By Ottawa Sports Pages, for OSU Force Academy
The Ottawa South United Force under-14 girls’ soccer team broke new ground with an undefeated Ontario Player Development League campaign, but they weren’t the club’s only unbeaten squad this season.
In fact, their flawless record wasn’t even unique among OSU U14 girls’ groups. Rising right behind them was the Force Academy White regional team, which posted 12 wins and four ties in 2024 Eastern Ontario Soccer League play.
“It just goes to show the standards that the club is setting,” underlines Force Academy White U14 girls’ coach Dale McLatchie, while highlighting the piles of successful teams OSU had across the board in 2024.
The #1 club in this year’s OPDL provincial high-performance league also captured eight EOSL championships, plus seven runner-up finishes. On top of the U14 girls, the Force Academy Iron U13 boys earned a perfect 14-0 mark in their C2 league, while the Force Academy White U13 girls had 12 wins and two ties to win the U14 C1 girls’ league.
An unblemished record is the optimal result of course, but McLatchie says it wasn’t a chief objective for his squad.
“It’s funny,” recounts the Scotland-raised coach who moved to Canada five years ago to be with his girlfriend (now wife). “Our first game of the season, it was a stormy night, so we had a delayed kickoff and then the referee ended the game early because of light, and we only won 2-1 and the girls were a little bit disappointed.
“I said, ‘Guys, you had a brilliant summer last summer. If we can match that, great. But understand it’s not realistic for us to go out and win every game and be unbeaten across the course of the season.'”
When his troops made it through to the last few matches of the season unscathed, McLatchie reminded them of his comment at the outset, and noted that the unrealistic goal was now indeed achievable.
The final game of the season came against a second OSU entry in the U14 regional division, and the Force Academy Blue girls didn’t go easy at all in the 2-0 match, producing one of the closer contests in a season where the White squad outscored opponents by a combined total of 97-14.
“They frustrated us a lot, which is credit for them. They played really well as a team,” indicates McLatchie, who received the traditional water bucket dump from his players once their title was confirmed. “That was fantastic. It wasn’t a nice night – it was freezing actually, but I’ll take it.”
Playing below OPDL level is not a dead end at OSU, coaches attest
McLatchie notes many of OSU’s current regional-level players aspire to play in the OPDL, and that the club focuses on helping them “bridge the gap” to the top level with challenging and competitive soccer programming.
Each Wednesday night, the OPDL and regional U14 girls trained together during joint sessions, which provides excellent developmental opportunities and fosters a strong connection between the squads, who often go to watch each other’s games.
“They’re amazing. They’re a really good bunch, and an inclusive bunch of girls as well,” McLatchie says of the OPDL players, who inspire his group to raise their own level.
“It’s something that they can push for,” he adds. “On a personal level, it’d be disappointing to see them go because I’ve got such a good relationship with them all, but if I have however many players getting promoted to OPDL teams, then I’ll know we’ve been doing something right, and I know that the girls are capable and want to get to that level, so hopefully they can.”
On top of in-house training and skills development with the Force Academy, OSU also pursues many opportunities for its teams to play higher-level opposition that they wouldn’t face in weekly league games.
The Force U14 girls’ regional team faced OPDL sides at a home tournament early in their season, they went to a Toronto showcase tournament, and they recently came back from the Ocean Cup in Cape Cod, MA, where OSU teams captured five titles in total.
OSU coach Julian White, who played primarily at the regional level in his youth before joining a New York state college team, says that targeting the right tournaments and showcase events allows players to be seen by university, college and professional recruiters.
“OSU, as a club, we recognize this,” highlights the coach of three OSU boys’ teams.“There is a market for these players to be seen and to be able to play post-secondary. I don’t want some of these players to think that just because they’re not playing OPDL that they can’t go play post-secondary.”
While it has now become the norm for full teams of OSU OPDL players to go on to play varsity soccer, high-level local talent runs beyond that, White signals. Sometimes in other settings, if players don’t make a club’s top team when they’re young, they just fall farther behind, he adds, but the fire to excel burns just as strong at OSU.
Those efforts will receive a further boost with the upcoming introduction of a new OSU Regional+ Program, designed to provide athletes a holistic development experience – much like what they receive in the OPDL – including strength and conditioning, scholarship and university placement support, along with access to exclusive opportunities to travel to major tournaments.
“We want all of our players to develop,” White explains. “We want our players to play at the top, top level that they can play at.”
White’s Force Academy White U17 boys have been on that kind of path this season. After winning three of four tournaments and posting a winning record in the Ottawa Carleton Soccer League’s U21 men’s division, they “turned a lot of heads” by winning all four of their games at the Tampa Cup in Florida.
“It was a very tough week – really hot conditions, 40-degree weather – but my guys went out and we got the job done,” White recalls. “To end their summer before going into Grade 12, it couldn’t have been a better situation for them.”
Trophies, and the memories and effort behind them, are very special, but White takes even greater satisfaction from the fact that a number of his U17 boys have been asked to join university soccer programs.
“That makes me very proud,” he underlines. “That’s what we set out to do.”
OSU Eastern Ontario Soccer League champions:
• OSU Force Academy White GU13R
• OSU Force Academy Blue BU13C1
• OSU Force Academy Iron BU13C2
• OSU Force Academy White GU14R
• OSU Force Academy Iron GU14C2
• OSU Force Academy White GU16R
• OSU Force Academy Iron BU16C2
• OSU Force Academy White GU17R
OSU Eastern Ontario Soccer League runners-up:
• OSU Force Academy White BU13R
• OSU Force Academy Blue GU13C1
• OSU Force Academy White BU14R
• OSU Force Academy Silver BU15C1
• OSU Force Academy Iron GU16C1
• OSU Force Academy Blue GU17C1
Learn more about Ottawa South United Soccer Club at osu.ca.
