossoming in her second season with #5 ranked Michigan State. 5 game-winning goals and 7 assists in nearly 1600 minutes for the Spartans in 2025 earned her an All-Big 10 First Team nomination, a spot on the MAC Hermann Watchlist for 2026, and #31 on the TDS Top 100 players to watch this season.

An industrious midfielder with clutch finishing abilities, it won’t be long before she’s back in the NT fold, whether that’s before this World Cup cycle or after depends on how closely Casey Stoney tracks her senior season. Briggs is already off to a hot start, netting twice in the first two games of the year (both game-winning goals). 

Another Canadian goalscorer on the MAC Hermann Watchlist, Bordeleau proved she can score against the best in a tough ACC conference when she went on a 5-game goal streak against the likes of FSU, Wake Forest, and Boston College. She is a lethal scorer, reminiscent of Evelyne Viens in terms of instinctive finishing. And with 10 goals and 1 assist in over 1500 minutes played in 2025 the Terrabonne, QC native was an All-ACC Second Team level player.

Surprisingly, she hasn’t made a YNT appearance since 2022 when she made the World Cup squad under Emma Humphries. To know whether that omission has fuelled her college success, you’d have to ask her directly. Either way, it’s clear she’s performing at an incredible level given that she’s already scored three to start 2026. If she keeps this up, pro clubs will be lining up to secure the 21-year-old’s services after graduation.

The Calgarian enters her final collegiate season with #22 WVU as an All-Big 12 Second Team all-star thanks to a 4G, 5A campaign in 2025. Her move from Memphis to West Virginia was smooth as she became an instant starter for the Mountaineers. She spent parts of the summer training at home with the Wild first team and lacing up for the U23 team in the APL. Her style can be described as relentless, due to her ability to regain possession and drive the play forward due to her strength and stamina.

Coming into her senior season, she was named to the Big 12 pre-season team alongside fellow Canadian Nyema Ingleton. She is a Whitecaps academy grad and previously represented Canada at the U17 stage, but hasn’t gotten another look since 2024. If she can get rolling this season, she’s sure to get a look from a pro team, and her connections to Calgary make the Wild an obvious choice. 

The rise of players from Alberta has been tangible over the past half decade specifically. Players like Ingleton join a growing list of talented players from Calgary who are making a name for themselves at the college and pro level. Ingleton was listed on the MAC Hermann Watchlist this season thanks to a strong junior campaign in which she amassed 1800 minutes across 21 starts. 

The former CanW17 defender has steadily grown into her own at WVU, gaining more responsibility each season. She goes into her senior year as a locked-in starter and recently, a Jamaican international, having earned her first senior caps in friendlies against the USWNT and the Lionesses in June 2025.

Lastly, keep an eye on Toronto’s Renee Watson in her senior season for #5 Michigan State. The 21-year-old is positionally versatile but primarily deployed as a fullback by the Spartans. One of those players who flies under the radar due to being consistently reliable but not flashy, there’s a reason she has been a starter since her sophomore season. Last year, she came into her own, scoring 4 goals and adding 5 assists in over 1700 minutes played.

The former CanW17 and CanW20 standout, she has 18 appearances at the YNT level including two World Cups. This summer, she competed in the TST tournament with Rated FC making it to the quarter-final stage. Among an elite class of graduating players, Watson will have lots of options following her college career, chief among them AFC Toronto where she has been spotted training and due to her connections to Billy Wilson through the Nitros.

South Alabama trio Sierra Giorgio (Goalkeeper), Amelia Campanella (Defender), Aliya Gomes (Forward). There is a ton of Canadian content with 13 Canucks on the Jaguars’ roster. Three of them were named to the MAC Hermann pre-season watchlist. Giorgio is a former YNT keeper in her sixth NCAA season and is the reigning Sun Belt GKOTY. Ottawa’s own, Campanella, was a standout CB for NDC-O back in the day and has been a starter for South Alabama since her sophomore season. Lastly, Gomes has blossomed since her transfer from Pitt, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists in 2025.

Aaliyah Faddoul (Georgia State, Forward) has made the Sun-Belt All-Conference team every season since joining the Panthers in 2023. 26 goals in 54 starts will do that. She enters the season as team captain and freshly named to the MAC Hermann Watchlist.

Nyah Rose (Florida State, Forward) transferred from SMU to FSU in January. The striker has made three substitute appearances for the CanWNT, most recently in 2025. Time will tell how she transitions to a bigger program, but a strong senior season could see her join her sister Jade in the pro game after graduation.