Urban Eagles Fall Soccer League in Progress
Published on October 4, 2012 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Eagles News Release
Charlotte, NC -- The Charlotte Eagles are proud to announce that their urban outreach ministry has produced 6 teams that are competing this fall in local soccer leagues. The teams consist of kids from 3 communities around Charlotte and are coached by Eagles staff, 5 of the 6 teams have entered the SOAR Sports fall soccer league through Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC.
The Birchcroft community, located off Central Ave, has 3 teams participating this fall; they have a High School aged team, who combined with Charlotte United Christian Academy, to play in the Charlotte Area Christian Athletic Association. Charlotte Eagles staff member Stephen Jackson and Eagles goalkeeper Corbin Waller coach the team.
"The boys have done brilliantly and there is a real unity growing amongst our team every day," stated Coach Jackson. "We have had to come from behind to win in 3 games and that shows that we have a real drive as a team to never give up and keep believing in ourselves. Our prayer is that this team continues to provide a platform for the Birchcroft boys to continue to develop their character as men of God. Real life character situations come up when you are a part of a team; having to be on time, representing a school on the field, having to handle sitting on the bench, etc, and we believe the Lord is using these to mold their hearts and their character more into the image of His!"
The boys high school team is comprised of 18 players, 15 of them are from the Urban Eagles, two are home schooled and one attends Charlotte United Christian Academy. There are also six different schools represented, they are Charlotte United Christian Academy, Garinger High School, West Charlotte High School, East Meck High School, Eastway Middle School and Home School.
The Birchcroft middle school team is made up of 13 kids who all attend Eastway Middle School. They are coached by Eagles staff members Andrew Au and Josh Kimball. They have played two games so far and are sitting with a record of 1-1. The final Birchcroft team is the Elementary age kids who attend Merry Oaks Elementary School. The team has 12 players, eight Burmese, three Vietnamese and one Honduran, ages 12 and under and is coached by Charlotte Eagles Men's Team Assistant Coach Steve Shak and Mike Kozlowski and is 2-1 on the year so far.
Coach Shak had some words about his team from this past week. "We have had the opportunity to have a meal with one of the opposing teams after a game and it was a fantastic time of fellowship and creating community. I think it was also great exposure and education to families that have no idea about the refugee population in Charlotte. We had one of our boys surprise us last week by reciting Psalm 91 in front of the team after practice... needless to say we were all blown away, it was awesome!"
Grier Heights has two teams in the SOAR league. The teams are split between a U-18 team of 20 kids who attend Myers Park High School and Alexander Graham Middle School coached by Charlotte Eagles forward Ben Page. The U-18 team is off to a 2-0 start under Coach Page and looks to maintain its spotless record this Saturday the 6th. There is also a U-12 team of 13 Billingsville Elementary School kids coached by Eagles midfielder Juan Guzman and has a 1-1-1 record on the year. The Grier Heights team is also fortunate to have eight volunteers helping coach and fill in other roles as well.
The final Urban Eagles community that is represented in the SOAR league is the Albermarle Rd community. The Middle School team is comprised of students from Albermarle Road Middle School and is coached by Eagles staff members Travis Jones and Paul Shedd. Their coach Travis Jones had this to say about the team. "Our players range in age from 12-15 years old and are made up of Asian and African refugees and Latinos. Our guys are smaller and not as strong or fast but we pass well, play as a team, and work hard." The Albermarle boys are off to a 1-2 start in the league but have competed hard and will look to even up their record this coming Saturday.
Charlotte Eagles Mens Team General Manager Tom Engstrom also has two teams in the same SOAR league that the Urban Eagles teams are competing in. So there is some friendly rivalry in the office as staff members get to compete with each other.
The Charlotte Eagles are proud of the impact the Urban Eagles are making both on and off the field.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 4, 2012
- Urban Eagles Fall Soccer League in Progress - Charlotte Eagles
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
