It is still young in the men’s soccer season, but so far some of the main contributors are just that – young.

Eastern is off to a 1-2-1 start, but a quick glance at the stat sheet shows new faces are already making names for themselves.

In Eastern’s first win of the season, a last-second triumph against Central Arkansas, sophomore midfielder Mike Picinich scored the game-winner on a header Eastern coach Adam Howarth said resembled a salmon jumping out of water.

In the Bradley Soccer Kickoff Festival, where the Panthers went 0-1-1, freshman forward Kyle Bullock and freshman midfielder Jerry Maddi were the only Panthers named to the all-tournament team.

Maddi leads the team with 16 shots, five of which were on goal.

Bullock has six shots this season and, according to Howarth, created excellent scoring chances in games against Central Arkansas and Mercer. Maddi and Bullock also led the team in minutes with 337 and 356 respectively.

Although an upperclassman, junior transfer Sean Molony appears to be fitting into Division I college soccer nicely, notching two shutouts, one in the tie against Mercer and another in the win against Central Arkansas.

Senior defender Chris Pearson said this is the best group of freshmen he has seen in his four years with the program.

Sophomore forward Ryan Child said the newcomers (both freshmen and transfers) have added depth, making practice much more competitive, which has helped the Panthers already this season.

The depth has also shown in time on the field as 21 of 22 Panthers have seen action, with the exception of backup goalkeeper freshman Shailer Thomas.

Although these players are young and the Panthers still have only one goal so far this season, the young players seem to have picked up their game pretty quickly.

The win on Friday snapped a 14-match losing streak for the Panthers with help from not only the young players, but also the veterans.

The depth added by the newcomers will not only benefit the Panthers down the road, but if the trend continues, they can also make a major impact on this season.

The Panthers continue their season this weekend when they travel to Evansville, Ind., for the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic against Stony Brook and Evansville.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or dscusack@eiu.edu.