Eric James Lajeunesse (born March 10, 2003) is a Canadian soccer player.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eric James Lajeunesse | ||
| Date of birth | March 10, 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2021 | Ottawa St. Anthony Futuro Academy | ||
| 2021–2022 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | UBC Thunderbirds | 40 | (2) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | Whitecaps FC Academy | 12 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Pacific FC | 20 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Nautsa’mawt FC (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 16, 2024 | |||
Early life
editFrom 2011 to 2021, he played with the Ottawa St. Anthony Futuro Academy.[1] In 2019, he had a five-week trial with English club Plymouth Argyle's U18 team.[2] In September 2021, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps academy.[2]
University career
editIn 2022, Lajeunesse began attending the University of British Columbia, where he played for the men's soccer team.[3] While at UBC, he pursued a biology degree.[4] On September 25, 2022, he scored his first goal in a 4-0 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies.[5] In his rookie season, he was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year and the U Sports Rookie of the Year.[6] In 2023, he was named to both the Canada West and U Sports First Team All-Stars.[7][8]
Club career
editIn 2022, he played with the Whitecaps FC Academy in League1 British Columbia.[9] He made his debut on May 22 against Victoria Highlanders FC.[10]
At the 2023 CPL-U Sports Draft, Lajeunesse was selected in the first round (6th overall) by Pacific FC.[11][12] After attending pre-season with the club, he signed a U-Sports development contract with the club in April 2023, allowing him to maintain his university eligibility.[13] He made his professional debut on April 21 in a 2023 Canadian Championship match against Cavalry FC.[14] He also spent some time on loan with Pacific's League1 British Columbia affiliate Nautsa’mawt FC in 2023.[15] In August 2023, he departed the club to return to university, per the terms of his U Sports contract.[16][17] Pacific subsequently chose to retain his rights for the following season.[18] In April 2024, he signed another U Sports contract with the club for the 2024 season.[19] He again departed the club in August 2024 to return to university with the club retaining his rights for 2025.[20]
Career statistics
edit- As of August 17, 2024[21]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Whitecaps FC Academy | 2022 | League1 British Columbia | 12 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 0 | |||
| Pacific FC | 2023 | Canadian Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| Nautsa’mawt FC (loan) | 2023[15] | League1 British Columbia | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | ||
References
edit- ^ Parmar, Sanjeev [@parmarsports] (September 3, 2021). "After 3620 days at Futuro Soccer Academy, Captain Eric Lajeunesse (2003) has signed with WhitecapsFC" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b McColl, Michael (May 20, 2022). "Vancouver Whitecaps U19 2022 League1 BC squad profile (Part One – The Defence)".
- ^ "Eric Lajeunesse UBC profile". UBC Thunderbirds.
- ^ Parisis, Quentin (May 30, 2024). "Éric Lajeunesse, l'étudiant et athlète modèle du Pacific FC" [Éric Lajeunesse, the model student and athlete of Pacific FC]. Canadian Premier League (in French).
- ^ Sargeant, Jeff (September 25, 2022). "Relentless attack powers UBC to 4-0 win over Huskies". UBC Thunderbirds.
- ^ Sargeant, Jeff (December 15, 2022). "Eric Lajeunesse selected sixth overall by Pacific FC in CPL-U SPORTS Draft". UBC Thunderbirds.
- ^ "SOC: UBC players headline All-Star teams". Canada West Universities Athletic Association. October 27, 2023.
- ^ Sargeant, Jeff (November 2, 2023). "Sebastian Dzikowski named Player of the Year, Fuerst and Lee also honoured by Canada West". UBC Thunderbirds.
- ^ "Whitecaps FC announce rosters for League1 BC". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. May 17, 2022.
- ^ Fossey, Maxim (May 22, 2022). "League1 BC: Women get the win, men earn a draw". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
- ^ Dheensaw, Cleve (December 16, 2022). "PFC selects Lajeunesse and Torresan in CPL-U Sports draft". Times Colonist.
- ^ Honeysett, Brett (December 16, 2022). "Pacific FC selects UBC's Lajeunesse, Trinity Western's Torresan in CPL U SPORTS draft".
- ^ Longo, Jack (April 12, 2023). "PFC shows faith in youth development with signing of four young Canadian players". Pacific FC.
- ^ Longo, Jack (April 21, 2023). "Match Report – Pacific FC v Cavalry FC: Magic of the cup spurs Tridents onto quarter-finals". Pacific FC.
- ^ a b "Eric Lajeunesse L1BC Stats". League1 British Columbia.
- ^ Longo, Jack (August 16, 2023). "Lajeunesse returns to University of British Columbia following end of U SPORTS contract". Pacific FC.
- ^ Jacques, John (August 17, 2023). "Pacific Draft Pick Eric Lajeunesse Set For Thunderbirds Return". Northern Tribune.
- ^ ""Maturity and Expertise": PFC U SPORTS Draft pick Lajeunesse talks draft, first professional season and returning to school". Pacific FC. December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Pacific FC Signs Eric Lajeunesse on U SPORTS Contact". Pacific FC. April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Pacific FC Defender Eric Lajeunesse Returns to UBC". Pacific FC. August 15, 2024.
- ^ Eric Lajeunesse at Soccerway
External links
edit- Eric Lajeunesse at Soccerway