Founded 1967 Location Charleston, IL | Conference Summit League Head coach Kiki Lara | |
 | ||
University Eastern Illinois University Stadium Lakeside Soccer Field
(Capacity: 1,000) | ||
The Eastern Illinois Panthers men's soccer team represents Eastern Illinois University (EIU) as an Associate member of the Summit League in NCAA Division I soccer. The Panthers play their home matches at Lakeside Soccer Field located directly south of the Lantz Arena complex on the EIU campus in Charleston, Illinois. Former professional midfielder Ricardo "Kiki" Lara has been the Panthers' head coach since 2015..
Contents
Conference membership
Eastern Illinois is currently a full member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) which does not sponsor men's soccer, so EIU is an Associate member of The Summit League for that sport, as well as for men's and women's swimming & diving.
In 1982, EIU was one of the eight charter members of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU) which changed its name to the Mid-Continent Conference (Mid-Con) in 1989 and became The Summit League in 2007. The Panthers played soccer in the AMCU/Mid-Con until leaving for membership in the OVC in 1996. Upon joining the OVC, EIU also became an Affiliate member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) for men's soccer. The Panther swimming & diving teams had returned to Mid-Con in 1996; in 20011, EIU cut its membership to only two conferences as the men's soccer returned to what is now The Summit League;
Record by year
References: