2025 ACAC Women's Soccer Coaches of The Year
Lethbridge, AB (October 23, 2025) –
North Women's Coach of the Year | DHEE GOVENDER | NAIT Ooks:
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is proud to announce Dhee Govender of the NAIT Ooks has been named the 2025 ACAC North Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.
Dhee Govender has made a tremendous impact on the NAIT Ooks women’s soccer program, leading the team to an exceptional 9-2-1 record this season. Under his leadership, the Ooks finished second in the North Division, scoring an impressive 50 goals while allowing only six. The team’s defensive dominance was further highlighted by nine shutouts; a testament to Govender’s tactical organization, preparation, and ability to bring out the best in his players.
Before joining NAIT, Dhee brought with him extensive coaching experience at both the professional and university levels. He previously served as an Assistant Coach for FC Edmonton of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) while also holding a key leadership position as a Technical Director with the Sherwood Park District Soccer Association. His passion for developing female athletes has been a cornerstone of his career, with prior coaching experience including three years as an Assistant Coach at Concordia University of Edmonton and four years with the University of Alberta Pandas, where he also Head Coached the Jr. Pandas program. During that time, he helped guide numerous athletes toward opportunities in NCAA, U SPORTS, CCAA, and Canada Soccer youth national programs.
At NAIT, Govender has focused on fostering a strong, united team culture, emphasizing hard work, accountability, and growth both on and off the field. His dedication to helping each student-athlete reach their full potential has become a defining feature of his coaching philosophy and a driving force behind the program’s success.
NAIT Athletics and Recreation Director Jordan Richey praised Govender’s commitment, stating:
“Dhee’s passion and dedication to the sport of soccer is unmatched. He works tirelessly to ensure the NAIT women’s soccer team is prepared every week. In a competitive league, he keeps his players focused on the goal of bringing a championship to NAIT. NAIT Athletics would like to congratulate Dhee on this prestigious award.”
This prestigious award will be recognized at the 2025 ACAC Women’s Soccer Championship hosted by Lethbridge Polytechnic in Lethbridge, Alberta.
South Women's Coach of the Year | MAHZIAR PEYROW | Red Deer Queens:
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is proud to announce Mahziar Peyrow, Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) Queens Soccer Head Coach, as the 2025 ACAC Women's Soccer South Coach of the Year.
“On behalf of RDP, I want to congratulate Mahziar on being named the ACAC Women’s Soccer South Coach of the Year,” says Randy Stewart, Manager, Athletics and Student Life, Red Deer Polytechnic. “This honour is a testament to his unwavering dedication, guidance and the culture of excellence he’s built within the Queens Soccer program. Mahziar’s leadership continues to inspire not only the student-athletes on the Queens Soccer team, but our entire athletic community.”
This year, Peyrow helped guide the RDP Queens Soccer team (8-3-1) to second in the ACAC Women’s Soccer South Division, qualifying for the ACAC Championship.
In 12 regular season games, the Queens scored 42 goals and only allowed 10 goals. The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens ranked fourth offensively (3.5 goals per game) and fourth defensively (0.83 goals against per game).
As one of the elite coaches in the league, Peyrow previously led the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Soccer Team (11-1-0) to first place in the ACAC South Division and a gold medal at the 2022 ACAC Championship. The team also qualified for the 2022 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Soccer National Championship. At nationals, injuries mounted and the Queens placed sixth in Canada. That year, he was also acknowledged as ACAC Coach of the Year.
Peyrow and the RDP Queens Soccer team will host the 2025 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship held November 5-8 at Setters Place in Red Deer.
This prestigious ACAC award will be recognized at the 2025 ACAC Women’s Soccer Championship hosted by Lethbridge Polytechnic from October 24-26 at Raymond Comet Stadium.
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About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.
For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca
For additional information, contact:
Mark Kosak, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca
Emily Peterson, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
emilyp@acac.ab.ca