Lajeunesse, 23, a fourth-year University of British Columbia student has played with Pacific for three seasons. The U SPORT success story has amassed 3,438 minutes for the club across all competitions.
Since 2023, Lajeunesse has been a steady addition to the Trident’s backline while supporting the Thunderbirds to a national title in 2024, and a 19-2-0 record in the regular season, finishing fifth in the country. The Ottawa native won the Canada West Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
“Eric is part of our club now, he’s continuing to develop and grow while taking full advantage of the U SPORT relationship,” said James Merriman, Head Coach, Pacific FC. “I believe this is a great example for the league and other players in the future that wish to pursue academics and professional football.”
Tugwell, 22, was the twelfth overall pick in the 2025 CPL-U SPORT Draft in December 2024. The fourth-year civil engineering student at the University of Victoria played in four matches totalling 360 minutes. The six-foot-three centreback was raised in North Vancouver and was joined by his brother Archie Tugwell this spring who was a 2026 CPL-U SPORT pick for the Tridents.
“Fin had another strong season at UVIC, he’s also finishing up his studies while developing in our environment,” said Merriman. “He will impact more this season, he’s grown as a leader we need him to bring those qualities into our team.”
CPL clubs may add up to three players on CPL-U SPORTS contracts to their developmental roster, which was created by the League to provide opportunities for the next generation of talent in Canada. Student athletes signed to CPL-U SPORTS contracts are provided the unique opportunity to earn professional experience while maintaining their eligibility to return to the university-level competition.
Current 2026 Pacific FC Roster as of April 2:
Goalkeepers: Sean Melvin, Eleias Himaras
Defenders: Juan Quintana, Kadin Chung, Christian Greco-Taylor, Diego Konincks, Joshua Belluz, Fin Tugwell, Eric Lajeunesse
Midfielders: Aidan Daniels, Matteo Schiavoni, Sami Keshavarz, Matthew Baldisimo, Roshawn Juhmi, Lukas Browning, Mattias Vales, Taras Gomulka
Forwards: Marco Bustos, Josh Heard, Ronan Kratt, Alejandro Díaz, Yann Toualy, Bul Juach