The Prince Edward County Soccer Association (PECSA) Eagles scored a 2-1 victory over Kingston in the Southeast Ontario Soccer Association (SOSA) U14 Championship last Monday night. 

Led by Head Coach Mike Thompson, Beth Van der Bij, goalkeeper coach Matt Carter, and team manager Jess Gibeau, the Eagles took down teams from Brockville, Belleville, Kingston and North Leeds en route to their undefeated record.  

The last game opened with a goal by Kingston United. Down one, and with a perfect season on the line, the Eagles never stopped working. 

But for 78 minutes of the 80-minute match, that perfect season looked to be heading towards disaster. Kingston opened the scoring early and held on until the dying stages of the contest. 

“I seriously didn’t think we were going to win,” said the game-winning goal scorer, Rhys Kelly. 

“Panic definitely started to set in, probably around five minutes into the second half,” said Nolan Rand.  

With little more than two minutes left on the clock, Remington Leavitt, the Eagles’ — and the league’s —top scorer with 27 on the season, focused on the details to keep himself in the moment. He delivered a long throw into the box and found Sasha Minhas, who broke the hearts of Kingston United with an equalizing goal. 

“I trusted Sasha there,” Leavitt said. “I don’t even know how to explain it properly. I thought we were going to lose the game, in all honesty. After we scored, it was just pure bliss. and then we just kept coming and scored again in a matter of minutes.” 

It was a set piece the Eagles had worked on all year. Despite not getting a result earlier in the match, Coach Thompson was confident it was the right call to make. 

“We didn’t sub for the last five minutes of the game because everybody on the field was dialled in,” he said. “We tried it all game, and it didn’t work. I was asked, why do we keep doing that? It was getting to the right spot, we’re just not meeting it.” 

Tied 1-1, the Eagles could sense the tide had turned. 

“We knew we were winning. Kingston was gassed and only had two subs,” said goalkeeper Elliott Van der Bij. 

Van Der Bij was one of the top keepers in the SOSA league this season, finishing tied for the league lead in clean sheets. In true keeper fashion, he has a short memory. 

“I can never think about a shutout because then I won’t get a shutout,” he said. 

“After I got scored on I just tried to act like it didn’t happen.” 

Luck, however, had very little to do with putting Kingston’s go-ahead goal behind him. Down one, he needed to keep a clean sheet the rest of the way to give his team a chance. And he did.

Moments after the tying goal, Captain Noah Thompson curled a corner towards the back post. 

“We all wanted to win it after the tying goal. It gave us some energy, then Rhys was able to come unmarked with a header,” said Nolan Rand. “Once we got one, it gave us a lot of momentum.” 

A leader on and off the field, Noah Thompson showed setting up a goal is every bit as valuable as scoring one. His assist on the game winner was one of more than 30 on the season. 

This time, Rhys Kelly was on the other end of the cross. He delivered the championship winning header. 

“We all start at the top of the box and rush in. I told Rhys to go back post. I didn’t really aim for him, I just tried to put it to a spot,” said Thompson.  

“At first it just felt like any other goal. Until I realized, wait a minute it’s the game winner!” Kelly said. “I also told my friend I was going to get one right before I did it. I said, watch this, I’m going to get a header for the game. And it happened.” 

The coach had high praise for the play. “He got way up over the ball, he’s our basketball soccer star now.” 

“Every game they played, they never gave up. They didn’t get down on themselves. There was nothing they could have done differently. Kingston was playing great, and our guys were just battling the whole game.” 

“The difference between House League and Rep is teaching the kids how to work, and they all know how to do it. 
It’s pretty cool to watch.” 
—Coach Mike Thompson

The Eagles celebrated a 15-0 season after the end of summer game last Monday with medals, and a ritual visit to Cones and Shakes.

The victory is made even sweeter by the growth the Eagles experienced over the past year. The team finished in last place in SOSA last season and returned only seven senior players in the age group, filling out the rest with players either one or, as in the case of up-and-comer Noel Valihora, two years younger. Eleven of the 18 Eagles were playing their first season in Rep soccer. 

“I’m most proud of the young leaders these players have become. I’ve watched them work hard, support one another, and continue to compete no matter the challenge. Last night was our biggest challenge yet, and they never gave up. There’s something special about County kids. They bring an extra level of grit, determination and heart to everything they do,” said Ms. van der Bij.

In addition to hosting the league’s top scorer in Leavitt with 27 goals, Valihora finished in 6th place with 10 goals. 

“I’m hugely proud of the younger players who stepped up to make this team happen, because we’re a small community. Half of our players are the right age. Maybe we used it to our advantage in the sense the younger guys worked harder and the older guys didn’t want to let them down. That’s what I’m really proud of,” Mr. Thompson said. 

Anybody interested in joining the Eagles can try out for the team on Sept. 9, 15, and 16 at the Johnson Street Soccer Fields in Picton. Tryouts run from 5:30-7 p.m.