Fresh off a national bronze-medal performance, members of the Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) Queens are looking to carry that momentum from the outdoor pitch to the hard court as the 2026 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) futsal season approaches.

Fifteen athletes from the national bronze-medal-winning Queens soccer program make up the core of the futsal roster, all aiming to translate their outdoor success into an ACAC futsal medal. The group includes Ava Balon (Bachelor of Education), Grace Smith (Bachelor of Business Administration), Jattu Sesay (Bachelor of Kinesiology), Zoe Fitzsimmons (Bachelor of Kinesiology), Olivia Lundell (Educational Assistant), Paige Kalbfleisch (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), Kaia Bray (Bachelor of Business Administration), Jaeda Marquart (Practical Nurse Diploma), Kiera McIntosh (Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences), Payton Erick (Bachelor of Business Administration), Isabella Pritchard (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), Kyra Remekie (Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences), Yuri Umino (Academic Upgrading), Maria Torres Herrera (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and goalkeeper Jana Leskewich (Bachelor of Education).

The transition to the indoor game has been seamless. After earning bronze at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship, the Queens moved directly into futsal preparation, including seven-on-seven competition in the Calgary Premier League.

“The Queens played the next day after nationals and they’ve been going ever since, so they’re in decent shape,” said head coach Mahziar Peyrow.

The 2025 season marked the Queens’ return to ACAC futsal after a 12-year absence. While the team narrowly missed the playoffs, Peyrow said the experience laid important groundwork.

“Last year, we were figuring things out,” he said. “This year, we made some adjustments and want to earn an ACAC medal.”

Peyrow pointed to the Queens’ technical ability as a key strength, highlighting soft feet, strong first touches and quick ball movement. He added that the team’s possession-based style and counterattacking play could be decisive this season.

Red Deer Polytechnic will open the 2026 campaign in Grande Prairie on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, facing Northwest Division rivals the Concordia Thunder, NAIT Ooks and Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves. Converting scoring chances and maintaining defensive discipline will be critical, Peyrow noted.

The Queens will play three additional regular-season games later in February.

ACAC Women’s Futsal features three divisions: Northeast (Keyano College, Portage College, Lakeland College and The King’s University), Northwest and South (Medicine Hat College, SAIT, Ambrose University and Lethbridge Polytechnic). The top two teams from each division, along with two wildcard teams, will advance to the ACAC Women’s Futsal Championships, hosted March 20–22, 2026.

More information on RDP Queens futsal is available at rdpolytechathletics.ca.

**With information provided by RDP Athletics

 

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