Oakland City MSoccer

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men's soccer assistant coach Dino Raso has accepted the head coach position at Oakland City University in southwestern Indiana.

 

Raso has been Adam Howarth's assistant at EIU since 2005. He also played for the Panthers from 1988-91 and earned bachelors and masters degrees from EIU. During Raso's tenure as an assistant coach, Eastern won 39 games – highlighted by consecutive double-figure victory seasons in 2006 and 2007 – and made four consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Tournament appearances.

 

Former EIU goalkeeper Mark Hansen is expected to serve as Howarth's lead assistant coach this fall. Hansen was a four-year starter from 2005-08 and was a student assistant in 2009 while enrolled in graduate classes.

 

Oakland City University holds dual membership affiliation with the NCAA at the Division II level and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) at the Division I level. The university is located in Oakland City, Ind., 30 miles northeast of Evansville.

Along with his responsibilities as an EIU assistant coach, Raso also served as the Charleston Futbol Club's Director of Coaching for three seasons.

Prior to returning to EIU, Raso was an amateur coach in his native Ontario from 1995-00, compiling a 75-9-2 record. He returned to the U.S. in 2002 and joined the Barry University (Fla.) coaching staff, where was an assistant for three seasons.