Tweet #WinTheMoment

Eastern Illinois women's soccer head coach Dirk Bennett has announced his second recruiting class with the addition of five players that will join the Panthers for the 2024 season.
 
Set to join the EIU roster in the fall are: Casey Kittridge, Hadley Hendrickson, Ella Dwyer, Colleen Bauer, and Amanda Pankiewicz.

"Our staff is really looking forward to welcoming this new 2024 class to the EIU Women's Soccer program. They all bring a high pedigree with them, as each of them plays in the ECNL or Girls Academy platforms at the club level. Several have also competed for state championships playing for their respective high schools. As we seek an OVC Championship here at EIU, we're confident that adding championship-caliber recruits will help us achieve our goal," said Bennett.

Kittridge (5'11") is a defender from Lemont, Ill. She played at Lemont High School for coach Rick Prangen and at the club level for Evolution SC ECNL-RL for coach Bunnyray Larmond. She was a All-State 2023 high school selection and club Super-Y League National Champion. 

Hendrickson (5'11") is a defender from Wildwood, Mo. She is joining the Panthers after playing at Lafayette High School, where she was coached by Ryan Butchart. At the club level, Hendrickson played for coach Jason Wyland at the Missouri Rush ECNL-RL. She was 2nd team All-conference (2023), 3rd Place finish at State (high school), and a 2-time State Cup Winner at the club level.
 
Dwyer (5'4") is a midfielder/forward from Plainfield, Ill., that played at Joliet Catholic Academy HS for coach Oscar Valdez and at the Galaxy Soccer Club for coaches Dean Harding and Amy Windslow. She was All-Conference in all four years of high school, where she was also the captain of the team.

Bauer (5'7") is a defender from Copley, Ohio. She plays at Copley High School and was coached by Wally Senk. At the club level, she played for Cleveland internationals ECNL where she was coached by Zdravko Popovíc. Bauer was a two time First Team All Suburban, a three time Second team All-District, and State champion. She also participated in the ECNL National Playoffs.

Pankiewicz (5'4") plays as an outside back and winger and is from Muskego, Wis. She is Joining EIU from Muskego High School where she was coached by Lance Matthews. At the club level, she was a member of SC Wave, and was coached by Giuliano Oliviero. Pankiewicz was a Back-to-back high school state champion in 2022 and 2023 where she was also teammates with current Panther goalie, Ella Kratochvil. She also participated in the Girls Academy National Playoffs in 2023. 

Bennet concluded: "Hadley, Amanda, Colleen, and Casey will bolster our defense while Ella will plug into our attack. Several of them are also two-way players and may find themselves competing for spots in different areas of the field early in their careers. They all have positive attitudes and plenty of personality, so it will be exciting to integrate them into our team as soon as we can."