| Eric Lajeunesse | |
| Fullname: | Eric James Lajeunesse |
| Birth Date: | 10 March 2003 |
| Birth Place: | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Position: | Defender |
| Youthyears1: | 2011–2021 |
| Youthclubs1: | Ottawa St. Anthony Futuro Academy |
| Youthyears2: | 2021–2022 |
| Youthclubs2: | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| Collegeyears1: | 2022– |
| College1: | UBC Thunderbirds |
| Collegecaps1: | 40 |
| Collegegoals1: | 2 |
| Years1: | 2022 |
| Clubs1: | Whitecaps FC Academy |
| Caps1: | 12 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs2: | Pacific FC |
| Caps2: | 20 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2023 |
| Clubs3: | → Nautsa’mawt FC (loan) |
| Caps3: | 4 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | August 16, 2024 |
Eric James Lajeunesse (born March 10, 2003) is a Canadian soccer player.
From 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.
In 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]
In 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]
| 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 | League1 British Columbia | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |||