DeVito, Mhinga Join EIU Men’s Soccer Staff

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Eastern Illinois Men’s Soccer Head Coach Josh Oakley announced the addition of two new assistant coaches for the upcoming 2023 season in Chris DeVito and Tadiwanashe “Tads” Mhinga.

“I am pleased to welcome two new assistant coaches to our program,” Coach Oakley said. “These young men will bring energy, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to EIU Soccer.”

DeVito comes to EIU after spending a season as an assistant coach at Kalamazoo College, where he coached goaltenders. A native of Coral Springs, Florida, he has also coached at MVXNB Training, LLC and Kalamazoo FC in the USL Women’s League. DeVito played College Soccer at Kalamazoo College from 2018 to 2021 where he served as team captain and led the team to a conference championship appearance as a senior in 2021. He also played three years of College Lacrosse for Kalamazoo.

“Chris will be responsible for training our goaltenders, among other things,” Coach Oakley said. “He’s so vital at this level that we give our goalkeepers what they need to succeed and help the team win. Eastern have had quite a long list of top goalkeepers past and present, and Chris will start working to help develop a few more. Coach DeVito will also have a healthy dose of recruiting in the Upper Midwest and South for EIU.”

Mhinga takes on the role of assistant coach after spending last season as a volunteer student coach for the Panthers. Mhinga will serve as an analyst, helping with images, statistics and analytical breakdowns. Mhinga, who played two years of college football at Bethel University in Tennessee, graduated from EIU in December 2022 with a degree in business analytics and information systems. Mhinga also holds a Sports Performance Analytics major from the University of Michigan and a Soccermatics major from Uppsala University.

“Tads will be invaluable to our team in so many ways, especially in game reporting, scouting and analysis,” Coach Oakley said. “The game and the patterns of play for success sometimes change every season. Coach Mhinga has a keen sense of nuance in how the game needs to be played to get results at this level. He lives and loves this game, and it shows in his meticulous and thorough work. He is also a recent EIU alumnus.”