EC Men’s Soccer Announces 2022-23 Recruiting Class
EUREKA – First-year Eureka men's soccer coach Ryan Woodside announced the addition of 17 players to the program on Thursday.
Woodside's first recruiting class features eight freshmen and nine transfers. Six are juniors and two are sophomores. Six of the transfers are from Lincoln College, one is from Heartland Community, one is from Malcolm X College and one is from Illinois Valley Community College. The class also features international representation from Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, the United Kingdom and Nepal, among other countries.
The Red Devils will also welcome back seven returners from the 2022 squad, bringing the current roster total to 24 players overall. Woodside said there could be very well by other additions to the roster by the time the season rolls around.
"I'm thrilled to have such an exciting and historic class coming in this fall," Woodside said. "It's a group of guys that are eager to help build a really special program to be a part of. Since I arrived here in March, I've been talking about the vision of a team culture where players sharpen each other and work together to chase after something great, and I'm grateful to have this group coming in who have bought into that and believe we can create that here."
The Class of 2022 includes:
A 5-foot-8 freshman from McHenry, Jacob was a two-year varsity player for the Warriors.
A 5-foot-4 freshman from Las Vegas, Diego tallied five goals and 15 assists for Ed W. Clark High School. He was also the team's penalty kick and corner kick taker.
A 5-foot-8 freshman from Las Vegas, Hugo was a defender and was an Honors Student at Ed W. Clark High School.
A 5-foot-5 sophomore transfer from Lincoln College, Khalil appeared in 10 matches for the Lynx last season. A native of Diego Martin, Trinidad, he was previously a National Secondary School Football League U16 Football Champion, National Secondary School Football League Senior Men's Division National Champion, National Secondary School Football League U14 Regional Finalist.
A 5-foot-8 freshman from Wynberg Boys High School in Cape Town, South Africa, Troy "received colours" for soccer and was an Honors Student in his final year at Wynberg.
A 5-foot-7 junior transfer from Lincoln College, Milan was a center and outside midfielder for the Lynx. He previously played for the Swinton High School in Manchester, United Kingdom.
A 6-foot-2 junior transfer from Heartland Community College, Roberto was a defender for the Hawks. He was previously an All-Big 12 honoree at Bloomington.
A 5-foot-8 junior transfer from Malcolm X College, Will started 10 matches as a defender for the Hawks. He previously played for Prosser Career Academy.
A 5-foot-8 junior transfer from Lincoln College, Daniel was a forward and center midfielder for the Lynx who contributed to the team's 2020 NAIA national tournament run. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Daniel previously played at The Netherhall School in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
A 5-foot-11 freshman from Bloomington, Raphael helped Normal Community High School capture a Big 12 title and two Intercity Tournament titles. He also received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
A 5-foot-11 junior transfer from Lincoln College, Isaac was a defender for the Lynx. He previously played for Muchin College Prep, where he helped the Mountain Lions capture regional and sectional championships, and earned first Team and Second All-Chicago Public and All-Sectional honoree.
A 6-foot junior transfer from Lincoln College, Jordan was a left and center back for the Lynx. He previously played for Kenwood Academy in Chicago.
A 6-foot-1 freshman from Canton, Tanner was a center defensive midfielder for the Little Giants.
A 5-foot-11 sophomore transfer from Lincoln College, Jacob was a center midfielder for the Lynx. He previously scored eight goals and had 29 assists in 26 games for Streator in 2019, and helped the Bulldogs score an Illinois Central Eight title in 2018.
A 5-foot-8 freshman from Normal, Edgar was a four-year letterwinner as a center midfielder and left winger for Normal Community High School. Helped the Ironmen win InterCity Tournament championships in 2019 and 2021.
A junior transfer from Illinois Valley Community College, Ian was a four-year player for Princeton. A two-time team captain, he contributed to two regional championships for the Tigers.
A 6-foot freshman goalkeeper from Buffalo, Illinois, Brayton received All-Sangamo Honorable Mention, helped the Hawknadoes win two regional titles in four years and averaged 4.1 saves per game in an 11-7-2 season for Riverton/Tri-City. He was also an Honors Student.