Svyatik Artemenko

Svyatik Artemenko
Personal information
Full name Svyatoslav Artemenko
Date of birth (2000-02-11) February 11, 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Odesa, Ukraine
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Rivers FC
Number 1
Youth career
Bonivital SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021 Guelph Gryphons 15 (0)
2023– Thompson Rivers WolfPack 12 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019 WSA Winnipeg 14 (0)
2019 → Valour FC (loan) 0 (0)
2021–2022 Guelph United FC 25 (0)
2022 → York United (loan) 0 (0)
2022 FC Berlin 7 (0)
2023 Electric City FC 18 (0)
2024– Rivers FC 2 (0)
2024– → Valour FC (loan) 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 20, 2024

Svyatik Artemenko (born February 11, 2000) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Valour FC in the Canadian Premier League on loan from Rivers FC in League1 British Columbia.

Early life

[edit]

Artemenko was born in Odesa, Ukraine.[1][2] At the age of two, he moved with his family to Winnipeg, Canada.[3] He played youth soccer with Bonivital SC[4] and represented Manitoba at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.[5]

University career

[edit]

In 2021, he began attending Guelph University, where he played for the men's soccer team.[6] He was named the team Rookie of the Year in 2021.[7] He helped the team win the OUA Championship and was named the OUA goalkeeper of the year and to the U SPORTS National Championship All-Tournament team.[8]

In 2023, he began attending Thompson Rivers University, where he played for the men's soccer team.[9]

Club career

[edit]

In 2019, he played with WSA Winnipeg in USL League Two.[10] Also in 2019, he signed with Valour FC of the Canadian Premier League as an emergency backup goalkeeper, but did not appear in any matches.[11] He attended training camp the following years with Valour, but did not earn a contract.[12][13]

In 2021, he joined Guelph United F.C. in League1 Ontario.[14] He was named a West Division All-Star and West Division Top Goalkeeper.[15][16] In the playoff semi-final, Artemenko scored the winning penalty kick, before making the winning save in a penalty shootout against Master's FA to advance to the next round,[17] where Guelph won the championship defeating Blue Devils FC.[18]

In early 2022, he went to Ukraine to trial to earn a professional contract with FC Podillya in the second tier Ukrainian First League, earning a contract on February 23.[19] However, the next day, Russia invaded Ukraine suspending all soccer activities in the country and Artemenko registered for the Ukrainian army.[20]

On May 5, 2022, following his military service in Ukraine, he returned to Guelph United to re-join them for their 2022 season.[21][22][23] He made his return in a Canadian Championship match against Canadian Premier League club HFX Wanderers FC.[24] In August 2022, he joined Canadian Premier League side York United FC as an emergency goalkeeper substitute for a few matches following an injury to Niko Giantsopoulos.[25]

In August 2022, he joined FC Berlin of the United Premier Soccer League ahead of the 2022 UPSL Fall season.[26]

In March 2023, he joined Electric City FC in League1 Ontario.[27][28]

In 2024, he began playing with Rivers FC in League1 British Columbia.[29] In May 2024, he joined Valour FC on a short-term replacement player contract, following an injury to their starting goalkeeper.[29]

Military career

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Between the ages of 16 and 18, Artemenko trained as a combat engineer with the Canadian Reserve Forces in Winnipeg.[30]

In February 2022, Artemenko, who was in Ukraine pursuing a professional soccer career, enlisted with the Armed Forces of Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[31][32] While he was not required to enlist in the army as he was a Canadian citizen, he felt it was his duty to protect his ancestral homeland.[33] He was initially not allowed to join due to not being a Ukrainian citizen, however, the next day his application was approved as part of an International Legion.[34] His club team, Guelph United hosted a fundraiser to raise funds for the Ukrainian Red Cross in support of Artemenko's cause.[35] He returned to Canada in early May, following a two-month tour of duty.[36][37] In April 2024, Canadian sports broadcasting channel TSN filmed a documentary focusing on Artemenko and his experience.[38]

Career statistics

[edit]
As of August 19, 2023[39]
Club statistics
Club Season League Playoffs National Cup[a] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
WSA Winnipeg 2019[10] USL League Two 14 0 — — — 14 0
Valour FC (loan) 2019 Canadian Premier League 0 0 — 0 0 — 0 0
Guelph United FC 2021[14] League1 Ontario 13 0 2 0 — — 15 0
2022[23] 13 0 — 1 0 — 14 0
Total 26 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 29 0
York United FC (loan) 2022 Canadian Premier League 0 0 — 0 0 — 0 0
FC Berlin 2022[40] United Premier Soccer League 7 0 — — — 7 0
Electric City FC 2023[41] League1 Ontario 18 0 — — — 18 0
Career total 65 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 68 0

  1. ^ Includes appearances in the Canadian Championship.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Carty, Matt (May 5, 2022). "Winnipeg goalkeeper who fought in Ukraine returns to Guelph, Ont. semi-pro soccer club". Global News.
  2. ^ Caudle, Daniel (March 2, 2022). "Local soccer club rallies around former teammate now fighting in Ukraine". Guelph Today.
  3. ^ Mastroleo, Gabriele (March 2, 2022). "Ucraina, professionista lascia il calcio a 22 anni: "Devo difendere il Paese"" [Ukraine, professional leaves football at 22: "I have to defend the country"]. Sport News (in Italian).
  4. ^ "U16B Bonivital SC Playing for GOLD!". Winnipeg Youth Soccer. October 23, 2016.
  5. ^ "Svyatik Artemenko Canada Games profile". 2017 Canada Summer Games.
  6. ^ "2021 Season Preview: Men's Soccer". Guelph Gryphons. September 21, 2021.
  7. ^ "2021-22 Gryphon Athletics Awards Ceremony". Guelph Gryphons. April 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "Artemenko goes from frontlines to the goal line for TRU". Thompson Rivers WolfPack. September 28, 2023.
  9. ^ "Svyatik Artemenko TRU profile". Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
  10. ^ a b "Syvatik Artemenko 2019 USL2 Stats". USL League Two.
  11. ^ Jacques, John (August 29, 2019). "Meet The Canadian Premier League Emergency Goalkeepers". Northern Tribune.
  12. ^ Tait, Ed (May 18, 2021). "Valour FC camp report: Who is Winnipeg's no. 1 goalkeeper?". Canadian Premier League.
  13. ^ Jacques, John (February 26, 2022). "Goalkeeper Artemenko Set For War In Ukraine". Northern Tribune.
  14. ^ a b "Svyatik Artemenko 2021 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  15. ^ Thompson, Marty (December 22, 2021). "2021 L1O Men's Premier Division Awards: Guelph sweeps West; Phillip & Kotsopoulos take MVP". League1 Ontario.
  16. ^ Jacques, John (December 23, 2021). "Six Former CPL Talents Named In League1 Ontario Awards". Northern Tribune.
  17. ^ Jacques, John (October 31, 2021). "Locked In: Guelph And Blue Devils Reach L1O Final". Northern Tribune.
  18. ^ Thompson, Marty (October 31, 2021). "Playoffs Roundup: Blue Devils pull off pair of upsets, Guelph & Woodbridge advance to Finals on PKs". League1 Ontario.
  19. ^ Jackson, Jon (March 2, 2022). "Pro Soccer Player Ditches Kit to Join Ukrainian Military". Newsweek.
  20. ^ Friesen, Paul (March 1, 2022). "Pride over fear: Winnipegger trades in soccer cleats for combat boots in Ukraine". Winnipeg Sun.
  21. ^ "Warm Welcome Back for Goalkeeper Svyatik Artemenko". Guelph United FC. May 5, 2022.
  22. ^ Jacques, John (May 5, 2022). "Safely Returned From War, Artmenko Back On The Pitch With Guelph". Northern Tribune.
  23. ^ a b "Svyatik Artemenko 2022 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  24. ^ Schaffner, Andre (May 11, 2022). "Recap: Guelph United falls to HFX Wanderers in 2022 Canadian Championship action". Waking the Red.
  25. ^ Ngabo, Gilbert (August 24, 2022). "He fought the Russians in Ukraine out of a sense of duty. Now he's back in Canada chasing his soccer dream". Toronto Star.
  26. ^ Jacques, John (August 30, 2022). "Artemenko Set For FC Berlin Stint". Northern Tribune.
  27. ^ "Electric City FC name starting goalkeepers for 2023 season". The Peterborough Examiner. March 14, 2023.
  28. ^ Mahmoudi, Nelson (March 14, 2023). "Winnipeg Footballer-Turned-War Hero Signs With Electric City". Northern Tribune.
  29. ^ a b @ValourFootball (May 19, 2024). "New (but WPG grown) signing!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Brasil, Sydney (February 28, 2022). "Winnipeg Soccer Goalie Svyatik Artemenko Enlists in Ukrainian Army". Complex.
  31. ^ Caudle, Daniel (February 25, 2022). "Former Guelph United goalkeeper now preparing for battle in Ukraine". Guelph Today.
  32. ^ Tait, Ed (March 1, 2022). ""You don't expect a call where he says, 'Coach, in five minutes I'm getting on a train and in five hours I'll be at the battlefront.'"". Valour FC.
  33. ^ Martínez-Cachero, Wilko (February 25, 2022). "A firsthand account of what it's like to be in Ukraine right now". USC Annenberg Media.
  34. ^ Artemenko, Svyatik (June 2022). "A soldier's story: From Canada to Ukraine". Maclean's.
  35. ^ "Guelph soccer team hosting Ukraine fundraiser in honour of goalie". Guelph Mercury. March 16, 2022.
  36. ^ Caudle, Daniel (May 5, 2022). "Local soccer goalie returns to Guelph after fighting in Ukraine". Guelph Today.
  37. ^ Mojo, Adesola (May 7, 2022). "Svyatik Artemenko: Ontario Soccer Player Who Fought In Ukraine Returns To Canada". Verve Times.
  38. ^ Hastings, Marty (April 9, 2024). "TSN documentary to focus on goalkeeper Artemenko, says TRU WolfPack". CFJC-TV.
  39. ^ Svyatik Artemenko at Soccerway
  40. ^ "FC Berlin Stats 2022". United Premier Soccer League. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022.
  41. ^ "Svyatoslav Artemenko 2023 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
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