Trent Excalibur Men's Soccer Ends Their Season With a 3-1 Playoff Loss to the Carleton Ravens

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The Trent Excalibur men’s soccer team’s 2025-26 season came to an end after being downed by the Carleton Ravens, 3-1 at TAGG Park in Ottawa on Wednesday night.

Excalibur goalkeeper Owen Schultz was Trent’s player of the match, making 13 saves on 16 Ravens shots. The team finished with five shots on goal. Photo courtesy of Trent Excalibur.

The Ravens squad took control early with goals in the 15th and 20th minutes to take a 2-0 lead. Trent could have been in a bigger hole but was saved by a few posts.

The gExcalibur cut the lead in half in the 35th minute with their first playoff marker since 2016 as Oliver Parratt capitalized on a Ravens turnover and put a low strike into the back of the net. The half ended with Carleton holding a 2-1 advantage. 

Trent was more offensive in the second half with several narrow misses but Carleton was able to hold off the attack. Eventually, the Ravens found a hole in the 78th minute to extend their lead to 3-1 and hold on for the victory.

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Trent Excalibur Men's Soccer Start Playoffs Against Ottawa This Wednesday

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As the Trent Excalibur men’s soccer team completed their record-breaking regular season on Sunday, they begin their playoff run on the road to Ottawa to face the Carleton Ravens on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and Trent Excalibur.

This marks Trent’s first playoff appearance in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs in 14 years.

Trent finished the regular season 6-5-1 for 19 points, setting a new program record for both wins and points in a season (the previous record of five wins and 17 points was set in 2010-11). The Excalibur set both records in their 3-2 victory over Nipissing in North Bay on Saturday

Trent finished the regular season in a three-way tie for fourth place in the OUA East Division but dropped to sixth place due to the tie-breakers. Carleton finished the season in third place in the OUA East Division and are ranked eighth nationally. 

The two teams played once this season, at Carleton on Sept. 26 in a 3-3 draw.

The game will be livestreamed on OUA.tv. 

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Trent Excalibur Men's Soccer Looking to Maintain Hot Start With Friday's Matchup Vs. Queen's University

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The Trent Excalibur men’s soccer team is trying to stay hot as they take Queen’s University at the Justin Chiu Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and Trent Excalibur.

The Excalibur are off to one of their best starts to a season with a 3-1 record, earning wins over Nipissing, Ontario Tech and RMC but falling to Toronto Metropolitan.

“Our men’s soccer program has embraced a transformative mindset this year,” says Grant Purdy, Excalibur head coach. “From day one, the players have bought into a growth philosophy, focusing on accountability and team confidence. We’ve taken it one match at a time, and the results speak for themselves. Friday will be another big test in front of our home crowd.” 

Trent sits fourth in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings; however, they have a game in hand over all teams ahead of them. Queen’s has also played an extra match and is nipping at Excalibur’s heels in fifth place with a 2-1-2 record.

Two offensive players have had standout performances in Excalibur history as well as in provincial and national standings. This includes third-year Forensic Science student-athlete Leo Frans (Champlain College) and rookie Jon Moncada (Lady Eaton College), a Business Administration student.

Frans is one goal away from tying the all-time Excalibur scoring record with 14. Moncada leads the team with six goals this season, which ties him for the league lead with Niklas Hallam of Toronto Metropolitan. One more goal would see Moncada match Frans’ record for most goals in a debut season.  

“There’s a real buzz at Trent right now. Our Excalibur teams are off to a great start and competing with the best in the OUA,” said Nathan McFadden, director of Athletics and Recreation. “The men’s soccer program has shown incredible growth and is poised to make a strong run for OUA playoffs. Friday’s home game is a chance for our community to come together and support them as they chase history.”

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Fleming Phoenix Name New Varsity Soccer Coaches For Men's and Women's Teams

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Fleming College has named two local residents Victor Waselenko and David Brown as head coaches for the men’s and women’s varsity soccer programs, respectively.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

Waselenko has been a faculty member at Fleming College since 2013 with the School of Business and has also owned Soccer Plus, a soccer sporting goods store in Peterborough.

His prior soccer leadership experience includes being president and technical coaching director of the Peterborough Youth Soccer Club, director of coaching for the Peterborough City Soccer Association and coaching at various levels from U9-U21. Victor is currently the coach of Peterborough City U15 Boys Soccer.

Brown is currently the head coach of varsity girls at Trinity College School in Port Hope. His prior experience also includes being the director of coaching with Maple Leaf Cavan FC, head coach, Varsity Girls Soccer in Belgium at St. John’s International School and volunteer assistant coach with the Men’s varsity soccer program at Trent University.

Brown has also been the co-technical director of the Northumberland Soccer Club, Port Hope and held head coach positions for soccer teams at Lakefield College School, Brentwood College School and international schools in Belgium.

The school’s priority for the program will be to strengthen the relationship between Fleming Phoenix and local soccer leagues to increase awareness and interest for local players to take their game to the next level with the team according to a press release.

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Electric City Football Club Folds After Two Years; Pickering FC Acquires Team Licenses

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The Electric City Football Club (ECFC) era has ended in Peterborough after two seasons as Pickering FC has acquired the men’s and women’s licenses, announced by League1 Ontario on Tuesday afternoon.

ECFC PLAYERS LUKE GREEN (MIDDLE) AND CONNOR WILSON (RIGHT) CELEBRATING THE TEAM’S FIRST FRANCHISE WIN WITH FANS, SCORING THREE GOALS IN 14 MINUTES. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The move allows Pickering FC, a founding League1 Ontario club, to restart their L1ON program with full operational control after stepping away before the 2022 season.

The club was initially introduced on Aug. 9, 2021 and started by Keaton Robbins and several local businessmen. Rob Jenkins was recruited as the team’s president for the men’s and women’s teams. Before joining the club, he helped build Calgary’s CPL franchise.

The club faced staff and management turnover shortly before the season’s start. Robbins had departed from the organization before the season opener and first appointed head coach Michael Marcoccia shortly stepped down for family reasons prior to training camp.

Jamie Sherwood, the men’s team’s second head coach, was let go after four games into the season. Randy Ribiero, the women’s head coach served as the interim replacement for the men’s team for the season and remained during the team’s sophomore year. He was terminated from his contract in late September last year. Team president Jenkins had left during the middle of the season.

The club saw record attendance in both the men’s and women’s home openers, setting League1 Ontario records with 1,565 and 1,009 fans, respectively, in 2022. In the two seasons, both the men’s and women’s teams were in the top half of the standings but failed to qualify for the playoffs.

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Peterborough City U14 Girls Defend Title As Back-to-Back Soccer Champions

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The Peterborough City U14 Girls of the Durham Region Soccer League have defended their championship, going back-to-back with a 3-1 win over Northumberland United on Tuesday.

Bottom Row (Left to Right): Lily Elizabeth Papageorge, Grace Plunkett, Kathryn Murphy, Ellie Lewington, Nia Spence, Charlotte Donaldson, Allie Hamilton

Top Row (Left to Right): Assistant Coach Nick Powers, Gabrielle Savoy, Brynne Bartleman, Payton Rogers, Elaina Wilson, Head Coach David Bartleman, Sydney Smith, Lily-May Borges, Bridgette Powers, Danica Bennett, Nora Staples, Assistant Coach Nicole Plunket Photo courtesy of David Bartleman.

The Peterborough U14 team captured their second-straight Tier 1 division title. Grace Plunkett struck twice for two scores and Charlotte Donaldson found the back of the net for Peterborough. Ellie Lewington kept the scoresheet low for her opponents as the goalkeeper, getting a league-leading eight shutouts on the season.

The team capped off an undefeated season of 12 wins and one draw.

The championship season saw the U14 girls have three top 10 goal-scorers in Plunkett (18), Danica Bennett (9) and Donaldson (9).

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David Tuan Bui


Electric City Football Club Re-Sign Angelika Mihalopulos and Daniel Oshana For the 2023 Rosters

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Electric City Football Club (ECFC) have brought back midfielders Angelika Mihalopulos and Daniel Oshana to their 2023 roster announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of ECFC.

Mihalopulos played in 18 matches, playing 1,400 minutes during her first season with ECFC. Prior to Electric City, Mihalopulos played professionally in Greece in the Women’s Alpha division for AEL FC. She started 16 games and helped lead the team to a fourth-place finish in the Greek First Division.

“I’m excited to be back for my second season with the club,” said Mihalopulos. “The passion and backing from the community last year was unbelievable and I’m proud to be back representing all of you. I look forward to meeting all the new staff and players and reuniting with some familiar faces.”

“Having Angelika return to ECFC was a no-brainer,” said Randy Ribiero, ECFC men’s and women’s head coach. “We are delighted to have her sign for the 2023 season, and she will again be an important piece in midfield for us.”

Oshana joined ECFC last year playing for FC London in 2021. Oshana's big moment came after scoring two goals in the last 10 minutes to Scrosoppi FC to help his side overturn a 3-1 deficit. Oshana represented Team Ontario in the 2017 Canada Games, winning a gold medal.

“It’s a pleasure being able to return to Electric City FC this season,” said Oshana. “I’m looking forward to meeting and working with my teammates, staff, and the community. It’s a big year and I’m going to give it my all for the club and the greatest fans in the league.”

Oshana played in 20 matches and logged the most minutes of any ECFC player with 1,727 minutes.

“Daniel was a standout player for ECFC last season and we are thrilled to have him re-sign for 2023,” said Ribiero. “Daniel is one of the best central midfielders in League 1 and I think it is a matter of time before we see him make the move to a higher level.”

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Former ECFC Captain Signs First Pro Contract With Islandic Soccer League

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Former Electric City Football Club (ECFC) captain Holly O’Neill is headed east as she signed her first professional soccer contract with Iceland’s Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyjar Football Club (IBV) of the Pepsi Max League announced on Tuesday.

O’Neill (left) was second in scoring for ECFC in their inaugrual year behind Kayla McQueen. PHOTO courtesy of Electric City Football Club.

The IBV women’s soccer team has won the Islandic Cup twice, in 2004 and 2017.

“Super excited to announce the signing of my first official professional football contract with IBV in the Pepsi Max League in Iceland Playing professionally had long been a dream of mine and I’m ecstatic to take this next step in my football career and see where it takes me,” said O’Neill in a tweet.

The 24-year-old attacker is from St. John’s, Newfoundland. As ECFC captain, she scored nine goals in 18 games, only second behind Kayla McQueen with 13.

In 2021, O’Neill led all scorers in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference with 12 goals— including six game-winners, the most in Canadian Universities — in 12 regular-season contests. Her performances led to O’Neill being named an AUS First Team All-Star and the Conference’s Most Valuable Player.

At the National U Sports level, O’Neill’s great 2021 season at Memorial University saw her finish 3rd in the country in scoring, was selected as a First Team All Canadian and was nominated for U Sports Female Soccer Player of the Year.

O’Neill played her youth soccer for the St. John’s Soccer Club from 2006-2016 and also represented the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial team from 2012-2016. She also played on Team Atlantic in 2013 and 2014.

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Peterborough's Jordan Haynes Signs With Winnipeg's Valour FC

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Peterborough’s Jordan Haynes is headed to Winnipeg after he signed a contract with Valour FC of the Canadian Premier League on Monday.

his father Mark, mother Sandra and older brother Joshua own and operate family business ‘The Footing Guy’ which specializes in concrete foundations. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The left back joins the team after spending the previous three seasons with Pacific FC, being the first Peterborough-born player to Canadian Premier League Soccer Championship.

Last season, Haynes played in 15 matches, with 882 minutes played.

Haynes has had international experience playing 12 matches for the U-20/U-17 Canadian squads. He earned a bronze medal win at the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, helping Canada qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

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Electric City Football Club Launches Reserve Teams Partnership With FC Durham

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The Electric City Football Club (ECFC) has launched their League 1 Ontario men’s and women’s 2023 reserve teams, in partnership with FC Durham Academy announced on Thursday.

File photo.

Durham and ECFC are eager to further invest in the affiliation formed during ECFC’s inaugural 2022 season and continue cultivating high-quality opportunities for players in the East region according to a press release.

Amongst this past season’s FC Durham Academy talent, were Caylan Lawrence and Rylee Traicoff, both scoring goals for ECFC’s Men’s and Women’s Teams respectively.

FC Durham Academy co-owners Tom Croft and Rich Hirst are bringing a combined 70 years of coaching experience.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with ECFC in 2023,” said Croft. “This will allow FC Durham to enhance our role in the High-Performance Pathway in Ontario, providing consistent challenges and opportunity for our players in our Post-Formation Phase U17 and older.”

Nick Kassermelli and Hirst are head coaches with the ECFC League 1 Men U21 and Women’s Reserve Teams respectively. Hirst will also assume the role of Assistant Coach with the ECFC League 1 Women’s Premier Team.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with FC Durham for the 2023 season. FC Durham is a constant in developing youth players that we have seen move onto post-secondary institutions and to even higher levels year after year,” said Randy Riberio, ECFC head coach. “We were very pleased with the quality of players that we were able to bring into first team training last season and even had some standout performances in quite a few L1 Premier matches on both our Men’s and Women’s teams in 2022. We look forward to fielding ECFC’s first ever Reserve Men’s and Women’s teams in partnership with FC Durham next season.”

ECFC is hosting their Men’s Open Tryouts on Monday at Wet ‘n’ Wild Dome in Brampton. Further details about women’s tryouts will be announced.

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