Six years ago, Emily Burns, Bachelor of Arts ’21, was at the top of her game in Canada West, leading the MacEwan Griffins women’s soccer team to the Prairie Division regular season title.

On Oct. 13, the Sherwood Park product was named to the Canadian women’s national team.

Her incredible progression since graduating from MacEwan is a source of great pride for the Griffins and the university.

“It’s just a really proud moment for Emily, for our program, for our university,” said Griffins Head Coach Dean Cordeiro, who spoke with Burns and her father on Monday to offer congratulations. “It’s amazing to see that. If you go the U SPORTS pathway, there are opportunities for you.”

Burns is currently playing professionally for FC Nantes in the French Premier League and has been a pro in Europe since not long after she graduated from MacEwan.

“It was always a dream when you grow up – you want to play professionally and make it big – but it didn’t really seem that tangible until pretty late in my university career,” said Burns in 2020 after signing her first pro contract with Spanish second division team Real Racing.

A grand moment came for her in 2024 when she was named the French second division goalkeeper of the year with FC Nantes. Last season, she was among the best in the Premier League, earning a nomination for keeper of the year.

“I need pressure to play,” she said.“If I don’t feel it, I find it hard to play. It more a form of adrenaline. I think I become another person a bit. I don’t think people can see, but in my head something is happening. When it’s time to play, it’s a different mentality, it’s something else.”

That’s what Team Canada will lean on as Burns is in the mix for minutes with two other goalkeepers (Sabrina D'Angelo of Aston Villa and Kailen Sheridan of San Diego Wave) for the upcoming FIFA International window. They'll play Switzerland Oct. 24 and the Netherlands Oct. 28. The 28-year-old Burns is one of three players on the Canadian roster for the first time.

Originally published at MacEwanGriffins.ca. Read the full story.