It is conceivable heading into Saturday’s showdown against nationally-ranked Purdue at West Lafayette, Ind., Eastern might be nervous, but not this team.

The Panthers have grown accustomed to playing the role of David trying to slay Goliath.

The Panthers will make the 150-mile trip to Purdue Saturday to match up against the No. 15 Boilermakers in the final dual meet of the season.

When Eastern steps foot in Purdue’s home arena, the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility, they will be ready for the test.

Eastern has already faced many tough opponents including No. 11 Missouri, No. 14 Northern Iowa and No. 20 Northern Illinois. The Panthers have also faced Big Ten powerhouses Indiana and Northwestern, the latter defeating Eastern by a slim 21-20 margin.

The Boilermakers will be yet another tough match for the Panthers.

But head coach Ralph McCausland said; however, the Panthers will be ready for them.

“I think we’ve wrestled just about every single match or tournament against ranked teams with the exception of maybe three or four,” McCausland said. “We scheduled them seasons in advance knowing we would be able to compete. If you don’t compete against the best, you won’t be the best.”

The Panthers have been able to compete this season as they have compiled a 4-12 record in dual meets battling the nation’s best every match.

Purdue has a record of 14-4 on the year and has two matches on Saturday. The first will be against the Panthers in a matinee while the second will see Michigan match up against Purdue later in the evening.

Eastern has a lot of motivation heading into the final meet of the season before the NCAA West Regional comes to Lantz Arena March 8. If the Panthers make a strong showing on Saturday, they can gain some momentum heading into the regional.

Although the Panther squad has been battling injuries all year, the lineup is just about back to where McCausland wants it to be as the season draws to a close.

“When we created the schedule, we knew who our personnel was going to be,” he said. “It’s just a matter of hoping your personnel holds up. Now we have almost everybody back in the lineup.”

Not only will it be the last team match of the year, it will also be the final dual in Frank DeFilippis’ career. DeFilippis is the lone senior on the wrestling team this year.

DeFilippis, the reigning West regional champion at 157 pounds, has been one of the Panthers battling injuries all year as he has been sidelined twice for two weeks each with a torn biceps. He has battled back to post a 14-3 record as he prepares for his final dual meets.

“I am pretty sure I should come up victorious if I wrestle like I have been,” said DeFilippis. “I’m just going to go out there with the mind set that it is my last dual (meet) and I’m going to wrestle like it.”