Eastern Illinois women's soccer head coach
Dirk Bennett has announced the addition of two players to the Panthers roster for the upcoming season. Announced today were defenders Ashlyn Nobles and Elisa Solis.
Nobles (5'6") is a defender from Evansville, Ind., having played at Evansville Reitz Memorial HS for coach Angie Lensing and club soccer for Untied Elite FC 05 for coach Chris Pfau. She helped lead Memorial HS to back-to-back Indiana Class 2A State Championships as a junior and senior with the team posting a 42-4-1 record over those two years including an undefeated season during her senior campaign. She was named a second team All-Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and honorable mention All-City selection during her career. Nobles also added Academic All-State honors, Academic All-City and Academic All-SIAC accolades. As a club player she helped lead her team to the 2022 and 2023 Indiana State Cup Championship. Nobles also lettered in basketball.
"Ashlyn is a tough, gritty defender that takes pride in winning her 1v1 battles. She gives us some great depth on the left side of our back line and is a wonderful student," said Bennett. "She's not afraid to play physically and enjoys testing herself against the best attackers on opposing teams. A key member of her high school team at Memorial, she won back-to-back state championships and led her team to an undefeated season this past fall. Her resilience and personality will add a lot to EIU Women's Soccer."
Solis (5'3") is a defender from Salinas, Calif., that played the past two seasons for coach Ivan Guerrero at Hartnell College. This past season she was named the Conference Defender of the Year after winning Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2021. Solis was named a first team All-Coast Conference selection both years and to the All-Northern California Team as a sophomore. In 2021 she helped lead Hartnell to the CCCAA State Championship. Solis played high school soccer at Everett Alvarez HS and played club soccer for Pajaro Valley United for coach Luis Guerrero.
"Coming from a very high level out west, Elisa is a player that will slot into our back line and add something a little different. She has great speed, technical ability, and soccer IQ that is hard to find," said Bennett. "She was the conference defender of the year on a team that has excelled at the top of the California community college system for a couple seasons now. She's the kind of kid who lets her play do the talking for her, and we can't wait to welcome her to Charleston."
