SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Eastern Illinois men's soccer team has been picked to finish in sixth place in the Summit League. Head coach
Ronnie Bouemboue enters his first season with EIU with some notable figures on the pitch.
Jonathan Burke comes off a second-team All-Summit season as one of the top goaltenders in the conference. Burke led the conference with a .737 save percentage. The Panthers also returnÂ
Shady Omar, the Panthers leader in points in 2019. The Panthers conference season opens up at Western Illinois on Friday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m.
FULL RELEASE
With 23 total points and three first-place votes, Denver was selected to hold the top spot in The Summit League men's soccer preseason coaches' poll released Tuesday by league officials. This marks the eighth consecutive season that the Pioneers have been tabbed as the league favorite.
The Pioneers collected three of their possible five first-place votes. Denver head coach Jamie Franks returns two All-Summit League honorees in forward Josh Drack and midfielder Jacob Stensson.
Oral Roberts (21 points) received one first-place vote and was slated to finish second after sharing the 2019 regular season title with Western Illinois. Miles Motakef, the 2019 Goalkeeper of the Year, is one of four All-Summit League first teamers returning to the lineup for the Ryan Bush's Golden Eagles.
Omaha (17 points), who owned the remaining two first-place votes, was picked to finish third after earning a bid to the 2019 Summit League Championship for the fifth time in five tries since becoming eligible for Division I postseason play in 2015. Head coach Bob Warming returns goalkeeper Jeremy Pollard, who was named to the All-Newcomer Team.
Western Illinois (13 points) was picked to finish fourth after sharing last season's regular season title with Oral Roberts. The share of the regular-season title was the first for the Leathernecks since 2014 and fifth overall. Dr. Eric Johnson, the 2019 Co-Coach of the Year, two All-Summit League first-team recipients in Paul Kirdorf, the Defensive Player of the Year, and forward Ryan DeBois.
Newcomer Kansas City (11 points) is making its return to The Summit League after a seven-year tour in the WAC and was picked to finish fifth. The Roos, who were members of The Summit League from 1994-2013, finished 6-11 overall and 5-6 in conference play last season.
Eastern Illinois (5 points) rounds out the poll and is led by first-year head coach
Ronnie Bouemboue, who returns second-team All-Summit League goalkeeper
Jonathan Burke, who ended last season with a conference-leading .737 save percentage.
2020 Summit League Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
RankSchoolPoints (1st)2019 Record (SL)
1.Denver23 (3)6-11-3 (2-2-1, 7 pts.)
2.Oral Roberts21 (1)13-4-0 (4-1-0, 12 pts.)
3.Omaha17 (2)4-9-4 (2-2-1, 7 pts.)
4.Western Illinois135-13-1 (4-1-0, 12 pts.)
5.Kansas City116-11-0 (WAC: 5-6-0, 15 pts.)
6.Eastern Illinois55-9-2 (0-5-0, 0 pts.)
#SummitMSOC Preseason Notes
- Five of The Summit League's six individual award honorees are back in 2020 with Oral Roberts boasting Goalkeeper of the Year Miles Motakef, Newcomer of the Year Reed Berry and reigning Co-Coach of the Year Ryan Bush. Western Illinois has Defensive Player of the Year Paul Kirdorf and Co-Coach of the Year Dr. Eric Johnson.
- Denver has won the Summit League Championship in six of the last seven years as a league member, but captured its first in 2019 after not winning at least a share of the regular season.
- Omaha will look to make its sixth consecutive Summit League Championship appearance since becoming eligible in 2015.
- Kansas City rejoins The Summit League after a seven-year run as a Western Athletic Conference member. Kansas City, who was a league member from 1994-2013, is led by senior midfielder Ryan Khedoo, who led the Roos in both goals (4) and points (9) last season.
- In league games a season ago, Ryan DeBois of Western Illinois led The Summit League in goals (5), points (10) and averaged two points per match along with one goal per contest.
- Oral Roberts will look to make its second straight championship appearance as the Golden Eagles have not played in consecutive tournaments since they went on a run from 2013-15.
- Berry is one of two Summit League players back in 2020 that earned United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors a year ago. Berry earned third-team accolades as did teammate Dante Brigida. Both shared the league lead in goals with 11 in 15 games last season.
- Berry, Brigida, Motakef and midfielder Juan Arias give the Golden Eagles a league-best quartet of All-Summit League first team performers back from 2019.
- The remaining All-Summit League first teamers back from a year ago are WIU's DeBois and Kirdorf.
#SummitMSOC Schedule Notes
- The 2020 season officially begins on Feb. 3 with some non-conference action and the league schedule kicks off a 10-match regular season schedule on Feb. 13 and that runs through April 10
- The opening weekend of league play will feature a rematch of the 2019 Championship Match between Denver and Omaha
- The league's six men's soccer members will play a double-round robin format during the spring season with a match at each respective school's travel partner to open and close the season. In between, teams will play the same opponent twice at one site with three bye weeks and a make-up week built into the schedule.
- The regular-season champion will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a Championship event set to return in fall of 2021
Players to Watch
Will Palmquist | Denver | Redshirt Senior | Goalkeeper
• Played and started in 19 of 21 matches in 2019 en route to a 1.16 goals against average in 2019
• 2018 Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-Summit League honoree
• Ranked 36th in the country in goalie minutes played (1,787) and 45th in the country in shutouts (6.0)
Jacob Stensson | Denver | Senior | Midfielder
• 2019 Second Team All-Summit and an two-time First Team All-Summit League recipient
• Scored two goals and tallied two assists from the defensive midfield in 2019
Dante Brigida | Oral Roberts | Senior | Forward
• 2019 First Team All-Summit, 2018 Second Team All-Summit
• Scored league-tying high 11 goals and lead the league with five game-winning goals
• Selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team
Reed Berry | Oral Roberts | Sophomore | Midfielder
• 2019 Summit League Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Summit
• Recorded league-tying high 11 goals, five assists and a .639 shot-on-goal percentage
• Earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team
Stevie Siy | Omaha | Senior | Defender
• Played in all 17 matches, including 16 starts
• Attempted four shots last season and logged 1,404 minutes on the pitchÂ
Nil Ayats | Omaha | Junior | Midfielder
• Played in three matches for the Mavericks, making two starts
• Played 162 minutes last year, including a season-high 65 minutes at Denver (Nov. 16)
Cesar Cosio | Western Illinois | Junior | Midfielder/Forward
• All-Summit League Second Team recipient
• Started 18 games and scored first career goal for the go-ahead goal against Denver
Paul Kirdorf | Western Illinois | Senior | Midfielder
• 2019 Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, All-Summit League First Team honoree
• Tied for second on team in points (6) and tied for third in goals (12)
Ryan Khedoo | Kansas City | Senior | Midfielder
• Started in all 16 matches in 2019
• Led the Roos in both goals (4) and points (9) last season
• Recorded two game-winning goals and all nine of his points spanned a stretch of five games
Cooper Clark | Kansas City | Junior | Goalkeeper
• Started in a total of 15 games in his two season at Tulsa in the net
• Totaled 48 saves and posted three shutouts, including one against No. 4 Michigan State
Jonas Castelhano | Eastern Illinois | Senior | Midfielder
• Played in 15 matches and logged in 1,082 minutes in 2019
• Finished the season with 14 shots, with five being on goal
• 2017 Region XIX champions and Northeast District champion at Mercer County Community College
Lenni Kirschner | Eastern Illinois | Sophomore | Forward
• Played in all 18 games at Culver-Stockton as a freshman in 2019
• Started 15 games and was the second leading goal scorer and second on the team in total points
