Women's Soccer
Moncton Aigles Bleues women’s soccer centre Roxane Pelletier has a knack for setting goals for herself and achieving them.
As a pre-teen, the Petit-Rocher, N.B. native decided she was going to get better at soccer. “I started taking the game more seriously around 12 or 13 years old,” she said. “I remember when I started to practice using my left foot. I used to kick a ball on our old garage repeatedly.”
“I painted a fake keeper on the garage with targets in the corners,” she continued, explaining how her love of the game had really taken off at this age. “I have a lot of great memories from that time.”
Her practice soon paid off as she earned a trip to the Jeux de l’Acadie to represent her region. “The Jeux were a stepping stone for the AAA U14 to U18 Chaleur Canada Summer Games,” she explained.
By age 18, she was representing New Brunswick at the 2009 Canada Summer Games. “We learned so much about the tactics and the psychological aspects of the game and it really make me enjoy playing soccer in different, more mature way,” said Pelletier. Right after the Canada Games, she began her career with the Moncton Aigles Bleues.
“It was important for me to study in a francophone institution and I felt at home right away on the Université de Moncton campus where the Acadian culture is omnipresent,” she explained, adding that the knowledge that many of the girls she’d been playing with since the U13 level would be joining her in Moncton was also a contributing factor to her decision.
“Now that we are in our fifth year, we are still together and share some amazing memories.”
Pelletier set out to complete a bachelor of science in chemistry, with her sights set ultimately on med school. Another goal she would not miss the mark on.
Rather than describing a complex balancing act between academics and athletics, Pelletier says her soccer career complemented her med school ambitions. “I find that doing sports while studying at university reduces my stress and helps me think about other things than schools,” she said. “One has to be organized and disciplined, but doing sports is a good thing for the physical and the mental health during university studies.”
In May 2013, Pelletier was the recipient of the Brian T. Newbold award, awarded by the Université de Moncton’s department of chemistry and biochemistry to highlight initiative and excellence in a research project.
In September 2013, she began studying medicine through the Université de Sherbrooke on the Moncton campus. Although she recognizes that she still has a ways to go, she hopes to ultimately apply for a residency in family medicine and practice in New Brunswick.
And although her time as a student-athlete has come to a close, she looks back on her career with the Aigles Bleues with fondness. “The whole experience of being a student-athlete is extremely satisfying and heartwarming when you look back at your four of five years,” she said. “All the laughs, joys, satisfactions, highs, lows and emotions that come with playing with awesome teammates and staff.”
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Getting to know Roxane Pelletier…
What do you like to do for fun?
"Other than soccer, I started to do triathlons for fun. It will probably be my next sport."
What is one thing you think your friends and teammates might not know about you?
"My first sport, before soccer, was figure skating. I was a skater from five to 13 years old."
Tell us a bit about your family.
"I grew up in Petit-Rocher with my parents and my little sister. Our parents have always been very supportive and encouraged us to do sports. My sister has been on the Université de Moncton cross country team since last year."