Eric Schoenle

Centerback who proved an aerial force on both sides of the ball at West Virginia.

What Scouts Say: "A beast of a centerback and one of the best players in the air in the country. Also good in the air going forward ... Solid player, good size ... Good leadership qualities. Quiet and gets the job done ... He's a tough kid, he'll get in there and he'll be aggressive ... 1-v-1 defending is very good ... Very good in the air ... Maybe slightly overrated. Don't know if he's as good a 1-v-1 defender as people think. You can drag him out and get him isolated and do some work against him ... Can be compared to Eric Brunner ... Is he quick enough on the turn and is his distribution good enough? ... Speed of play and moving the ball around back are his weakness ... Hits a nice diagonal ball out of the back ....  He is skinny up top and that can hurt him. Narrow shoulders. Very thin player and he has learned to defend with his eye ... Out-and-out physical strength to deal with big guys may be a question ... Has enough pace and can do other things right."

College (West Virginia): Completed his four-year career with 75 games played, 14 goals of which half were game-winners ... Proved what a threat he can be in the air, leading the Mountaineers with six goals as a senior. That total was just one less than the five goals he scored as a sophomore centerback in 2010 ... Had the most decorated freshman season in school history in 2009 when he was the only position player to log every minute of the season.

Club: Played club soccer for YMS Xplosion under coach John Greaves ... Led team to United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) national championship in 2008.

High School: Team captain junior and senior seasons at Pennsbury High under coach Peter Hughes ... Three-year varsity starter ... In senior season, was named first team all-conference and most valuable midfielder ... Earned second team all-conference as a junior and named to Suburban One League (SOL) National Conference second team.

Personal: Son of Neal and Sarah Schoenle ... Has an older sister ... BIG EAST Academic All-Star and Dean’s List ... Pursuing a degree in business administration with an emphasis in management.

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