Ryan Child is playing some of the best soccer of his young career, as he leads Eastern’s men’s soccer team with eight points through 13 games.

Child is a junior journalism major from Frome, England. He went to a professional soccer team when he was 16 years old.

“You don’t really do high school soccer, if you are good at a sport you will usually go to a professional team and not stay in school,” Child said.

Eastern head coach Adam Howarth personally recruited Child. Howarth went to England to watch a game Child was playing in.

“He was playing in a showcase so I was able to get to see him play,” Howarth said.

Child said a few other schools were interested in him, but Howarth was more personal and convinced him that Eastern was the right school.

“I was talking to a couple of schools but he was calling me and he persuaded me to come,” Child said.

Moving from England to America was hard for Child because he was leaving his home and his family.

Child said the adjustment period was much easier on the field than off.

“It’s different, it took a lot of time to adjust, just to get used to things and being away from my family,” Child said.

The players and coaches were able to help Child out while he adjusted to life in Charleston.

Howarth said Child is a good player, who is starting to perform much better this season because he is getting more comfortable.

“I think that Ryan has grown up a lot in the last three years. Like anyone, it took him awhile to adapt,” Howarth said.

After a couple seasons of adjusting, Child is now a starting forward for the Panthers and he is playing at a high level.

“He has a strong personality, he speaks his mind at times, sometimes good sometimes bad,” Howarth said. “He has done a fantastic job of growing up and now he is making an impact on the team.”

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or at rdmortell@eiu.edu