I’m disappointed and I’m guessing a whole group of players and coaches are as well.

With this weekend meaning so much to its chances of making the Missouri Valley Conference soccer tournament, Eastern just couldn’t get it done.

The Panthers were mathematically eliminated from postseason play with two MVC losses over the weekend and have only one remaining on its schedule. After this coming weekend, Eastern will not play again until Spring exhibition games.

This team made me a believer early on and then brought me back to my preseason prediction with a 7-0 loss to Tulsa in the third conference game.

I knew the MVC was going to be a very competitive league for yet another season, but not for one second did I think Eastern was going to be limited to just two goals in eight conference games.

The Panther offense came down with a severe case of No Goalitis after having a very successful non-conference schedule.

Shots were just not going in for them as they were outscored 23-2, earning an 0-7-1 record, which is good enough for last place.

All of of this came after the Panthers were 5-3-1 in non-conference games, which they held the goal advantage 17-15. And may I add, they had a better record than the women’s soccer team at the time.

I can only hope I didn’t jinx them as I spoke outwardly about how well I thought they were going to be when the conference season did start.

Inconsistency was the story of the season. In Sunday’s 4-0 loss to Creighton, Eastern outshot the Bluejays 8-6 going into halftime tied at zero. The rest of the game came with four Creighton goals on 11 shots.

If it wasn’t being two completely different teams in game, it was losing in overtime, out-shooting a team and losing or playing well one game and getting blown out the next.

Now Eastern is one of the two teams that will be ending its season early when MVC play comes to an end next weekend after such a good start.

The positive to all this is the downside ends right along side with the season. Things can only get better with this young team as it will only graduate three seniors and bring back a talented group.

The Panthers will return their leading scorer in Jimmy Klatter, well, as long as he doesn’t try to join Major League Soccer in the offseason.

This team is not as bad as its statistics and overall record speak so they need to get over this season as quick as it seemed to end.

Added experience will be on their side next year and determination to not finish at the tail end of the MVC year after year may have have them back to the conference tournament.