When the Eastern rugby team took the field Saturday in Muncie, Ind., there were many new faces.

Of the 19 players on the team, six played their first college rugby game against Ball State.

As the team arrived in Indiana, it was welcomed with a surprise visit from Eastern rugby record holder, Molly Clutter.

Clutter holds 20 records and is the all-time leader in assists (56).

Clutter is one of three seniors from last season’s 10-0 team that made a significant difference for Eastern rugby.

Samantha Manto and Amanda Fromm are the other cleats that head coach Frank Graziano will try to fill this year.

The players he hopes can do the job are freshmen Kayla Heal, Lauren Doyle, Stefanie Mahan and Kelsi Wright, along with transfer students Mandie Hurd and Tina Crema.

“(Heal) has some good speed to do well on the corners,” Graziano said. “I think (Wright) is going to be a really good player for us. Kelsi has a lot of potential; she played about half the game, got a good score and made a bunch of tackles. I think we have a great base to build the season on.”

Other players who will have to play big rolls will be the captains of the team that is 1-0, seniors Crystal Jones, Stephanie Militello and Chase Cain along with sophomore captain Narissa Ramirez.

“Stephanie’s defensive abilities can dominate a game,” said Graziano. “She will surely go down as Panther rugby’s greatest defender. When it is big-game time, Stephanie delivers and will continue to do that throughout her entire career.”

Jones will have the responsibility of trying to replace Manto at wing.

She already holds the record for trys in a game with eight in a match at Loyola in the 2006 season. Jones said she might come close to Manto, but is not sure she can ever get to the same status.

When asked if she thinks Manto’s career trys record will ever be broken Jones said, “She worked really hard for four years. She had great years for four years and for someone to come in and repeatedly excel year after year, I think that’s untouchable.”

Scrum-half Ramirez, who earned Outstanding Freshman of the Year Award last season.

“I think everyone has their own balance and I think it shows,” said Wright, who will be wearing Manto’s number 21 this season.

Bob Shaughnessy can be reached at 581-7944 or at [email protected].