CHARLESTON, Ill. – Having posted the program's first consecutive double-figure win seasons since the late '80s, Eastern Illinois men's soccer head coach Adam Howarth aims to reload the roster with the announcement of his 2008 recruiting class.

 

Austin Andrekus (St. Charles/St. Charles North), Ryan Child (Frome, England/Frome), Mark Essary (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron), Grey Genenbacher (Quincy/Quincy Notre Dame), Jonathan Hinds (Champaign/Centennial), Ian McCausland (Charleston/Charleston), Jeff Phillips (Dallas, Texas/Flower Mound) and Mike Picinich (St. Charles/St. Charles North) are all slated to join the Panthers in the fall.

 

Andrekus and Picinich led St. Charles North to the Elite Eight round of the '07 IHSA State Tournament and are former teammates of current Panther Mitch Welsch, who red-shirted this past season. All three St. Charles natives played for former Panther Eric Willson.

 

Child is the fourth Englishmen in the last five years to sign with Eastern. With two-time team captain Mick Galeski graduating, he'll team with countrymen Alex Harrison and Chris Pearson this fall.

 

Essary and Phillips both hail from suburban Dallas. Essray is a goalkeeper and led his Andromeda Soccer Club to the '07 U.S. Youth Soccer national championship. Phillips is a former high school teammate of current EIU goalkeeper Mark Hansen and won the Disney Showcase championship with his Dallas Texans club team. Both incoming freshmen were First Team All-District 6-5A honorees as seniors.

 

At 6-foot-2, Genenbacher is the tallest member of the recruiting class. A projected forward, he was a two-time captain of the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association (IHSSCA) All-State team.

 

Hinds and McCausland are both accomplished goal scorers from Central Illinois high schools. Hinds scored 46 goals during his four-year varsity career at Centennial High School and was the Champaign News-Gazette Player of the Year in 2007. McCausland netted 50 goals during his Charleston High School career and was an All-State selection by the IHSSCA as a senior. He is the son of EIU Hall of Famer and former wrestling coach Ralph McCausland.

 

“I am extremely happy to have these fine student-athletes agree to join us here at EIU,” Howarth said. “All of these athletes have the ability to make an impact on our team, and I am excited to see how they do in the classroom and on the pitch. Going into the new season, I felt that we needed to add a little bit more speed, technical ability and some nastiness. I feel these players will do that, along with filling in some of the holes left from a very good '07 senior class.”

 

The following is a recap of each incoming players' individual accomplishments.

 

2007 Honors: IHSSCA All-Sectional… First Team All-Upstate Eight Conference… won an '06 national championship with his Illinois ODP 1990 team… 2005-06 ODP Region 2 Team… played for former Panther Eric Willson at St. Charles North High School, leading his team to the Elite Eight round of the '07 IHSA State Tournament… coach Howarth says: “Austin will add a lot to the team, as he is a tenacious back and midfielder. I have coached Austin at the ODP level and his personality along with his strong desire to win will add a great deal to our team. He comes from the St. Charles North team coached by Wilson, so he has been exposed to a high level of coaching. He is currently playing with the new Chicago Fire Academy team, so he'll be more than ready to jump in at our level right away.

 

Five-time Frome Player of the Year from 2001-05, leading Frome to School and County Cup titles… Frome Town All-Star Team… two-year (06-07) member of the Bristol City Academy Team Coach Howarth says: “Continuing our tradition of solid English players, Ryan Child comes in to help fill the void left in the center of the park. Ryan is a winner and is the traditional tenacious central midfield ball-winner. He directs traffic very well and works extremely hard on both sides of the ball. I expect Ryan to impact the team, not only on the field but in the classroom as well. I look for Ryan to be a solid addition to our team this year and will impact us instantly.”

 

Hebron MVP and First Team All-District 6-5A selection… led Andromeda to the '07 State Cup and U.S. Youth Soccer national championship… nominated for the '07 U.S. Youth Soccer Save of the Year… 2007 Dallas Cup Super Group… 2000-05 Texas Longhorns Loyalty award… coach Howarth says: “Mark has a huge amount of experience and with his club team, winning nationals last year. He has the ability to push the current goalkeepers hard and has the experience to step in right away. He has a good presence in the penalty area, and with talking to his coaches, a great work ethic. I am excited to see Mark contributions as a fine student-athlete. He, like all of the players we have got from Texas (Jason Thompson, Abraham Martinez, Brad Earl and Mark Hansen), provide a great plus for our team.”

 

He was a two-time captain of the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association (IHSSCA) All-State team as an upperclassman… as an all-sectional honoree in 2005, helped lead Quincy Notre Dame to a runner-up finish at the IHSA State Tournament… four-year letter-winner finished his QND career in the Top 10 in scoring… coach Howarth says: “Grey is the traditional center forward, which every team wants and needs. He can play a few positions at the college level but his size, strength and willingness to learn are great additions to our club. He too, like many of the recruits, has been playing at high levels and will start a new tradition of QND players on the men's side (the Quincy connection keyed the EIU women's four straight NCAA Tournament appearances) of Panther soccer.”

 

Four-year varsity starter finished his high school career with 46 goals and 36 assists… '07 Campaign News-Gazette Player of the Year… Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association All-Sectional selection in 2007… coach Howarth says: “Jonathan can play numerous positions for us and I look for him to push the current players very hard. He has a terrific engine and will be one of the fittest players coming in. He is used to playing in big games and almost single handedly took his high school team through the IHSA state playoffs. He can score big goals when needed and I look forward to his contributions this year. Under some fine tutelage from Mike Kobylinski, (Little Illini director of coaching and a former EIU assistant) he has the tools to be a solid contributor.”

 

Four-year letter CHS letter-winner finished his career with 50 goals and 26 assists… honors from the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association included All-Sectional in 2006 and All-State in 2007… Chicago Fire All-State and Honorable Mention All-Academic as a senior… coach Howarth says: “Ian has a huge upside and I think will develop into a fine all-around player here at EIU. He has an extremely high work rate and, for his size, is extremely strong. We have watched him grow up and he now becomes the first player from the CFC club to join our team. He is sound academically and will be a great asset to the team. Technically, he is very good and works hard with and without the ball.”

 

Two-time varsity captain ranks in the Top 10 in goals and assists in Flower Mound High School history… two-time All-District selection, earning First Team honors in 6-5A in 2007 and Second Team kudos in 8-5A in 2006… helped lead his Dallas Texans club team to the '07 Disney Showcase championship… coach Howarth says: “Jeff comes in with an extensive résumé and has played in basically every tournament final possible. His club team is coming off a huge win down at Disney in December and he had a big role in their Christmas-season run. Jeff is a quick, technical midfielder, who can be counted on to go at defenders and ask questions. He can make a quick impact on this team. Jeff is a competitor and will bring that fighting mentality to the team this fall. A former high school teammate of Mark Hansen's, he'll continue the Flower Mound tradition at EIU.”

 

Mike Picinich, 5-foot-10, 160 lbs. midfielder from St. Charles, Ill. (St. Charles North HS/Fox Valley Strikers club)
Captained St. Charles North to the Elite Eight round of the '07 of IHSA State Tournament, establishing a new single-season school record for assists… 2007 honors: Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State, All-Area, First Team All-Upstate Eight Conference… coach Howarth says: “Mike is a fiery competitor and after I saw him at my camp this summer, I felt he would be a great fit for our team. He has great speed and craftiness with the ball, which will be a great asset in the midfield area. He has had great high school coaching from former Panther Eric Willson at North, and knows what it takes to play at the next level. Mike has a huge upside and I rate his ability very highly.”

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID