ST. DAVIDS, Pa.–Jeremy Payne will continue to lead Eastern Men's Soccer on a permanent basis. Interim Athletic Director Heidi Birtwistle announced today that the University was pleased to have Payne lead the Men's Soccer Program forward. Payne led the program through the spring season and finished the 2017 recruiting class after he was named Interim Head Coach in late March.

Payne takes his place on the sidelines for the team's opener against Alvernia on Sept. 1st, he will be just the third head coach in the last 27 years of the program. He served as a top assistant for the last two seasons under Mark Wagner. The Eagles claimed MAC Freedom Titles in each of those seasons.

Payne brings tremendous credentials to the program. He was a three-time First-Team All-America honoree, and he earned two Division III National Player of the Year Honors while leading Messiah College to a pair of National Championships and an 86-3-5 record in his four years as a midfielder in Grantham. He finished his career with 61 goals and 31 assists. He scored an overtime game-winner in the National final to beat Rutgers Camden.

Payne quickly earned recognition for his coaching ability as well. Wagner had nothing but the highest recommendations for Payne as a tactician and as a leader when he stepped away from Eastern in March. The Eagles, who reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament last fall,  are slated to welcome seven new players into the program this year. The Eagles had a productive spring and showed very well in their date of competition this spring.

"I would like to thank Bettie Ann Brigham [Athletics Direct Report], and Heidi," Payne said, "for the trust they have shown in me. The conversations we have had about the soccer program and Eastern Athletics have been very encouraging."

"I would also like to thank Mark Wagner," he continued. "I have grown under his guidance over the past two years, and he left the program in a great place. I believe he set us up for success for the foreseeable future. I am excited to continue to coach the players that I've built relationships with. It is a great feeling to know that I am going to be here at Eastern."