Kene Eze
Kene Eze (born January 21, 1992) is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for FC Motown in the National Premier Soccer League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 21, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth |
Sayreville, New Jersey United States | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | FC Motown | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | WPU Pioneers | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014 | Jersey Express | 10 | (7) |
| 2015 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | North Geelong Warriors FC | 23 | (13) |
| 2019– | FC Motown | 3 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 September 2019 | |||
Career
College and amateur
A native of Sayreville, New Jersey, Eze attended Sayreville War Memorial High School, where his 106 career goals set a school record.[1]
Eze played four years of college soccer, beginning at William Paterson University in 2010 to 2012 and finishing in 2013 at Rutgers University.[2]
Professional career
On January 21, 2014, Eze was selected 60th overall in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC.[3] Eze was not signed by Toronto, instead joining USL PDL club Jersey Express for their 2014 season.[4] On January 27, 2015, Eze signed with USL club Pittsburgh Riverhounds.[5]
Move to Australia
In March 2016, Eze relocated to Melbourne, Australia where he signed for National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 club North Geelong Warriors FC. Eze scored two goals on debut for the Warriors in a 7-1 routing of Shepparton South SC in the 2016 FFA Cup. Eze went on to also score on his league debut for North Geelong, netting the second in a 2-0 win over Goulburn Valley Suns FC.[6] He grabbed his second league goal, and fourth overall, in an emphatic 7-2 win over Bendigo City FC in Round 7 of the NPLV2 season.[7] Eze continued his good goalscoring form, grabbing a hattrick in a 5-2 win over FC Clifton Hill at Kevin Bartlett Reserve in Round 5 of the 2016 FFA Cup.[8] He was then selected in "The Corner Flag"'s Team of the Month for April in his conference.[9] Eze grabbed another hattrick for the Warriors in a 3-0 win over table-toppers Whittlesea Ranges FC at Epping Stadium in Round 23 of the NPLV2.[10]
Eze re-signed with North Geelong for the 2017 National Premier Leagues Victoria season in December 2016.[11]
References
- Kene Eze - 2010 Men's Soccer, William Paterson University. Accessed August 15, 2016. "Hometown: Sayreville, N.J.High School: Sayreville War Memorial... His school's all-time leading scorer, he also was an all-county and all-division pick in 2008 and 2009... Also a second-team all-state honoree as a junior, he scored 106 career goals"
- "2019 Men's Soccer Roster". Rutgers University Athletics.
- "SuperDraft: Reds Draft Striker Kene Eze | Toronto FC". Archived from the original on 2014-01-27.
- "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
- "Riverhounds Re-Sign Vincent, Add Eze - United Soccer League". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
- Kounelis, Jordan. "NPL2 Wrap: Round 5". MFootball. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- Jukić, Ante (10 April 2016). "NPL2: North Geelong's press too much for Bendigo to handle". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- Lim, Jordan. "Warriors twice forced to comeback against Clifton Hill". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- Gojszjk, Mark. "NPL2 West Team of the Month: April". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- Reserved, Copyright The Corner Flag © 2015 All Rights. "Four points separate top four as Eze sinks Whittlesea – The Corner Flag".
- Gojszyk, Mark. "Warriors' top-flight prospects boosted with Eze recommitment". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 26 November 2016.