'(Posted 8:30 a.m., April 28)
Former Béatrice-Desloges Bulldog signs professional soccer contract
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

At present, former Orléans resident Erik Lefebvre is the second most successful athlete to ever graduate from Béatrice-Desloges high school. The first is another Erik, that being Erik Bédard, who is currently making $7.75 million as a starting pitcher with the Seattle Mariners.

For now, Lefebvre can only dream of making one-tenth the money his fellow alumni is making. However, they do have one thing in common. They're both now professional athletes after Lefebrve was recently signed by the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer League, which is one rung below the more well known Major Soccer League.

As a keeper, Lefebrve helped lead the Bulldogs to three straight senior boys Tier 2 soccer championships and was the youngest member of the Ottawa Royals team that made it all the way to the finals of Canadian senior men's soccer championship.

In his final year at Béatrice-Desloges, he signed a scholarship to play at Houghton College in upstate New York. he earned the starting position in net during his freshman year and eventually became a two-time NAIA All-American.

During his first year at Houghton, he earned a spot on the All-American Mideast Conference First All-Star team and never relinquished it. During his sophomore year he led the Highlanders to the NAIA Region IX tournament where he was selected to the All-NAIA Region IX first team and was named to the NAIA All-American second team.

As a junior, Lefebvre was again an All-NAIA Region IX first team member, and was named NAIA All-American Honorable Mention.

Saving his best for last, Lefebvre enjoyed a stellar senior season in which he picked up his fourth selection to the All-AMC first team, and was runner up in the voting for the most valuable player in the conference. His final campaign with the purple and gold also landed him back on the NAIA All-American second team.

Coach Matthew Webb says Lefebvre’s off-season work ethic was a big part of his consistent performance in net and still is.

“His experience at Houghton as well as his time spent working with ParmarSportstraining will enable Erik to succeed at the next level,” says Webb.

Lefebvre was able to use his time with ParmarSportstraining to pick up tips from former Highlander Sanjeev Parmar, who also got his professional start with the Eagles.

“I am extremely proud of Erik as he takes this next step in his soccer career,” says Coach Webb. “I couldn’t be happier for him. Erik has been a stalwart in the net for our program for the last four years. I know I am biased, but Erik would have to rate as one of the top (goal keepers) to have ever played at Houghton, if not the best to have ever played the position here.”

On top of his personal accomplishments, Lefebvre’s leadership on the field helped the Highlanders win the conference Fair-Play award in three out of his four seasons.

Lefebvre will join an Eagles organization with strong ties to Missionary Athletes International, a company which was co-founded by Brian Davidson another former Highlander net-minder. The Eagles made it to the USL-2 championship game last season, and are looking to build on that strong campaign.

Away from the pitch, Lefebvre has had an equally positive effect on the Houghton community. From making house calls for person training sessions with future players to assisting with the community gymnastics program, he has become a familiar face to many Highlander fans.

“Erik has made a significant impact with the young people in the Houghton community. Erik has a knack for working with kids and the young people have been blessed to have Erik around these past four years,” says Webb.

For Erik, signing a contract with the Eagles is just the next step in what he hopes will one day lead him to either the MSL or professional soccer in Europe.

"This is a great opportunity for me, for sure. It will give me a chance to get a taste of what playing professionel soccer is like and it will give me a heightened level of exposure," says Erik, whose ultimate dream is to one day follow in the footsteps of former great Canadian keepers like Pat Dolan and Craig Forrest and one day play on the Canadian men's team.

'(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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