Eastern Illinois men's soccer has announced the addition of four new players for the class of 2023.
Lucas Ortiz
A goalkeeper from Romeoville, Ill., Ortiz played high school soccer at Romeoville High School and played club soccer for Eclipse Select Soccer Club ECNL and the Olympic Development Program national team. In high school, Ortiz was an all-state selection, a two-time all-conference selection, and an all-sectional honorable mention. As a senior, Ortiz posted 15 clean sheets with a 0.64 goals against average while leading Romeoville to a state finalist finish. Ortiz permitted only one goal while representing the ODP national team overseas in England against Aston Villa, Wolves, Stevange, and Leyton Orient.
"Lucas is a young, up-and-coming goalkeeper with a tremendous work-rate, desire for success and a high ceiling,"Â said head coach
Josh Oakley. "His technical ability and feet are very good. He is the perfect fit to join our strong goalkeeping unit at Eastern. This program has had a history of producing very good goalkeepers, and I see that continuing on here with Lucas."
"I chose EIU because Coach Oakley's plans to change this program and create something very special is something I want to be a part of while also competing at a high level against high quality players." said Ortiz.
Maxwell Skinner
A 5'9" midfielder from Seattle, Wash., Skinner comes to EIU after spending two years at Longwood. Skinner played in six games for a total of 109 minutes in 2021 before redshirting the 2022 season. Skinner also made the Dean's List his freshman year. Prior to Longwood, Skinner played high school soccer at Skyline High School and played club soccer for DC United U17 and also played overseas for Bracknell Town FC in the United Kingdom, playing both U18 and U23. At age 16, he was the youngest player on the U23 squad. Skinner's father Anthony played football at UNLV.
"Max is coming to EIU with experience playing at the Division I level," said Oakley. "He has already competed in some big games against top opponents and that will help our young squad from the get go.  He is a solid player on the ball who can be deployed in central or wide positions throughout midfield."
Ben Martin
A 5'11" defender from Birmingham, England, Martin comes to EIU after spending two seasons at Parkland Community College, where he earned one Region 24 All-Region honor. As a freshman at Parkland CC, Martin scored two goals on 10 shots, including a game-winner, and recorded two assists. Prior to joining Parkland CC, Martin played high school soccer at John Taylor High School. He also played for Stoke City Academy between the ages of 6 and 16 and was a Rochdale AFC Scholar between ages 16 and 18.
"Ben played in two academies that most fans of British football should know well," said Oakley. "He was involved for years at a relatively high age before coming to the US and landing at Parkland College. He captained a Parkland squad that made a tremendous showing at the NJCAA National Tournament in 2021, finishing in the top 5. Ben will provide needed bite and leadership qualities straight away for us at EIU."
Bat-Od Buman-Uchral
A 5'11" forward from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Buman-Uchral joins the roster after serving as a practice player for EIU for the Spring 2023 semester. Buman-Uchral played high school soccer at Shine Mongol High School and played club soccer for Deren FC. He was a member of the U20 Mongolian National Team and participated in the U20 Asian Cup qualifier, earning a second place finish in the Mongolian National Premier League. In the U19 National Championships, he earned a first place finish in 2020 with six goals and two assists in five games, and again in 2021 with eight goals and three assists in seven games.
"Odko is the second new player to our squad with national team experience this year, having recently competed in his country's Asian Cup qualifiers at U20," said Oakley. "He brings instinct and opportunism in the box, along with an ability to hold the ball up in attack."
