Michel Belanger
August 30, 2013, OTTAWA (CIS) – The Canadian Interuniversity Sport soccer and rugby seasons officially get under way on Labour Day weekend, while in football, league games are scheduled in three of the four CIS conferences.
In football, RSEQ and Canada West teams take the field, one week after the new campaign opened in the OUA. The Laval Rouge et Or kick off their defence of the Vanier Cup on Saturday night against McGill, in Quebec City.
In soccer, 28 matches are on the schedule this weekend, all in Ontario, starting Friday evening in Hamilton with a women’s and men’s doubleheader between Laurier and McMaster. Last year’s national champions, the UBC Thunderbirds (men) and Trinity Western Spartans (women), join the action on Sept. 6 and 7, respectively.
In women’s rugby, the season begins on Monday with a pair of RSEQ matchups, including Ottawa at Carleton and Laval at Montreal. The defending CIS champion StFX X-Women play their AUS opener next Friday.
All the action over the next few months will lead to the national championships, beginning with women’s rugby in Quebec City from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. The two CIS soccer tournaments follow one week later in Toronto (women) and Fredericton (men), while the TELUS Vanier Cup will also be contested in Quebec City, on Nov. 23.
The inaugural national rankings in soccer and rugby will be released on Tuesday. In football, Laval was the unanimous No. 1 choice in the first Top 10 published earlier this week.
2013 CIS FOOTBALL: KEY DATES
Aug. 25: Start of OUA regular season
Aug. 30: Start of Canada West regular season
Aug. 31: Start of RSEQ regular season
Sept. 6: Start of AUS regular season
Nov. 9: Conference finals
Nov. 16: Uteck Bowl (RSEQ at AUS) & Mitchell Bowl (OUA at Canada West)
Nov. 23: TELUS Vanier Cup (Laval University, Quebec City)
2013 CIS WOMEN’S & MEN’S SOCCER: KEY DATES
Aug. 30: Start of OUA regular season
Sept. 5: Start of RSEQ regular season
Sept. 6: Start of AUS & Canada West regular season
Oct. 31 – Nov. 3: Canada West men’s Final Six
Nov. 1-3: AUS women’s & men’s Final Six
Nov. 2-3: OUA women’s and men’s Final Four
Nov. 2-3: Canada West women’s Final Four
Nov. 3: RSEQ women’s & men’s finals
Nov. 7-10: CIS women’s championship at University of Toronto
Nov. 7-10: CIS men’s championship at University of New Brunswick
2013 CIS WOMEN’S RUGBY: KEY DATES
Sept. 2: Start of RSEQ regular season
Sept. 6: Start of AUS & OUA regular season
Sept. 20: Start of Canada West regular season
Oct. 18 & 20: Canada West Final Four
Oct. 26: OUA final
Oct. 26-27: AUS Final Four
TBD: RSEQ final
Oct. 31 – Nov. 3: CIS championship at Laval University
 – The Canadian Interuniversity Sport soccer and rugby seasons officially get under way on Labour Day weekend, while in football, league games are scheduled in three of the four CIS conferences.){kind=link}