Live Stats | Green Bay MSoccer

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men's soccer concludes its four-game preseason schedule Saturday when it hosts Green Bay for a noon exhibition friendly at Lakeside Field.

 

The Panthers open the regular season Labor Day Weekend at the University of Kentucky's UK Invitational in Lexington. Eastern is slated to take on the host Wildcats Friday (Sept. 3) evening for its season opener and first-time opponent UNC Asheville Sunday (Sept. 5) afternoon. The regular season kicks off around the country on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

 

Green Bay received votes in the NSCAA Top 25 preseason poll after posting a 14-3-3 record and winning the Horizon League Tournament in 2009, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. A year ago, the Phoenix recorded wins against four teams – DePaul, Western Michigan, Illinois-Chicago and Valparaiso – that EIU is scheduled to take on this fall.

 

Green Bay is led by midfielder JC Banks, who registered 13 goals and 10 assists last season en route to winning Horizon League Player of the Year honors. Goalkeeper Ryan Wehking, a St. Louis native, is also back after recording a 0.92 goals against average as a freshman in 2009.

 

Green Bay was picked second to Butler by only one poll point in the Horizon League preseason poll. The Bulldogs received five first place votes, the Phoenix four. The Panthers played Butler to a 2-2 draw in Indianapolis earlier this week.

 

Eastern and Green Bay were both members of the Mid-Continent Conference from 1984-1993. The Panthers lead the all-time series 12-6-2 and won the last meeting, 3-0 in Green Bay in the championship game of the 2006 UWGB Nike Classic. Eastern is expected to return to Green Bay next season to participate in another four-team tournament.

 

The Panthers have not hosted the Phoenix since 1999.

As many as eight different countries could be represented on the field Saturday. The Green Bay roster features natives of Germany, Sweden, Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago. Eastern's 2010 roster features three Englishmen (Ryan Child, Alex Harrison and Alexis Nattee), a Canadian (Zak Epplette) and an Irishman (Graham Lynch). However, the majority of players on both the EIU and UWGB rosters hail from Illinois and Wisconsin, respectively.

In preseason action this month, Green Bay blew out the Milwaukee School of Engineering, 8-0, and played UW-Oshkosh to a scoreless draw.