Inside Soccer column by Lee Kormish

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Saskatoon has quickly become a hot-bed for the five-aside, size-four ball, indoor game.

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In a historical roster announcement, the first-ever Canadian women FUTSAL national team will see three University of Saskatchewan Huskies alumni in the lineup this week.

The 14-player roster includes goal-keeper Jaydn Steinhauer, defender Jade Houmphanh, and winger Erica Hindmarsh. Current Huskie head coach Jerson Barandica-Hamilton has also been named the assistant coach.

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Barandica-Hamilton has played an integral part, using FUTSAL during the cold winter months in Saskatchewan to build a powerhouse. These results have brought exposure to the players.

Steinhauer was arguably the best keeper in the recent national futsal club championship tournament. She played five seasons with the Huskies with 23 wins, while allowing 1.19 goals against per game.

Houmphanh was named MVP at nationals, and deservedly so. She was the most dangerous player, lethal in attack with twelve markers. She just completed a five-year career for the Huskies where she orchestrated the midfield and scored ten times.

Hindmarsh was a beast on the pitch, scored five times, made some crucial tackles in the final. She had been a Canada West 1st team all star, scored 18 times, but most impressively had 23 assists in her three seasons with the Dogs.

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There is not much rest time since lifting the trophy. They left for a three-day camp in Montreal last week before moving onto Guatemala City, where Canada will attempt to qualify for the first ever FUTSAL Women’s World Cup. It will take place in the Philippines later this year.

The qualifiers run April 28-May 4.

Canada is grouped with USA, Costa Rica, and Honduras or Nicaragua. You can watch our girls play against the Americans May 1 on a soccer streaming service TBA.

SK Impact wins national club crown

Saskatoon women asserted their dominance in club FUTSAL when, for the second successive year, a team from our city won the Canadian championship.

This time it was SK Impact FC, an University of Saskatchewan Huskie alumni squad that swept through the competition by winning all four of its matches over Alberta, Nunavut, Ontario, and Quebec.

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The 2025 edition was played on Saskatchewan soil for the first time, at the Brandt Centre in Regina. Impact had qualified, when they dethroned the defending title holders Saskatoon Green & White at the provincial final 2-1.

Impact won Group A with a perfect record. They made easy work of its first two opponents, each by double digit margins. In the all-important final group stage match, they defeated Windsor Caboto SC 8-6, to advance to the gold medal game.

From the other side of the bracket, it would be Montreal Underdogs FC who would emerge. They won all three of their matches rather comfortably.

In a riveting back and forth final, and perhaps the best women’s FUTSAL match ever played at the Championship, it would take a shootout to separate these two.

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Quebec’s keeper would open the scoring with a long-range effort. Impact rebounded nicely on goals by Taneil Gray and Jade Houmphanh to take the lead into the second half.

Quebec took the game to Impact for large parts of the second frame, eventually found the equalizer with seven minutes left to play. With a national title on the line, the tempo increased, both teams showed their prowess, created chances at either end, but neither side could find the winner in regulation.

With no golden goal in overtime, Houmphanh twice gave Impact the lead. Each time Quebec answered, leveled the match before time ran out.

In the shoot-out, Leesa Bandula, Taisa Gabruch, and Erica Hindmarsh each converted their pens. With a big stop by Jadyn Steinhauer, this setup the winning strike. It was none other than Houmphanh with a single kick of the ball to win the national title. She blasted it home, jubilation for Saskatchewan.

(Lee Kormish, a freelance writer, can be reached at leekormish@sasktel.net)

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