CHARLESTON, Ill. – Alex Harrison's selection as a Second Team forward highlighted the All-Missouri Valley Conference honors for Eastern Illinois men's soccer, announced Thursday evening on the eve of the opening of the annual league tournament.

 

The Panthers had a conference-high three players – Kyle Bullock, Jerry Maddi and Ryan Warren – named to the MVC All-Freshman Team. The six league coaches select the All-MVC and All-Freshman teams.

 

Maddi was also an Honorable Mention all-conference selection. He's the fourth EIU player in the program's Valley era (1996-present) to be an Honorable Mention pick as a freshman, joining Adam Gartner (2005), Joel Del Toro (2004) and Jimmy Klatter (2002).

 

Eastern was also the recipient of the MVC Fair Play Award for the first time. That honor goes to the team issued the fewest number of cards, yellow and red, in conference play. The Panthers were only cautioned eight times against Valley opponents this year and did not have a red card all season for the first time since 2004.

 

“I am happy for all the players who received recognition,” EIU head coach Adam Howarth said. “They have all been key contributors this year in upgrading our team. I look forward to their improvement in the offseason to help propel themselves and the team to an even better year next year.”

 

Harrison scored twice and assisted on nine goals, playing a role in 11 of EIU's 19 scores this season. He ranked second in the MVC and 11th nationally in assists entering the conference tournament. His nine assists were good for second and fifth among the program's single-season Top 10 in the Valley years and all-time, respectively.

 

Harrison started each of the first 14 games of the season and every MVC contest but the regular-season finale versus Drake, which he sat out due to illness. He recorded an assist in four consecutive games in September and helped setup all three goals in EIU's 3-0 victory at regular-season champion Missouri State on Oct. 4. His assist streak was the longest in the MVC era. The Englishman was one of 26 players in the nation this season with three-plus assists in a game this year.

 

Harrison has now earned postseason recognition in each of his first three collegiate seasons. He represented the Panthers on the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2007 and was Honorable Mention all-conference last year.

 

Maddi and Bullock started 16 of the 17 games during their inaugural collegiate seasons – all but the nonconference finale against Asbury. Both players ranked among the top five on the team in minutes. Warren played in all 17 games and started nine times, including six of the nine MVC games.

 

As a central midfielder, Maddi was one of EIU's most consistent performers. He scored both of his goals in Valley play, accounting for the team's first goals in the victory at Missouri State and home loss to Drake. He became the first Panther since 2001 whose first collegiate goal doubled as a game-winner in a MVC game. Maddi ranked second among the field players in minutes played (1,407) and went the distance 10 times.

 

Bullock was a consistently active presence at forward. He shared the team lead with three goals, scoring twice in a six-minute span early in the second half of the IPFW victory and accounting for a key insurance goal in the neutral-site win against Stony Brook. He also setup Mike Picinich's score in the draw with IUPUI. Bullock ranked fifth among the field players in minutes played (1,200) and went the distance three times.

 

Warren saw action at both midfielder and defender, making the majority of his starts as a part of the back four. He made his first collegiate start in the Sept. 20 draw with IUPUI, the first of six consecutive. He went the distance four times during that stretch and five times total. Warren helped EIU record seven shutouts, one shy of the program record in the Valley years.

 

Harrison, Maddi, Bullock and Warren are four of the 18 letter-winners expected to return for the 2010 season. This fall, EIU was the only MVC team to defeat Missouri State, posted its first win against Bradley since 2000 and shutout Creighton for the first time since 1984.

 

Player of the Year: Garrett Webb, Drake
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Riggs, Missouri State

Freshman of the Year: Dion Acoff, Creighton
Coaching Staff of the Year:
Missouri State (Jon Leamy, Michael Seabolt, David Stockton)
MVC Fair Play Award: Eastern Illinois