Bio

Ryan Woodside was named the fifth Eureka College men's soccer head coach on March 4, 2022. The 2026 season will be his fifth at the helm of the Red Devils.

In just four years, Woodside has elevated the program to new heights, guiding Eureka to three SLIAC Tournament appearances. He has coached eight All-SLIAC selections, the most by any coach in program history, and ranks as the second-winningest coach the in program history.

In 2025, Woodside’s Red Devils posted a 7-10-3 record and went 3-4-1 in SLIAC play, marking their most wins since 2018 and the best conference winning percentage in program history. Eureka also achieved the second-best overall winning percentage in school history and matched a program record with three All-SLIAC honorees: Michael DeCarlo (Second Team), Joyce Kabesa (Third Team), and Tristan Martinez (Third Team).

The 2024 squad finished 3-13-2 overall, with Jake Edmondson earning Third Team All-SLIAC recognition.

In 2023, Woodside guided Eureka to a 5-11-4 mark and a 2-5-2 SLIAC record, returning to the conference tournament for the second straight year. That season also featured the program’s first-ever victory over Webster, a 2-1 result on October 6. Isaac Noriega was named Second Team All-SLIAC.

Woodside’s debut campaign in 2022 laid the foundation for the program’s turnaround. The Red Devils captured their first-ever win over Fontbonne on October 21 (3–2) and qualified for the SLIAC Tournament for the first time in program history.

At season’s end, striker Khalil Alleyne was selected to the All-SLIAC Second Team, and midfielder Jake Edmondson and center back Isaac Noriega were named to the All-SLIAC Third Team. It was Eureka's first time earning All-SLIAC honors since James Bowen received All-SLIAC Third Team honors in 2018, and the first time the program has had three honorees since 2015 when Bowen, Brady Thomas and Daniel Johnson were all selected Third Team All-SLIAC.

A Bloomington native, Woodside came back to central Illinois after previously serving as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Hope College in Holland, Michigan. There, he developed training programs to improve player performance, helped build a unique team culture, contributed to strategizing and training and assisted with running summer soccer camps and ID camps.

In 2021, Hope went 11-4-3 on the season and had four players receive All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association honors. Woodside was named interim head coach at Hope after head coach Dave Brandt departed for Division I Bucknell.

Woodside's experience in coaching soccer was preceded by a notable playing career.

A 2015 Normal Community High School graduate, Woodside was a three-year varsity player and a First Team All-Big Twelve selection, helping the Ironmen take state runner-up in Class 3A as a senior. He also played club soccer for the Central Illinois Rowdies.

After high school, Woodside went on to play at Hope, where he was a four-year starter as a midfielder. He appeared in 71 games and made 66 starts for the Flying Dutchmen and, when he was a senior, Woodside helped lead his team to a 14-3-1 season.

After graduating from Hope with a bachelor's degree in biology and English in 2019, Woodside played a season of low-level professional soccer in Sweden. His team, Stöde IF, won the Swedish Division III Mellersta Norrland title and earned promotion.

He has also played high-level amateur soccer for the Muskegon Risers in the Major Arena Soccer League II, and in 2021, he had the unique experience of helping launch a semi-professional club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, called the West Michigan Bearings. Woodside played for and ran the club in its first season in the Midwest Premier League in 2021.