Another weekend and another top team from the Ohio Valley Conference will test Eastern, this time in Charleston.

Last weekend the Panthers passed their first crucial test of the year when they defeated the OVC leading Samford Bulldogs.

But Eastern will again have to face topnotch competition this Friday when they take on the Murray State Racers, who are currently in third place in the OVC.

The Racers enter the match with Eastern only two points back of Samford for first place in the OVC and one point back of Eastern for second in the conference.

“Well, mathematically, if things are figured out right, we could still finish anywhere from second to seventh in this conference right now,” Murray State Coach Mike Minielli said. “For us this game is important because we can guarantee ourselves a spot in the conference tournament if we come out on top.”

How Minielli’s Racers got to this point might be a bit of a mystery if one was to look at their statistics. While they have been able to scrape by with victories, the Racers are third worst in the OVC in goals for and goals against.

Murray State has only 21 goals scored, while 29 goals have been scored against them. While they did not play well on the road last year, Minielli has been pleased with the way the team has competed on other teams’ turf this season.

“We lost about 10 or 12 seniors from a year ago, and while we may not be as talented we now have a group of people here who just compete much better,” Minielli said. “We should also have some confidence going up to Eastern because, while we don’t beat them up there very often, we have played some good games against them.

“With a couple plays here or there maybe we can come out with a victory this time.”

Minielli believes that since the style of play hasn’t changed, Eastern is just as dangerous this year as they were last year, even if the Panthers lost for the first time in the OVC in 21 games last weekend.

“They are still winning games the way they always had,” Minielli said. “They win the close games and always play people tough.

“We really don’t expect anything different this year.”

Overall, the OVC is stacking up much like it has in years passed, and that simply means the teams involved in the top of the conference are bunched close together.

This year the top three teams are within one point of the team ahead of them, but this is no surprise to Minielli who believes the competition in the conference is solid year round.

“Because the conference is so competitive from top to bottom, we don’t get a break all year long,” Minielli said. “Each team has to take their opportunities where they can get them, because playing the last place team in the OVC can be just as tough as playing one of the top teams.”