On an evening in which the life of local soccer icon, and late Florida Tech head women’s soccer coach Fidgi Haig was dawned upon, it was only fitting that his 16-year old son Landen put on a show in front of the crowd at Rick Stottler Field Saturday. (FIT Image)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – On an evening in which the life of local soccer icon, and late Florida Tech head women’s soccer coach Fidgi Haig was dawned upon, it was only fitting that his 16-year old son Landen put on a show in front of the crowd at Rick Stottler Field Saturday.
Filling in ideally on his father’s former Club Sportif Saint-Louis team, the youthful Haig pumped in a hat trick to lead the Haitian bunch to an emotional, yet fun-filled 6-2 victory against a team comprised of players formerly coached by the Panther legend.
Garnering support from the stands and on both sides of the field throughout, Landen proved that he may very well be the next Haig in line to make a name for himself in the sport, but more importantly appeared comfortable and at peace among his dad’s teammates.
Dustin Smith
“I thought it was real touching and special to have Landen out on the field,” said current Florida Tech head coach Dustin Smith.
“As we mentioned, it made it even better with him putting together a hat trick. I think for all the gentlemen that came over, it was very special for them to be able to attend mass and celebrate Fidgi’s life and then come right out on the pitch and live vicariously through Landen.”
Despite light rain for most of the match, fans filled the stands to recognize and honor the man who had an impact on so many lives. Although most on the field weren’t still in their tip-top playing shape, it didn’t prevent them from kicking into that extra gear knowing Fidgi was watching.
“It was very special, the electricity was in the air,” Smith added.
“You could just tell, everyone from the crowd to the players were buzzing around, it just had that feeling about it. It’s good therapy and closure for everybody, and progress in moving forward.”
“It was very heartfelt. I’m not only proud of the girls, but these guys who made a huge impact on the community and on the lives of everyone around here,” said Smith.
CSSL eventually pulled away, leading by as much as 6-1 towards the tail end of the second half, but the passion never seemed to whittle.
Together for a cause, both those who participated and those in attendance united for the full 90 minutes for something bigger than themselves.
“Without a doubt,” Smith said when asked how helpful the Florida Tech community has been the last few months.
“Without it, I’d feel a little lost and that nobody was really on my side. These guys have just been tremendous through this whole ordeal and they’ve shown nothing but true support. It not only helps me, but I think it’s more for the girls on the team that were able to be out here and watch.
“Moving forward, I think they’ll be able to feed off the support.”
