“I have a fever and the only cure is more cowbell.”

Whoa! Deja vu. (Sorry for ramming the same “Saturday Night Live” quote down your throats for the second week in a row, but I thought it was a clever way to introduce my point, and when I think something is clever there is no stopping me from using it no matter how dumb it might be).

The reason it is so clever is that the women’s soccer team might be feeling a little bit of deja vu itself. After defeating Southeast Missouri in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game for the second year in a row, the Panthers will go to South Bend, Ind. for the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

On Monday, the Panthers found out that its would get a rematch with Purdue Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Last spring, the Panthers played to a 2-2 tie with the Boilermakers, who are in its fifth season of NCAA play.

The tournament pairings were announced on ESPN NEWS at 3:45 p.m, but since ESPN NEWS is not provided on campus cable, the Panthers were welcomed into interim President Lou Hencken’s home to watch the pairings announced.

The Panthers were treated to pizza, generously donated by Pizza Hut. Director of Athletics Rich McDuffie and his wife Judy helped serve the players as they crowded into Hencken’s home.

The Panthers made the tight squeeze around the television in Hencken’s living room.

“If I have this much trouble getting 25 women in here, I won’t be able to get 100 football players in here, so the football pairings better be on ESPN,” Hencken said.

As the pairings announcement drew near, Hencken joked with the players by asking if anyone minded if he turned on the “Jerry Springer” show.

The announcements, that were scheduled for at 3:30 p.m., were made about 15 minutes late, but the Panthers didn’t have to wait much longer to discover whom they would face.

The Panthers were in the first bracket announced, along with No. 1 seed Stanford, but the Panthers will have to win two games before they have to worry about the No.1 team in the nation.

Following the brief pairing announcements, the Panthers thanked Hencken for hosting them. Hencken then thanked the Panthers.

“You are great representatives to Eastern Illinois University,” Hencken told the team. “This year we have the largest freshman class, and I believe our athletic program is a big draw to students. It is a credit to you all and a credit to the university.”

Hencken also offered his encouragement telling the team that he know they could beat Purdue.

The Panthers are hoping they do not experience any deja vu in the tournament. Last year they lost to Notre Dame 2-0 in the first round.

“Last year was nice,” senior midfielder Cara LeMaster said. “We made it there, but this year we had to fight for it. We’re not happy just being there.”