The 2007-08 season proved to be a tough one, with plenty of turnover in the team’s roster and a host of new faces. Alberta was under .500 in conference play for the first time since 2000-01 and was eliminated 3-2 on penalty kicks by upstart Manitoba, making its first post-season appearance in Canada West soccer, in first-round playoffs.
Liz Jepsen and the Pandas turned it up a notch in 2006-07, going 11-2-1 in conference play, good for second in conference play. For her efforts, Jepsen was named Canada West Coach of the Year, while Laura Matemisz won the Student-Athlete Award and six players made the All-Star team. Selected to the CW First Team were Natalie Swain (fullback) and Amy Ciezki (striker), while the Second Team had keeper Caitlin Schmidt, defenders Christina Kahlina and Keshia Wallin, along with halfback Jacqueline Smith.
In her first season as Head Coach Jepsen guided the Pandas through an inconsistent 6-5-5 conference season, good for fifth in Canada West, but short of making the conference postseason. At Nationals, hosted by Alberta in Edmonton, the Pandas were quickly eliminated from medal contention after a 2-0 loss to McGill on Day 1. Alberta rebounded with consolation victories over York (3-1) and St. FX (6-0) to claim fifth place at the event. Natalie Swain was a First Team All-Canadian, while Amy Ciezki garnered 11 CW goals and two more at Nationals. Claire Thomas scored six times in conference play and led Alberta with three at the National Championship.
Born in Buckingham, QC, new Pandas Soccer Head Coach Liz Jepsen moved to St. Albert, AB in 1976.
After graduating from Paul Kane High School Liz went on to graduate from Campus Saint-Jean in 1995 with a BEd. (Major French Immersion, Minor Physical Education).
Post-secondary athletics was in Jepsen’s blood, as her father played basketball at University of Calgary, her older brother David played volleyball at U of A and Red Deer College and younger brother Bryn played hoop for NAIT.
Liz taught for three years at Paul Kane, while coaching basketball and soccer. She has taught at St. Albert Catholic High School ever since, coaching basketball and soccer, and instituted a modified soccer academy with its focus on soccer for girls lead by high level (provincially, at university and nationally) females soccer players.
Liz joined the University of Alberta Pandas in the fall of 1989, her first year of university, and the team went on to win gold at the CIS (then CIAU) national championship at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.
She played for the U again the following year (1990-91), but stopped to focus on studies before returning many years later, in 1998-99, where the Pandas lost to Calgary on penalty kicks in Canada West final Liz played her fourth and final season for Alberta in 1999-2000 and was captain for the team that won a silver at the championship at Wilfrid Laurier in Waterloo.
Liz became and Assistant Coach in 2001-02 when Alberta again won CIS Gold and in 2002-03 the Pandas took national silver. The 02-03 season was an interesting one for Jepsen, as she was pregnant and had a due date of November 8 two days before the scheduled final- but all went well and her son Dayne respected his mother’s love for the sport and didn’t arrive until November 13. Liz continued as Assistant Coach in 2003-04 before taking a one-year hiatus to rest and prepare for son number two (Ben).
In addition to her days as a Panda, Jepsen played provincial soccer as a youth and is currently in her 11th year with Victoria SC of the Alberta Major Soccer league. She was team captain from 1996-2003 and has gone squad to Nationals six times: one fourth-place finish, three thirds, one second and two national titles.
As a coach she has earned Provincial B Licence.
