Mountaineers Finish Strong, Earn Honors in Region 2 and NJCAA

In 2019 the Eastern men persevered to a .500 season, 2 years removed from a 3 win campaign while continuing to play one of the toughest schedules in the country.  With 2 full recruiting classes on campus the Mountaineers were competitive in every game and made their mark in Region II and beyond.  Eastern once again finished the conference season strong, earning victories over the teams ahead of them in the standings, newcomer UA- Rich Mountain, and Murray State (who was nationally ranked before having to forfeit all their games due to ineligible players), to qualify for postseason play on the last day of the season.  2019's squad led by sophomore captains Alpha Diallo and Leonardo Schulz earned Eastern's first victory over defending conference champion Rose State, a last second victory on the road at Rose.  The Mountaineers were anchored all year by sophomore co-captains, center back Dani Huerta, and sophomore Jose Ruarte led the team in points, assists, and goals scored from his central midfield role.  Huerta and Ruarte were both recognized on the Region II All-Conference team for their outstanding seasons.  Ruarte and Freshman goalkeeper Carlos Dias Neto also picked up conference player of the week honors in 2019.  Notably, off the field, Coach E's student-athletes were strong in the classroom as  17 of the 21 players on the roster maintained a GPA above a 3.0 with 7 players earning distinction as NJCAA Academic All American for perfect 4.0 GPA's.