Clint Irwin captains his team into the final regular season game riding a six-game shutout streak.
As the regular season winds down for the Capital City Football Club, Centretown resident and captain Clint Irwin is leading his team into the playoffs from an unusual position on the field.
“It’s different as a goalkeeper because you stand in the back and sometimes you feel disconnected but I try to stay involved as much as I can,” said Irwin.
The 6-3 tall goalie recorded his 12th shutout of the season against the Mississauga Eagles on Sunday Sept. 18. In its first season in the Canadian Soccer League, CCFC sits in third place with a 14-4-7 record.
Irwin has been crucial in pushing his team forward from the very back of the field.
“As the last defender on the field, and because of his maturity and leadership ability, he has helped drive the team forward,” said head coach Shaun Harris. “He was named captain for a reason.”
Born in Tulsa, Okla. and raised in Charlotte, N. C. Irwin said he started playing soccer when he was about five years old. He got serious about the game around age 14.
When it came time to choose a university Irwin didn’t stray far from home, becoming a Phoenix at Elon University in North Carolina.
“It’s one big family there and it’s probably the most fun I’ve had playing soccer since I started,” said Irwin.
A four-year starter for Elon, he holds the school record with 22 shutouts. He also holds the single season record of 10 shutouts and helped lead the team to the 2008 Southern Conference regular season title.
Named national player of the year by the National Christian School Athletic Association, Irwin was also nominated for the Hermann Trophy, considered to be the highest individual honour in intercollegiate soccer.
After university Irwin played for numerous teams, including a trial period with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.
“I was bouncing around some teams when I got an e-mail from (CCFC),” says Irwin. “I didn’t even know Canada had a soccer league.”
Irwin decided to make the move north to Canada’s capital city.
“Ottawa is beautiful and because we live close to downtown we can walk everywhere, you don’t get that in the United States,” he said.
Irwin went on to say he’s enjoying the green space but was quick to mention the cold. He lives with seven other teammates in a house in Centretown.
He adds that all the guys get along well and because of their diverse backgrounds – California, Trinidad, Bermuda and Toronto, – there’s always an interesting perspective.
“Living with Clint is great,” said teammate and housemate Nathaniel Foster. “He’s quiet but he makes jokes sometimes and he’s really good at FIFA, the Xbox game.”
But now Irwin will have to take his game from the TV screen to the soccer pitch as CCFC prepares to head into the postseason.
“I’m looking forward to pushing forward into the playoffs,” said Irwin.
“I’ll have to up my performance levels and really start playing my best.”
Irwin will look to extend his shutout streak in his team's final regular season game on Oct. 2 against the Brantford Galaxy at Ottawa's Terry Fox Stadium.