Eastern Illinois men's soccer defender Marcos Ayelo has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week following his standout performance in the Panthers' 4-1 road victory at Chicago State. 

Ayelo played a key role in EIU's offensive outburst, scoring two goals on five shots in the Panthers' win. Ayelo opened the scoring for EIU and later added his second goal of the match as the Panthers earned their first road victory of the 2026 season. His two goals marked a career-best performance and helped EIU finish the match with a 22-7 advantage in shots. 

The Panthers also received goals from Sergej Misic and Keidin Green, while Misic added an assist and Shuto Ishikawa recorded an assist in the victory. 

The Panthers have been moving players around to different positions due to injuries. Coach Ruy Vaz called upon Ayelo up to provide the Panthers some leverage up front and it worked well for the Panthers. Ayelo is originally a defender so he was playing in unfamiliar territory but still got the job done. 


Ayelo and the Panthers will look to carry their offensive momentum into their next contest as Eastern Illinois travels to face Marshall on Tuesday, September 22 at 6:15 p.m. CT in Huntington, West Virginia.