With two championship victories, a silver medal and new levels of King’s athletic participation, the Blue Devils were not messing around this fall. Our teams showed passion and drive on the field, pitch and water. Much of King’s success can be attributed to the leaders on the teams — the 36 seniors who we’ll be saying goodbye to this year.
If you missed any of the action, here’s The Watch’s fall sports wrapup to get you up to speed.
Men’s soccer
In the regular season, the men’s soccer team went undefeated with no goals against — with only a 0-0 tie against St. Thomas University (STU) ruining a perfect season. After getting first place in the playoffs, the team took on the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) National Championship from Nov. 5-8.
In the first round, they edged out the Capilano Blues in penalty kicks after a gruelling match in the rain. Liam Collings, the team’s fourth-year goalkeeper, earned Player of the Game with five crucial saves in regulation. The next day, the Blue Devils fell to the Humber Hawks — the team that would eventually win the entire championship — in the semi-finals 0-3, despite another Player of the Game performance by Collings. In their final match of the tournament, Beckham Zwaan, a rookie, gave King’s the lead in the first half. But the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks took over the game with back-to-back goals in the 54th and 69th minutes and the Blue Devils couldn’t recover.
Ten players will graduate from this King’s team: Darien Slawter, DeAndre Paris, Ewan McKinnon, Jai Cunsolo Willox, Jonah Cameron, Liam Collings, Luke Kotaska, Noah Baird, Paul Nanos and Sam Hodd.
Women’s soccer
The women’s team had a season full of ups and downs. Each game was a battle until the final whistle, with every single loss being the difference of one goal. They finished the regular season with seven wins and five losses, qualifying for playoffs on the last regular season weekend with two monumental wins against STU and the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ).
The Blue Devils faced their rivals, Mount St. Vincent University (MSVU), in the playoffs. After an early goal from MSVU in the fifth minute, King’s fought tooth and nail to find an equalizer. But after three King’s players were taken out with injuries, MSVU took the win, going on to win the championship.
The team has 11 seniors graduating this year: Adrianne Proudfoot, Ainslie Nicholl-Penman, Avery Sorensen, Callie Jurmain, Emily Hansen, Katie Hagopian, Kaylee Downey, Kennedy MacKill, Simona Busillo, Tia Lovegrove and Trinity Adams.
Women’s rugby
The women’s rugby team had a volatile season, finishing third overall in the ACAA women’s sevens regular season standings and fighting their way to the silver medal in playoffs. The team is made up of eight rookies and eight returning veterans, bringing a new team dynamic on and off the field. They finished their regular season with five wins and six losses, showcasing outstanding performances in each match.
After a hard-fought 12-10 win against STU in the semifinals, the defending champions couldn’t quite secure the championship title, losing 5-35 to UNBSJ. However, the Blue Devils returned home from the championship weekend with two ACAA awards, Norah Cook and Elish Redshaw earning Player and Coach of the Year respectively.
The silver medalists will say goodbye to five graduating players this year: Avery Sorensen, Catherine St-Jean, Georgia Brady, Lucy Boudreau and Zoe Woods.
Men’s rugby
After two seasons of the Nova Scotia University Division 2 championship just slipping out of their reach, the men’s rugby team took home first place on Nov. 8. King’s battled it out in the pouring rain against Dalhousie and edged out the win 22-18. It was a nail biter — for those who aren’t rugby-savvy a “try” (which involves grounding the ball in the opponent’s end) is worth five points, meaning the win wasn’t secure until the final whistle.
Dal has been the Blue Devils’ biggest rival in recent history, beating them in last year’s final. King’s only lost two games this season — both against Dalhousie. This includes the first game of the season where Dal dominated 43-7. The championship final was the first time King’s beat Dal this fall. King’s has made it to finals every year for the past four seasons, taking home gold in 2022 and now, 2025.
Nine talented seniors will graduate from men’s rugby this season: Bradley Jardine, Carter Doucet, Donavon Clark, Ethan Hunt, Garett Niall, Holden Maclennan, Kees Nagel, Sasha Martin Maher and Nicholas Ferguson.
Sailing
This year, the King’s sailing team was able to compete as a full team of four King’s students, separate from Dalhousie. It’s the first time in at least four years that it was a King’s exclusive team. They competed in the Maritime University Sailing Championship and the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s Fleet Nationals this fall.
The team included Oliver Inglis, first year rookies Qori Aparicio and Stitch Burke-Gueldner and graduating senior Serra Hamilton.
The action continues this winter in the Kingdome with volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and badminton.
