Profile: Esther Brossard ’28, Lehigh Women’s Soccer

While she’s just beginning to impact the Lehigh women’s soccer program, Esther Brossard ’28 has already made her mark on an international level. The Montreal native is entering her second year at Lehigh but has played for two different Canadian national teams—one in soccer and one in futsal, an indoor variation of soccer—all while maintaining a 3.95 GPA. She earned a call-up to the Canada Soccer 2025 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Qualifier team in February as a training player and led the 2025 Canadian CONCACAF Women's Futsal team to a championship while being the top scorer in the inaugural tournament and winning the Best Player Award. Her efforts helped earn Canada a berth in the 2025 FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup in the Philippines at the end of this year.

Major: Mechanical engineering and minor in economics

What would your dream job be?

A job related to the sports industry.

You're from Montreal. What's one thing everybody should do if they visit?

Visit Mount Royal Park, designed by famous Central Park architect Frederick Law Olmsted. It's a mountain filled with nature, in the center of Montreal, offering superb views of the city.

Is futsal basically indoor soccer?

Yes, exactly. It is the same game, but on a smaller field, and it’s played five versus five. Some different rules apply: It's a 40-minute game and players change on the fly. It’s a technical, fast pace and offensive sport, with frequent momentum shifts, multiple counterattacks and constant action.

How and when did you get started with futsal?

Up north, soccer players play outside during summer and fall, but most of them play futsal during the winter. After developing my skills in high school, I became, at 15 years old, the youngest player to compete in the Quebec Premier Futsal League. I played for three years before coming to Lehigh.

The national team saw your play in Quebec?

Considering I won the top scorer award in the futsal league, the Canadian National Team invited me for the training camps. I also gained recognition from my accomplishments in soccer with the CF Montreal Academy, which is supervised by their professional club in Major League Soccer. With them I won both the top scorer and best player awards. I was also called up with the Canada U20 Women's National Soccer Team in February. I think all of this was taken into account when they selected me.

How did it feel to be the top scorer and winner of the best player trophy in the CONCACAF W Futsal Championship?

I came confident. Although I was the youngest player on the team, I knew the coaches trusted my abilities and believed in me. I just took it one game at a time. We faced big challenges—playing against the USA, then against Mexico in the semifinal—I performed very well, and made a difference in the important moments. I am very proud to win those two awards, and share them with all my teammates. It's a collective win.

 

 

 

 

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And this was the inaugural tournament?

It was the first-ever Women's FUTSAL CONCACAF tournament. CONCACAF stands for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football. There were nine teams, and the top team qualified for the World Cup. We are the first ever champions, which makes it even more special.

There's going to be a World Cup futsal tournament?

Yes, it's the first ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup. It will be held in the Philippines in November/December 2025. FIFA will organize everything—the venues, the stadiums and the hotels. It's going to be amazing. The top countries will be there: 16 teams and the best players from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, most of them being professionals.

I'm assuming, as the top scorer in the CONCACAF tournament, you're going?

(Laughing) They did tell me they would bring me to the World Cup.

You had support on campus to help with everything. How did that work?

One of the advantages of Lehigh is the support I get from all the professors and all the resources—TAs (teaching assistants), mentors, office hours. I had planned a heavy schedule this semester because I honestly didn't expect all of this to be happening. I had 19 credits, so I had to manage all of my six classes while being away for many weeks. My advisor Christina V. Haden, [teaching associate professor and associate department chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics], Hannah Dailey, who's the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, and Alexis Rauth, the Director of Student-Athlete Academic Enrichment, supported me in making sure my professors understood my challenges and accommodated me in different ways: having access to the material in advance, meeting with the TAs to learn the content before I left, reviewing what I missed after my return. They allowed me to explore all the resources available and take advantage of them. I'm so grateful to have had their support throughout the semester. It worked pretty well since I maintained my GPA.

 

 

 

 

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That's impressive if you're not doing anything else, but you had quite a full plate.

I honestly just took it day by day, before, during and after the tournament, just one homework, one exam at a time and I did it.

What do you like better, soccer or futsal?

I refuse to choose. In soccer, being a striker, I love to make runs and receive passes on a larger field, which allows me to use my intelligence of play to score. In futsal, I love the speed of the game, the quick transition to offense, the excitement and unpredictability until the end.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

I played tennis a lot with my sister. We played every week. I also played hockey as a goalkeeper, but I chose soccer because I prefer to score goals.

What's an interesting fact that most people may not know about you?

I was a ballgirl at the game Lionel Messi played in Montreal last summer. It was a big event, and it was obviously very hard to get tickets. I was about three meters away from him, a real VIP view. Honestly, that was a crazy experience. I also played music for 12 years. I played piano, clarinet and percussion.

You wear 10 for Lehigh. Do you wear 10 for Canada too?

No, I have worn 9 since I was young. When choosing among the available numbers at Lehigh, I chose 10 because it is also an iconic number in soccer.

Is there a reason for nine?

It's the number of my position on the field. In soccer, the striker is number nine.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Because it offers a rigorous curriculum, especially in engineering, while having a Division I soccer program.

What's the best thing about Lehigh as a university?

It combines the advantages of worldwide, renowned universities in terms of teaching, while having the setup of a small university. The low student-teacher ratio makes it possible to have access to plenty of resources.

What's the best thing about the Lehigh women's soccer program?

Playing on Goodman Campus. It's such a beautiful site to practice and play. It's a privilege.