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EOU Men's Soccer
Yasmin Mookerdum

Men's Soccer Yasmin Mookerdum, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

EOU Men’s Soccer: 2018 Season Preview

LA GRANDE, Ore. - Under the leadership of new head coach Zach Mills, the Eastern Oregon men's soccer team looks to make their first appearance in the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament. The season officially kicks off this Friday at 7 p.m. at Community Stadium on the new turf against NCAA Division III Whitworth.
 
"My guys have been working hard," said Mills. "I'm pumped to get the season going".
 
In his first season at EOU, Mills leads the Mountaineers into the new year with 10 new recruits. Mills joins EOU after spending the last two years at Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he compiled a 23-10-2 record in which the Bears had their two best seasons in program history.
 
The Mountaineers finished 5-7-1 in conference play last season, just missing out on clinching the final spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament.
 
Friday will be the first match of the season before the team travels to Arizona where they will face Arizona Christian on Aug. 30, Embry-Riddle on Sept. 1 and Ottawa (Ariz.) on Sept. 3.
 
Despite losing a large senior class, Mills brings back second team all-conference midfielder Josh Goodman, who tallied three goals and one assist last season. Joining him on the attack is redshirt senior Elvis Pavon who led the team with nine goals in 2016 while pacing the CCC with an average of 5.20 shots per game.
 
"Our attack will be very exciting to watch," said Coach Mills. "We have some unpredictable players that create chances out of nothing. They want to play the beautiful game, and I'm sure it'll be fun for them as well as the fans."
 
A strong defensive core returns in 2018. The backline is led by Jesus Trejo, a 2017 CCC Honorable Mention defender, along with 2016 CCC Honorable Mention defender Jorge Chavez. Trejo and Chavez started in 16 and 14 games respectively, helping the defense hold its opponents to 1.59 goals per game and a .134 shot percentage.
 
"I'm very excited about the leadership and experience of our back line," said Mills. "They're going to work hard this season and always support each other."
 
The conference will be competitive once again, featuring two ranked teams in No. 17 Rocky Mountain and No. 21 Corban. 2017 CCC co-champions Southern Oregon were among teams receiving votes.
 
The 2018 season is the fourth season in program history, and will have the first graduating class of seniors who have played all four year with Eastern Oregon. The seniors include Anthony Leavens, Aldo Rivas, Steven Beaudry, and Trejo.
 
"I think I can speak for all the four year-class members this year when I say that we are really excited for this season and I think we are more ready than ever before," said senior defender Steven Beaudry. "We have some new pieces, including the coaches, that add size, strength and discipline to the team that make me believe we can do better than ever before."
 
Alex Gutierrez, Oscar Munoz and Jorge Chavez have also been a part of the program the last four years but each have another season of eligibility after 2018.
 
For more information on Eastern Oregon men's soccer, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.


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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu
 
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Players Mentioned

Steven Beaudry

#3 Steven Beaudry

D/MF
5' 6"
Senior
Jorge Chavez

#14 Jorge Chavez

MF
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Josh Goodman

#7 Josh Goodman

MF/F
5' 10"
Senior
Alex Gutierrez

#19 Alex Gutierrez

F
5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
Anthony Leavens

#30 Anthony Leavens

MF/F
5' 11"
Senior
Oscar Munoz

#6 Oscar Munoz

F
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Elvis Pavon

#13 Elvis Pavon

F
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Aldo Rivas

#9 Aldo Rivas

MF/F
5' 7"
Senior
Jesus Trejo

#4 Jesus Trejo

MF
6' 1"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Steven Beaudry

#3 Steven Beaudry

5' 6"
Senior
D/MF
Jorge Chavez

#14 Jorge Chavez

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
MF
Josh Goodman

#7 Josh Goodman

5' 10"
Senior
MF/F
Alex Gutierrez

#19 Alex Gutierrez

5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
F
Anthony Leavens

#30 Anthony Leavens

5' 11"
Senior
MF/F
Oscar Munoz

#6 Oscar Munoz

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
F
Elvis Pavon

#13 Elvis Pavon

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
F
Aldo Rivas

#9 Aldo Rivas

5' 7"
Senior
MF/F
Jesus Trejo

#4 Jesus Trejo

6' 1"
Senior
MF