Eastern Illinois University Athletics

Entering his 10th year as the leader of Eastern Illinois men’s soccer, head coach Adam Howarth has orchestrated a program renaissance the last few seasons that has resulted in four consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Tournament appearances and a festive atmosphere at home games at Lakeside Field.

He has relaunched the winning tradition, which he was also part of as an EIU student-athlete. In 2008, he graduated an accomplished seven-member senior class that led the program to 33 victories during their careers. Last fall, Adam Gartner became the first Panther and Missouri Valley Conference soccer player to be selected as a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. He was also an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America honoree.

Howarth played four years (1989-92) at Lakeside Field under coach Cizo Mosina and graduated from Eastern. He was chosen as the program’s seventh head coach in July 2000 and has moved into fourth place on the all-time wins list.

In 2006 and 2007, EIU posted its first consecutive double-figure win seasons since 1988-89.

The 2007 campaign was highlighted by a dozen wins, Valley league leaders in goals and assists, and a bevy of individual honors headlined by the program’s first Academic All-America selection.

With their 12 wins in 2007, the Panthers matched the program record in the Valley era (1996-present). Eight of those wins came in shutout fashion, as EIU set a new high-water mark for defensive excellence in the MVC years.

Brad Peters led the league with 10-plus goals for three straight years, becoming the first Panther in the Valley era to record back-to-back 10-plus goal seasons. He was a three-time First Team All-MVC selection as well as an NSCAA All-Midwest Region pick from 2006-08. Mick Galeski assisted on five of Peters’ goals in 2007 en route to finishing with a league-leading 12 helpers, another MVC-years record.

The Panthers opened the 2007 season 4-0 after winning the team titles at the Bradley City Centre Classic and UMKC Invitational. Winning the season opener in overtime foreshadowed the heroics that followed, as 2007 turned out to be the year of overtime. Eastern played in eight OT games, posting a 4-1-3 record. Forward Alex Harrison was involved in all four golden goals, scoring two and assisting on the other two.

In the classroom, Howarth’s team also excelled. Eastern led the league with five MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honorees in 2007. Mike Lewis, who sported a perfect 4.0 GPA at the end of the ‘07 fall semester, was named an Academic All-America, the program’s first such honoree. Gartner later received All-American Scholar kudos from the NSCAA and accompanied his head coach to the annual convention to receive his award.

Howarth’s 2006 team proved to be one of his top all-around units. Defensively, the Panthers surrendered the fewest number of goals (18) in the Valley and shutout seven opponents.

Peters followed in the footsteps of other formidable EIU strikers, like Jason Thompson and Jimmy Klatter, and enjoyed a breakout season. The Metro St. Louis native led the league with 11 goals, recording just the second double-figure goal total by an EIU underclassman in the program’s Valley era. Galeski, who developed into one of the finest all-around midfielders in the conference after coming to Charleston from his native England, joined Peters on the MVC First Team and NSCAA Midwest Region Second Team.

Thanks to a great run away from Charleston, posting eight victories in road or neutral site games, the ‘06 Panthers finished with 11 wins. While an overtime win at long-standing rival Western Illinois and the team title at UW-Green Bay’s Nike Classic highlighted EIU’s early-season success, the victory over Missouri State in the opening round of the MVC Tournament was unquestionably the pinnacle of the campaign.

During his first year Howarth led the Panthers to a 12-6-1 overall mark, undefeated record against non-conference opponents and fifth-place Valley finish (6-5). The Panthers finished in the top half of one of the nation’s elite conferences, as the Valley sent two teams to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. He coached the nation’s leading goal scorer (Thompson, an All-American), three all-conference players and was the runner-up for MVC Coach of the Year.

When Thompson was drafted in the second round – the 15th overall pick – of the 2003 Major League Soccer draft, he made history, becoming EIU’s first-ever draft pick. Signed as a Nike-Project 40 player, Thompson was named to SoccerAmerica’s National Team of the Week and most importantly represented the program on the United States Under-23 national team.

During Howarth’s tenure, seven EIU players have earned NSCAA All-Midwest Region honors. Prior to the ‘07 honors for Galeski, Gartner and Peters, Thompson was a Second Team pick in 2000 and First Team selection in ‘02. Jimmy Klatter earned Second Team honors in ‘05 while Derrick Perry (‘01) and Abraham Martinez (‘03) each received Third Team recognition following their senior seasons.

Additionally, an Eastern player has received All-MVC accolades 23 times. With Klatter earning First Team All-MVC kudos for the second straight season in ‘05, the forward became just the second player in EIU’s Division I era to be a four-time all-conference honoree. Klatter finished his career among the program’s all-time leaders in goals and points and earned an invitation to the MLS’s Senior Player Combine.

In 2005, Howarth led the Panthers back to the MVC Tournament. Eastern stood tall against third-seeded Vanderbilt before eventually losing in the sixth round of a shootout. Other season highlights included Klatter’s two hat tricks, the EIU defense allowing more than one goal only once in the Panthers’ eight home games and an EIU record three Panthers earning MVC All-Freshman team recognition.

In 2004 Howarth’s team did not allow a goal until the 21st minute of the third game, and that came on a penalty kick.

He spent the 1999 season as the EIU assistant women’s soccer coach. The Panther women won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships. Six players received all-conference honors, including the Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards.

In 1995 he started the boy’s soccer program at St. Anthony High School in Effingham, Ill. He was both the junior varsity and varsity head coach during his four-year stint. Howarth was named the 1998 Illinois High School Sectional Coach of the Year and St. Anthony won the IHSA Sectional Sportsmanship of the Year award. The Bulldogs finished 10-8-6, their best record since the program’s inception.

Howarth has coached at college and high school camps throughout the nation along with assisting and now directing the Eastern Illinois camps over the past 14 years. The EIU Soccer School has become one of the top team camps in Illinois and 20 teams have competed for the title during each of the last three summers.

He serves as a state coach for the Illinois Youth Soccer Association and the Olympic Development Program. In the spring of 2007, he was an assistant coach with the Illinois ODP (‘91) team that claimed the national championship in its age division. As the head coach of the same age group a year later, the team finished third nationally.

Howarth is a native of Slough, England, a western suburb of London and the setting for the UK-version of the hit sitcom The Office. He graduated from Eastern in 1993 with a double-bachelor’s degree in history and journalism. He also earned his master’s degree in physical education (athletic administration) from Eastern.

He received the Premier Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of American in the summer of 2005, his United States Soccer Federation “A” license in 2003 and an English F.A. badge in 1996. Howarth is a member of the U.S. Soccer Coaches Association as well as the NSCAA.

Adam and his wife Laura, who played soccer at the University of Missouri, have three children: Sophie, Sebastian and Simon. The Howarths welcomed Simon to the family in October 2008.