May 17, 2022

CCAA Hall of Fame Inductee: Jacques Boudreau

Jacques Boudreau, who guided the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics to its only Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) medal in Women’s Soccer, was inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame in the Coach Category.

Boudreau coached the Mystics for seven seasons from 2001-07, and earned five trips to CCAA Championships (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007).

He is a four-time Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Coach of the Year and in 2004, became the first ACAA head coach to earn CCAA Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year honours.

Boudreau led MSVU to a bronze medal at the 2004 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship, as the Mystics narrowly defeated the host Fanshawe Falcons 2-1 in London, ON. It’s also the only medal the ACAA has ever captured in CCAA Women’s Soccer.

“Jacques as a coach was a technical genius who was able to share his knowledge and love of the game to his student-athletes,” said June Lumsden, Director, Athletics & Recreation at MSVU.

In Boudreau’s final season at MSVU, the Mystics hosted the 2007 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship, becoming the first team from the ACAA to welcome the country’s best collegiate teams in the sport.

Boudreau is very appreciative of MSVU for giving him the opportunity to be a head coach at the collegiate level in the ACAA and CCAA – a task that was both challenging and rewarding.

“With the assistance and support from June and the MSVU Athletics Department, I was given the pleasure of working with and for groups of players who were goal-setters and high achievers on both ends of the student-athlete experience,” he said. “I truly loved the job.”

Extraordinary experiences occurred every time his team was fortunate enough to move out of conference and compete for a CCAA Championship – and it was always a privilege to represent the ACAA at a national tournament, according to Boudreau.

“Although a gold medal always eluded us, it provided us with a level of competition that truly measured our ability and potential,” he said. “It challenged me in ways that highlighted where growth was necessary for myself and our team.”

Boudreau remembers the faces of so many of his student-athletes, the effort that they gave in training and in matches and recalls the many individual and team successes as well as failures.

But above all, he fondly remembers the supportive atmosphere so many of the student-athletes had for one and other.

“Some of our players were met with some incredible family loss and personal experiences and to see the friendships and support from their friends and teammates was heartwarming,” said Boudreau. “I am still mindful of the strength displayed by some of the athletes as they allowed sport to play a part in their lives.”

The 2022 CCAA Hall of Fame Banquet will take place on Tuesday, June 14 in Halifax, NS.