Eastern Illinois men's soccer head coach
Ronnie Bouemboue has announced his second recruiting class to join the Panthers program before even coaching his first match for the program. Hired last January, the EIU men's soccer schedule for the fall of 2020 was moved to the spring of 2021 with the Panthers set to open up action on Feb. 3 at Bradley.
Bouemboue announced that three players – William Bruce, Micah McReynolds and Jared Cornejo - would all be joining the Panthers program in the fall of 2021.
Bruce is a 6'0" defender from Liberty Township, Ohio. He played soccer at Monroe HS for coach Michael Oster while playing club soccer for Cincinnati United Premier under head coach Adam Jones. In high school Bruce scored eight career goals with 20 career assists. He helped lead the team to a pair of Southwestern Buckeye League Championships as the team was twice a district finalist and one time district champion. He was a member of the National Honor Society and a three-time Scholar-Athlete selection. Bruce helped lead his club program to five state cup championships and two regional finalist appearances. The program was a two-time National Futsal semifinalist.
"William is very competitive person on and off the field, his abilities as a strong 1-v-1 defender will enable him to compete and make an impact in our backline. I look forward to watching him compete and make positive contributions to our program," said Bouemboue.
McReynolds is a 6'0 outside back from Mason Ohio. He played soccer at Mason HS for coach Mike Combs while playing club soccer for Cincinnati Untied Premier under head coach Adam Jones. In high school he helped lead his team to back-to-back Greater Miami Conference titles while winning the South West Ohio District Championship. He was first team All-GMC selection in 2020 and second team honoree in 2019. As a senior McReynolds helped lead MHS to the Regional finals. McReynolds helped lead his club program to five state cup championships and two regional finalist appearances. The program was a two-time National Futsal semifinalist.
"Micah is a versatile player due to his technical ability and overall understanding of the game. His ability to stay composed with the ball under pressure or when he is defending will be a great addition to our backline. I look forward to watching him develop has a student-athlete in our program," said Bouemboue.
Cornejo is a 5'9" center midfielder from Normal, Ill., He played soccer at University HS for coach Jeremy Stanton while playing club soccer for Millennium FC 02/03 under head coach Luis Cornejo. In high school he was a three-time Academic All-Central State Eight selection. As a junior he finished the season with 15 goals and 12 assists. During Cornejo's sophomore season he added seven goals with five assists.
"Jared is a technical and crafty central midfielder that will add depth to an experienced midfield. He has shown great character and strong dedication as a student-athlete throughout his high school and club career. I look forward to Jared's contributions to the program and the university," added Bouemboue.
