Valparaiso is the last team standing in front of the Eastern women’s soccer team before the Panthers move into Ohio Valley Conference play.

All season, Eastern (4-3-1) has struggled with its consistency and will need a solid performance on the road Sunday against a winless Valparaiso team.

Eastern coach Steve Ballard has little concern with what the Crusaders have to offer and is more concerned with making his team prepared for a tough OVC schedule.

“I think we are just concerned on how good we can be,” Ballard said. “We should win this game.”

The Panthers are coming off a disappointing performance at Evansville Wednesday where they came to a 1-1 tie. The Purple Aces have only one win on the season but kept Eastern from taking the win.

“They knew on Wednesday night they played bad,” Ballard said. “They either want to play or they don’t and that comes from the heart.”

The Panthers have only put together a span of two wins in a row against their tough non-conference opponents when they beat Bowling Green and Loyola in early September.

The lack in consistency has been something Ballard has been worried about since the season began.

For much of the season, Eastern has been led by senior forward Beth Liesen who is leading the team in assists (6), goals (6) and points (18).

The closest players to Liesen are junior Audra Frericks and senior Teri LaRoche with seven points apiece.

Valparaiso has struggled this season mostly because of its inability to put the ball in the net. The Crusaders have only scored four goals in their seven games and have been outscored 16-4.

Like Eastern, Valparaiso has a young group of players and lacks senior leadership, with only three seniors on the team.