Eastern Men's Soccer ready to kick off 2018 season
Eastern Oklahoma State College's men's soccer team returns four sophomores to lead a talented freshmen class for the 2018 season.
"As a staff we are very excited about this 2018 class and believe it has a lot of character," said head coach Jon Evan. "This class has a good mix of character, experience and work ethic, as well as a good mix of skillful players from the greater Oklahoma region and abroad. A few transfer players with experience in key positions should figure in the mix as well. We look forward to getting to work with this exciting class of student-athletes."
Evan commented on several areas of the Mountaineer team:
Goalkeepers: "Our goalkeeping corps is as strong as it has ever been and I look forward to the competition everyday between Jahvanni & Marc."
Defense: "We are excited by the progress that this young group has made in pre-season and our success will depend on the cohesiveness of our back line. Dani Huerta, Leonardo Schulz, Tanner Travis, Jaylen Thomas, Chris Thorpe, Kenan Williams and Alpha Diallo will all compete for minutes."
Midfield: "Edgar Torres and Tayze Ellington return to lead us and there will be stiff competition for minutes with new players who are learning our system. Cadine Graham, Jose Maria Ruarte, Maxime Guede, and Aldayr Flores will give us quality depth in the midfield. We expect Diallo and Williams to compete for minutes here as well."
Forwards: "Christian Fresquez returns this year and has worked hard to fight for time up front. Others expected to see significant time in attack include Brandon Molina, Tyler Pryor and Wassim Debbouze. Brandon Martinez will gain experience as a redshirt as he prepares to help to us going forward."
Staff: "I'm excited to be working again with David Charles who continues to blossom as a fine young coach and mentor to our team in his role as manager and student assistant."
The Mountaineers are ready to kick off the regular season after a lengthy pre-season that included a trip to Kansas City to visit the U.S. Soccer National Training Center. The team also attended a Sporting KC game. The Mountaineers will open the season at home against Northeast Texas Community College on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 5 p.m.
