Mountaineers participate in Open Training Week

The Eastern Oklahoma State College Men's Soccer program recently took part in an Open Training Session with local coaches of all levels on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Mountaineer Soccer Complex.

In 2016, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now known as United Soccer Coaches) launched the first-ever NSCAA Open Training Week in towns across the country. Nearly 200 college and professional programs hosted open trainings throughout the week for coaches to attend. This nationwide effort was intended to allow coaches at all levels to experience a new environment, witness higher-level training and learn from one another.

"We want our players to strive for excellence on and off the field," said Head Coach Jon Evan. "We place a lot of demands on ourselves as a program and part of that is doing good, doing  right and doing our best in  the community, as well as making good grades and competing for championship on the field.

Evan continued, "We talk everyday about being the best version of ourselves and building healthy relationships. This was a great opportunity for our program and our student-athletes to give back to the local soccer community. We have worked hard as a program to develop ties to the soccer communities here in Wilburton, McAlester and southeastern Oklahoma. Our young men volunteer at local youth clinics throughout the year and referee in their leagues as well. This was a great opportunity to grow the game in our area by supporting our local youth coaches. Hopefully it generates some interest in our program as well. I'm very proud of these young men for their contributions.

The Mountaineers finished as an NJCAA Region II semifinalist in 2017 and placed two players on the Region II All-Conference Team including 2018 sophomore captain Edgar Torres. Sophomore Jaylen Thomas was also recognized as a first team NJCAA Academic All-American.

Eastern returns to action against Hill College at home on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 5 p.m.