Two games and two completely different results are all part of the plan Eastern women’s soccer coach Steve Ballard is nursing through the early part of the 2004 season.

He understands that this team, which has won three Ohio Valley Conference championships in a row, is expected to win year-in and year-out now.

He opened the season with Evansville at Lakeside Field before he took them on the road to the second ranked team in the nation.

The first game turned out to be business as usual for the Panthers as they shut out the Purple Aces 2-0.

The Panthers were able to accomplish what they wanted to throughout the game as they came out and put up both goals in the first half.

The first goal was scored by senior forward Audra Frericks on a header that went to the top left corner of the goal beyond the outstretched hand of the Evansville goalie.

The second goal came as a result of some of the younger players getting play time.

Ballard holds the freshmen and untested sophomores in high regard, as he expects them to be able to come into the game on call and not have the level of play change.

In playing a few of his freshmen against Evansville, it was forward Michelle Steinhaus who made the most impact on the game by scoring the second and final goal of the game.

“When you look at the regulars on this team, there is no let down from last year because there are six or seven explosive players on the offensive end of the field,” Ballard said. “We need them to come in and play at a high level, we expect that out of them and, for the most part, that was the case today.”

The substitution of younger players was also a spark that the veteran players have come to appreciate as well. They now know that during the course of a game or the season, some younger players will need to step up and take a role on the team.

“We have lots of high hopes as a team for these younger players and so far they have done a great job for us,” junior forward Sharyne Connell said. “When you have a good depth of players and players that can move to different positions, that is always a benefit to the team.”

The Panthers held their own offensively, as they constantly controlled the ball and limited the chances the Purple Aces had against senior goalkeeper Tiffany Groene.

Groene only had to make four saves, as the three defenders ahead of her halted many of the chances that Evansville began to form.

“I feel completely comfortable with the three veteran defenders we have on this team,” Ballard said. “When you look at who we have back there, in Lindsey (Holcomb), LeeAnne (Langsfeld), and Morgan (Frericks) I have all the confidence in the world in them.”

That confidence was tested in the second game of the weekend as Notre Dame ran up, down and around the Panthers in a 3-0 victory for the Irish.

The Panthers only managed to get off two shots against Notre Dame, while the Irish fired away for a total of 37 shots.

The result, Ballard hopes, is a more experienced and knowledgeable Panther team that can move on and be better prepared for games later on this season.

“I have no doubt that we can come out of this as a team that learned quite a bit from this game,” Ballard said. “There is no doubt (Notre Dame) are a supremely talented team and our younger players should definitely benefited from playing against them.”

The Panthers also played without the older Frerick sister, as Audra sat out after limping off the field against Evansville.

But that aside, Eastern is hoping to use the Notre Dame game as a building block as they go on with their difficult schedule.

The next game the Panthers play will be when they travel into the heart of America to take on Nebraska in Lincoln.

Eastern faces the Corn Huskers on Friday, September 3.