Going undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play would usually mean hosting the conference tournament.

But after the Panthers (10-5-4) finished the 2003 regular season with a final win against Austin Peay (5-13-1, 1-7), Eastern will still have to travel to Samford for the OVC tournament. The team did earn a first round bye with their undefeated, 6-0-2, season in the conference.

The Panthers used a balanced offense to defeat the Governors easily by a score of 4-0. All season long, the Panthers and their head coach Steve Ballard have worked to present an offense that has numerous options instead of just relying on senior forward Beth Liesen.

While Liesen scored her 19th goal of the season, three other players scored the remaining three goals. The Panthers’ offensive balance could prove to be a positive trend for the team as it prepares for the OVC tournament.

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Frericks capitalized on her chances as she scored a goal and added an assist, which made her a part of half of Eastern’s goals on Friday.

Sophomore Sharyne Connell and senior Lori Stutzman were responsible for Eastern’s two other goals against the Governors.

Overall, the the team seems to be peaking at the right time. Even though Austin Peay has struggled this year in the OVC, this was still a game in which Eastern dominated throughout.

In the first half, Eastern dominated the flow of the game, as the Panthers took 13 shots while the Governors could not even manage to take one shot.

Also, the Panthers took 10 corner kicks in the first half, and did not allow the Governors a single corner kick.

“We came out, kicked the ball around and possessed the ball well the entire game,” Ballard said.

The final OVC victory of the season extended Eastern’s dominance over conference opponents. The Panthers currently hold a 15 game streak in which they haven’t lost a game to other teams from the OVC.

“I’m sad this might be my last home game but our season isn’t over yet,” Liesen said. “We want to be playing a good couple of weeks yet.”

That makes it all the more difficult for the team to accept that they did not even win the conference this year, even though they did not lose a game in the OVC this year. However, they have won the OVC Tournament away from home the past two seasons.

Nevertheless, as the conference tournament starts, Eastern will have one game off before they travel to Samford to start the second round of the tournament against either Tennessee-Martin or Southeast Missouri.