Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown/Previous School
Braiden Acton	M/F	6'2	170	Evansville, Ind./Evansville North
Conor Bartuch	D	5'9	150	Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way Central
Kyle Callender	D	6'2	155	Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich
Garrett Creasor	GK	6'5	215	St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North
Eric McCausland	D/M	5'7	160	Charleston, Ill./Charleston
Anthony Meza	F	6'0	190	Carpentersville, Ill./Dundee Crown
Jake Plant	D	5'10	175	Birmingham, United Kingdom/Northern Iowa C.C.
Nick Smith	M	5'11	160	Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley

6'2 - 170
Midfielder/ Forward
Hometown – Evansville, IN
Evansville North HS            
Club - Evansville SC
 
Accolades:
All City – 2010-11
All SIAC – 2010-11
All District – 2010-11
All State – 2011
Leading Scorer All-Metro Team – Evansville Courier and Press.
Magna Cum Laude and Class Council
 
Other Schools Considered – Evansville, NKU, USI

Quoting Acton... “I chose EIU because of the coaching staff and players. I also like the size of the student body and the campus”
 
Howarth on Acton... "Braiden is coming here with a great deal of tools. He has great speed, strength and the ability to make big plays. He put himself on a higher level in his play this year and I am very excited to see his impact at the Division I level. He has the ability to play a few positions for us and will be a great addition to a strong core of offensive players."

5'9 - 150
Defender
Hometown – Manhattan, IL
Lincoln Way Central
Club - USSDA Chicago Magic/PSG
(Attended Eastern Illinois Soccer School 2011)
 
Accolades:
Four Year Varsity Starter
2010-11 All Conference
2010-11 IHSSCA All Sectional
2 Time Southtown Star and Herald News All area player
2011 Herald News Boys Soccer player of the Year
2011 – IHSA Sectional Champion
2 Time State Champion – Chicago Magic
3 Year Academy Player
4 Year High Honor Roll Student at LW Central.
 
Howarth on Bartuch... "I am really excited to add a player of Conor's quality to our team this next year. He was a  very highly recruited player and I feel he can impact our team significantly over the next  four years. He comes from winning programs and has been the backbone of every team he has played on. His aggressive play and ability to read the game will bring a lot to our defensive group."  


6'2 - 155
Defender
Hometown – Lake Zurich, IL
Lake Zurich HS
Club - USSDA – Sockers FC Chicago
 
Accolades:
2010/ 2011- IHSSCA – All Sectional
2011 – North Suburban First Team
2011 – Daily Herald All Area Team
2009 – IHSA 3A Boys State Runner Up
2010 – USSDA – Disney Boys College Showcase Runners Up
2011 – USSDA Central Conference Runners Up
2011 -  IHSA Regional Champs
Lake Zurich HS 7 Semester Honor Roll Student
 
Other Colleges Considered – Dayton, Butler, UIC and Valparaiso

Quoting Callender... “I chose EIU because I felt it was the perfect fit for me academically as well as athletically. EIU will be a unique challenge for me in the classroom as well as on the field. EIU has a great atmosphere among the student body and really makes the school something I wanted to be part of."
 
Howarth on Callender... "Kyle comes in with great experience thru his academy play and high school. He has good size for a center back and once he becomes accustomed to our system will be pushing the defenders we already have. Kyle has a lot of natural ability in reading the game and does a great job of sniffing out trouble before it starts. He has a great upside and I look forward to his contributions both on the pitch and in the classroom."
  
6'5 - 215
Goalkeeper
Hometown – St. Charles, IL
St. Charles N. HS
Club – Campton United/ Fox Valley Strikers
(Attended Eastern Illinois Soccer School 2011)
 
Accolades:
2011 – Chicago Tribune Top 20 players to watch
2011 – IHSSCA All Sectional
2011- Chicago Sun Times/ Daily Herald  - All Area Teams
2010-11 – ODP State Team Member
2009-11 – Member of Campton United Navy – Regional Champions, State Cup Champions 2010 and National League Participants
2011-12 Participant in North Start Scholar Athlete
 
Quoting Creasor... “I picked EIU because of the atmosphere on campus, the soccer program, and that I can receive a quality education in my major."
 
Howarth on Creasor... I have monitored Garrett for a long time, through ODP and our camp, and felt that last year was a year that really pushed him to top of our list when looking for goalkeepers. He has great size and strength and his communication around the penalty area is very good. Under the tutelage of Coach Hansen I see Garrett improving leaps and bounds and pushing to establish himself as a top notch goalkeeper here at EIU." 

5'7 - 160
Defender /Midfield
Hometown – Charleston, IL
Charleston HS
Club - CFC
(Attended Eastern Illinois Soccer School 2011)
photo provided by Journal Gazette/Times-Courier 
 
Accolades:
 2010/2011- IHSCCA – All Sectional
2011 – All Area Team – Decatur Herald and Review
2011 – Chicago Fire All State/ All Academic Honorable Mention
2010/11 – All Conference
Team Captain – Club and HS
High Honors – Charleston HS – 4 years
 
Other Colleges Considered - WIU, North Central College, Carthage College, St. Marys (MN), University of Dubuque
 
Quoting McCausland... "The reason I chose EIU was because it seemed like a good fit academically and athletically. I grew up in Charleston and got to know the program and the university very well. I have always felt EIU was the place for me."
 
Howarth on McCausland...  "Eric has grown up around our program and I am excited to add another McCausland to the EIU Soccer family. Eric has a lot to bring to the table as he is technically very sound and a very good athlete.  Eric really stepped up his leadership role on his high school and club teams this past year. This I believe has helped him become a better player. I have no doubt he will be one of the strongest and fittest players coming into preseason this next fall and I look forward to working with him for the next four years."

6'0 - 190
Forward
Hometown – Carpentersville, IL
Dundee Crown HS
Club - USSDA – Chicago Magic/PSG
(Attended Eastern Illinois Soccer School 2011)
 
Accolades:
 2011 – IHSSCA All Sectional
2011 – Daily Herald All Area
2011- Team Captain – Dundee Crown HS
Played with Chicago Magic for 6 years
3 Year USSDA Academy Member
2008 - State Cup Champion – Chicago Magic
 
Other Colleges Considered - DePaul, Bradley, WIU

Quoting Meza... “I like Eastern's style of play and and I think it fits best with my game.  I think EIU will help me reach my future goals and it's a good environment to be a part of.”
 
Howarth on Meza...   "Tony is blessed with a great deal of quality in his play. After seeing him all week at our camp he has the ability to turn a game around with one shot or a piece of brilliance. Tony is currently playing at a high level with his academy team and along with teammate (Conor Bartuch) will come in more than prepared physically to give us a plenty of  options offensively. I look forward to Tony's contributions on the field and in the classroom."

Defender
5'10 - 175
Hometown – Birmingham UK
High School -The Arthur Terry School
JUCO – Northern Iowa Area CC
 
Accolades:
  2011 – All Region ICCAC (Iowa Community College College Athletic Conference)
2011 – Started every game on 2011 Regular Season ICCAC Champions at NIACC
2011 – Academic All Region 2^nd Team ICCAC
 
Other Colleges Considered – CSUEB (California State University East Bay, Delta State)

Quoting Plant... “I chose EIU because it has a lot to offer me. I was impressed with the school, team and coaches on my visit. I felt like it was a great all round fit for me."
 
Howarth on Plant...   "Jake we were able to identify thru Coach Mike Regan at NIACC and as the season went along, Jake became the vital cog in the NIACC wheel that narrowly missed the chance to go JUCO nationals this past year. Jake has speed, great knowledge and a wonderful left foot. His flexibility as a defender allows us to play him anywhere in the back four as well as a holding midfielder. He will be a great addition to our defensive and midfield core and can impact the team very quickly."