Atlético Ottawa Juniors U15 boys extend perfect OPDL premier record with first win over national silver medallists

By Dan Plouffe

The Atlético Ottawa Juniors under-15 boys’ Ontario Player Development League soccer team soaked up the atmosphere for their showdown with their fellow unbeaten hometown rivals at Ottawa South United, which drew a solid crowd to Millennium Park on Wednesday night despite the soaking weather.

“It’s a big game – biggest game of the season,” describes AOJ striker Nolann Ntumba. “You have the stands that are full, adrenaline, everything. The standards are really high (facing a quality opponent), so you come into the game with a different energy. You feel like you need to get this win. Every time it feels more personal, and just the whole game is truly intense.”

That setting is best enjoyed with a goal to ignite the home crowd, which Ntumba deftly produced with a quick shot cut to the far corner in the 51st minute.

Kyngston Tulloch got to experience a similar joy when he doubled AOJ’s lead in the 65th minute with a looping shot over the goalkeeper and under the crossbar en route to the 2-0 win.

“You score in a big game, 1-0. Everybody’s all around you. It just feels so great,” recalls Ntumba, whose teammate

AOJ has leapt up the premier standings in a big way this year, following a solid U14 debut last year with five wins, three losses and a tie, although that left them 11 points back of champion OSU.

Ntumba finds that a big difference this year is that even if they aren’t firing on all cylinders, his team will still manage to find a way to win.

“We stay together a lot. We work together,” he underlines, noting that’s a product of practice.

“The training is really intense. Everybody shows up every day with 100%.”

OSU, which went undefeated to top the east division in the first portion of the season, was the first team that kept within two goals of AOJ in their five premier division games.

AOJ coach Brogan Engbers concurs that the on-field results come from the way players challenge each other in training.

“That’s the exact environment that you want: guys pushing each other,” he explains. “The guys are the same team on and off the field. They’re supporting each other’s journey.”

Engbers adds that the players’ parents are a prime example of how to best support players, and they love having the full AOJ community behind them too at what he calls their “Millennium Turf fortress.”

“There’s a lot of guys who get that extra burst of energy. The crowd’s behind you. You’re willing to go into that tackle every single time and not give one single inch,” he details, acknowledging that games with OSU are special, as much as treating every opponent and every game with the same spirit is essential to success.

“It’s about maintaining the right focus, staying steady, but in the moments that matter, you come with that killer mentality,” he adds. “Especially [Wednesday], guys came with that and showed it.”

Just before AOJ counted its first of two goals, OSU’s Abderrahmane Bouzidi came very close to scoring on consecutive occasions, but the OPDL’s leading scorer (with 25 goals in 15 games) was denied both times by AOJ goalkeeper Cole Goski en route to his clean sheet.

“We had very, very clear chances in the first five minutes that could have changed the game and we didn’t take it,” reflects Mulay, noting AOJ made the most of their opportunities. “That’s part of life and we have to accept it and move on.”

Mulay congratulated his rivals for the win and was impressed with how well they competed as well as the excellent environment around the game.

“Obviously now we have to come back to the reality that all the teams are going to be very motivated to beat us,” he notes, hoping that the losses will spur new desire for his players to keep pushing and working hard.

OSU was coming off a recent silver medal performance at the Canadian Player Development Program Championships in Montreal.

Read More: OSU U15 boys take national silver on PKs

Strong OPDL records, local players at FIFA U-20 Women’s Cup, Jonathan David joins Atlético Madrid

Engbers is also coach of another AOJ team that’s at the top of the table. The U14 boys are unbeaten with a draw and four wins, including a 1-0 road victory last weekend over OSU, who are still sniffing at their tails with three wins and that lone loss.

They are among several more local teams in position to chase OPDL championships this season.

The AOJ U17 girls have a perfect 5-0 record, having outscored their opponents by a dominant margin of 22-2.

The OSU U17 girls had topped the east division but will now need to fight for a playoff spot after starting premier play with two wins, two losses and a tie.

The OSU U16 boys won 1-0 over AOJ on their home field at George Nelms Sports Park on Wednesday night to improve their standing to third place, with 10 points from five games.

The OSU U14 girls are also third in premier play with three wins and two draws.

The AOJ U16 girls could still find a playoff position within their grasp, currently sitting with two wins and three losses.

Local clubs have enjoyed recent news from international soccer as well.

They were happy to see OSU product Annabelle Chukwu and AOJ alumna Teegan Melenhorst rebound from Canada’s 3-0 opening game loss to Brazil at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland by tying England 1-0 and trouncing Tanzania 6-0.

Chukwu, Canada’s all-time leading youth scorer, had her team’s goal in the match with England and added two against Tanzania. Midfielder Melenhorst played a half in each of the two matches where the Canadians earned points.

With four points, Canada is well positioned to claim one of the four available knockout stage places among the six groups’ third-place teams.

And AOJ was thrilled to see Ottawa’s top men’s professional player Jonathan David loaned from Juventus to their grandparent club, Atlético Madrid.

“For the players, I’m hoping that it’s an eye opener for them,” Engbers says, noting that the Canadian men’s team’s all-time leading scorer came from the same place as them. “He put in the work and now he’s playing at definitely one of the best clubs in the entire world. It’s cool for the boys to see, and I’m sure they’ll take a lot of inspiration and motivation from that.”