Omondi, Golden Eagles Push Charlotte to Brink of Championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In just its second season in the Premier Development League, the Charlotte Eagles, bolstered by five Golden Eagles, are on the verge of capturing a divisional and conference regular season title.
The quintet of John Brown University standouts have emerged as essential contributors to Charlottes historic run as freshman Kelvin Omondi is currently second on the squad with four goals, all coming off the bench. Dubbed the teams “super sub,†Omondi helped Charlotte exact retribution on Saturday (July 9) with a two-goal outburst in a 3-0 victory at the South Georgia Tormenta FC.
Boasting a conference-leading 10-2-1 record, just one of Charlottes two losses on the season came at home against Tormenta FC, a 2-0 setback on June 16. Omondi maneuvered his way to within one goal of the teams leader with two second-half strikes, cementing the win, Charlottes fourth-straight and sixth in its last seven matches.
JBU freshman standoutRyan Williamshelped setup both tallies, including the primary assist on Omondis first of the match. Williams assist was his first of the season, but after starting the summer season nursing a knee injury, the midfielder has moved his way into the starting XI.
Sophomore Collin Smith has seen action in eight contests, filling in admirably for Jorge Buzzo, a member of the Pfeiffer (N.C.) team that captured the 2015 NCAA II National Championship. SophomoreDouglas Oliveira and freshman Giovani Bejarano have seen limited time this season, however, as Oliveira is still recovering from an injury suffered early in the season while Bejarano competes with Macauley King, a second-team selection on both the NSCAA and NCAA II All-Southeast Region teams.
Housed within a three-division Eastern Conference, Charlotte only moved up to the PDL in 2015. Although experiencing success in its first season, including a win in the conference playoffs, the team hopes that by capturing a regular season title, with just one point needed in its final contest on Saturday (July 16) against the Tri-City Otters, and a plethora of assets off a deep bench will fuel a deep playoff run.
With a 3-0 win at Tri-City already recorded this year, Charlottes chances at history look good. With a regular season division and conference title sewn up, the Eagles will earn a bye to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where the top four teams from the three divisions will face off to determine the conferences representative in the PDL semifinals. The PDL regular season will conclude on July 17 with conference tournaments set to begin the following week.
The PDL Conference Championships will be held on the weekend of July 22-24, with the four conference champions advancing to the PDL Semifinals, to be held on the week of July 24-31. The 2016 PDL Championship Game will be held on the weekend of August 5-7.
