Complete MVC Release

ST. LOUIS – Back for his senior season after playing a part in 11 of Eastern Illinois men's soccer's 19 goals a year ago, Alex Harrison was one of 11 players selected to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team.

 

The Panthers as a team were picked seventh in the preseason coaches poll. With Central Arkansas and SIU Edwardsville joining EIU as Valley affiliates this fall, there will be eight teams competing for the conference title. The league schedule returns to a single round-robin format and the top six teams qualify for the conference tournament, set for Nov. 10-14 at Bradley's Shea Stadium in Peoria.

 

A year ago with only six teams in the conference, the league schedule featured a double round-robin format and the top four participated in the tournament.

 

Evansville was tabbed the preseason favorite after receiving six of the eight first-place votes.

 

Eastern is set for its 15th and final season as an affiliate member of the Valley this fall before rejoining The Summit League (formerly the Mid-Continent Conference) for the 2011 campaign.

 

Harrison earned Second Team All-MVC honors last year after leading the league with nine assists in 16 games. He also scored twice and enters his senior season with 15 goals and 20 assists for his EIU career. Both totals are tops among active Panthers and among the Top 10 during the program's Valley era (1996-present).

 

So far the natural progression of postseason All-MVC recognition has seen Harrison go from an All-Freshman Team honoree in 2007, to an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection as a sophomore, followed by his Second Team kudos a year ago.

 

In 2009, he managed to record a point in each of the first eight games of the season that EIU scored a goal. He posted only the second three-assist game by a Panther in the Valley years when he helped setup all three goals in the Oct. 4 win at MVC regular-season champion Missouri State. The Englishman also assisted on game-winning goals by Mike Picinich and Evan Philpott in highlight wins at Central Arkansas and versus Bradley, respectively.

 

Harrison is one of four seniors on the EIU roster this fall. Darby Kehoe is also a four-year letter-winner, who has played in all 57 games his first three seasons, making 33 starts. He has started every MVC game the last two years and has been a consistent performer in the midfield, registering three goals and seven assists as a Panther.

 

Goalkeeper Sean Molony and defender Trevor Kohlrus joined the program last year as transfers. Molony led the MVC with 73 saves in 2009 and was in net for six of EIU's seven shutouts, establishing a new individual record in the program's Valley years. Kohlrus played in all 17 games and started 14 times, seeing action primarily as an outside defender.

 

Juniors Ryan Child, Jonathan Hinds and Picinich were all consistent contributors a year ago. Child has started 23 of the 27 games he has played in as a Panther and was an MVC All-Freshman Team selection in 2008. Hinds shared the team lead with three goals last season, scoring all three as a reserve. He finished the season as a starter, opening the game on the field for each of the final five MVC contests. Picinich scored the thrilling game-winner in the final seconds of the win at Central Arkansas and also gave EIU a halftime lead in the draw with IUPUI. He started 10 consecutive games from mid-September through late October.

 

The junior class has been bolstered by the additions of Graham Lynch and Zach Piekarski. Lynch was an All-American at North Iowa Area Community College and is expected to anchor the defense as a center back. Piekarski is also projected to contribute on the back line after joining the team at the semester break of the 2009-10 school year from Concord University in West Virginia.

 

Eastern's sophomore class features three returning All-MVC Freshman Team selections from a year ago. Kyle Bullock, Jerry Maddi and Ryan Warren were all honored for their play in their first collegiate seasons, giving EIU the most All-Freshman Team picks in the league in 2009. Bullock and Maddi each started all but one game (Asbury) and teamed up on three goals, with Maddi assisting on all three of Bullock's scores. Warren played in every game and started nine times, helping out on the back row and in the midfield.

 

Lynch and Piekarski are the most experienced of the 10 new players on the roster. Eastern also has eight freshmen on the roster this fall.

 

Missouri State (52 poll points) received two first-place votes and finished second to Evansville (60) in the preseason poll. Creighton (49) was a close third followed by Drake (41), which reached the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Bradley (28), SIU Edwardsville (24), EIU (20) and Central Arkansas (14) round out the eight-team league.

 

This fall, the Panthers play four of their seven conference games at home, hosting Missouri State (Oct. 9), SIU Edwardsville (Oct. 16), Bradley (Oct. 20) and Drake (Nov. 6). Eastern also travels to Creighton (Oct. 1), Central Arkansas (Oct. 13) and Evansville (Oct. 29, live on Fox Soccer Channel).

The regular season kicks off around the country Sept. 1 and EIU opens Friday, Sept. 3 at Kentucky.

2010 MVC Preseason Poll Team (1st-place votes) -- Points 1. Evansville (6) -- 60 2. Missouri State (2) -- 52 3. Creighton -- 49 4. Drake -- 41 5. Bradley -- 28 6. SIU Edwardsville -- 24 7. Eastern Illinois -- 20 8. Central Arkansas -- 14

Preseason All-Conference Team Dion Acoff, Creighton Kyle Deremer, Creighton Ethan Finlay, Creighton Bryan Gaul, Bradley Alex Harrison, Eastern Illinois Tom Irvin, Evansville Matt Kuhn, Drake Robby Lynch, Evansville Mike Luttrull, Evansville Paul Paradise, Missouri State Alex Riggs, Missouri State