Emily Burns starred for five seasons for the MacEwan Griffins women's soccer team before launching her professional career overseas. Now, she is going to play for Team Canada (Chris Piggott photo).
Emily Burns starred for five seasons for the MacEwan Griffins women's soccer team before launching her professional career overseas. Now, she is going to play for Team Canada (Chris Piggott photo).
October 14, 2025

Former Griffins star Emily Burns realizes a dream, landing a spot on Team Canada

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – 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 Monday, the Sherwood Park product was named to the Canadian women's national team.

Her incredible progression since graduating from MacEwan in 2020 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.

In a recent interview with flashscore.com, she was asked about playing under pressure.

"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.

"We knew how motivated Emily was," said Cordeiro after her career ended at MacEwan in 2019-20. "Pretty much when her university career came to a close, she was pedal to the metal trying to get overseas and find opportunities. She wasted very little time and has been pretty much in Europe ever since. She just kept grinding and moving up the ranks.

"When Steph Labbe retired from the national team, along with Erin McLeod, I thought there might be an opening," he added. "Credit Emily. She's just put in so much work. We couldn't be prouder of her."

Over her tenure at MacEwan (2015-20), Burns was named to the U SPORTS second all-star team (2019), Canada West first all-star team (2019) and Canada West second all-star team (2016 and 2018). She also represented the country twice on U SPORTS all-star teams at the FISU Games.

Burns still holds multiple Griffins program records, including best save percentage in a season (.904 in 2016), most wins (9 in both 2018 and 2019), most shutouts (7 in 2017) and most saves (85 in 2016). No goalkeeper in program history is even close to her career shutout record of 26, which is seventh all-time in Canada West.

Emily Burns still holds multiple program records from her memorable five-season career with the MacEwan Griffins from 2015-19 (Chris Piggott photo).

"When she first decided to be a Griffin, we knew she had a bright future," said Cordeiro. "Did we ever think she'd reach the pinnacle of the senior women's national team and getting called into a camp? You always like to think that's possible for every player that you work with, but that's a big, multiple steps in your career (accomplishment). But shortly after working with Em and seeing how motivated and driven she was … we knew she was going to do great things."

"Just to see how bad she wanted it, her path that's she's gone on, it's amazing. She continues to turn heads overseas. It's pretty exciting times for her in her career."

Burns is joining an exclusive short list of players who've played for the Canadian women's national team after starting in U SPORTS. 

It's unknown exactly how many have, but among the more notable recent names are Desiree Scott (Manitoba), Kaylyn Kyle (Saskatchewan) and Josée Belanger (Sherbrooke). 

A handful of others in the CIS era of university sport, including players like Janine (Wood) Helland of Alberta – who was also the very first head coach of the Griffins in 1993 – Amy Walsh of McGill, Cindy (Montgomerie) Tye of Acadia, Mary Beth Bowie of Dalhousie and Noel Trépanier of Ottawa have also suited up for Canada.