Lehigh Women's Soccer features player Esther Brossard '28 in their squad
Esther Brossard, a mechanical engineering and economics student at Lehigh University, is making waves in the sports world. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Brossard's journey in football started at the tender age of 15 when she stepped into the world of futsal, becoming the youngest player to compete in the Quebec Premier Futsal League.
Futsal, an indoor variation of soccer, is played on a smaller field with five players per team. Brossard's passion for the sport led her to represent two different Canadian national teams, one in soccer and one in futsal.
Brossard's connection to the number 9 runs deep. She has worn this number since her youth days, but when she joined Lehigh University's Division I soccer programme, she chose number 10, an iconic number in soccer.
Lehigh University, known for its rigorous engineering curriculum and Division I soccer programme, was Brossard's choice. It offers the advantages of worldwide, renowned universities in terms of teaching, while maintaining the setup of a small university with a low student-teacher ratio.
Brossard's professors have been supportive of her demanding schedule this semester, with 19 credits and six classes. They have accommodated her with access to materials in advance, meetings with teaching assistants, and review sessions after her return from the tournament.
Hannah Dailey, the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, and Alexis Rauth, the Director of Student-Athlete Academic Enrichment, also support Brossard at Lehigh University. The Goodman Campus, where the Lehigh women's soccer programme practices and plays, is a beautiful site for Brossard.
Brossard's hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed. She gained recognition from the Canadian National Team and the CF Montreal Academy for her accomplishments in both futsal and soccer. In the 2025 CONCACAF W Futsal Championship, she won the Golden Boot, as the tournament's top scorer, and the Best Player Award.
The first ever FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup will be held in the Philippines in November/December 2025. Brossard's team qualified for the tournament, marking a significant milestone in her career. The precise format details are yet to be fully announced, but it is expected to align with established FIFA tournament frameworks.
The FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup is a forthcoming event set to debut in 2025, representing FIFA’s expansion into organized world-level women's futsal competition. This tournament marks FIFA's official creation of a global futsal competition for women's national teams, expanding FIFA’s portfolio of football variants at the world championship level.
[1] FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup Official Website: https://www.fifa.com/futsalwomensworldcup/ [2] FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup Qualification: https://www.fifa.com/futsalwomensworldcup/news/fifa-futsal-womens-world-cup-qualification-explained
Brossard's dream job is related to the sports industry, and with her talent, dedication, and academic prowess, it seems like she is well on her way to achieving it.
The Lehigh University faculty, particularly those in the engineering department, are finding ways to accommodate Esther Brossard's demanding schedule, given her involvement in the university's Division I soccer program and her passion for futsal.
As Esther Brossard prepares for the first FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup in 2025, she will represent not only her team but also her university's campus, known for its reputation in engineering and sports.
