It might seem like it is time to worry about Eastern’s men’s soccer team, but there is really no cause for concern.

The Panthers lost a tough match to Western Illinois Friday by a score of 3-0, but they were playing without senior defenseman Graham Lynch.

Eastern hasn’t scored in two games, however they are still getting tons of shots off. The only real problem is that the Panthers have really struggled to finish the chances they’ve had to score.

This could be because of a number of factors.

One factor could be poor execution, meaning the team is getting a large amount of bad contested shots. Watching the team this season, I do not believe this is the cause of the Panthers’ poor finishing. They are not a team that is going to force shots. The Panthers push the ball and look for the best possible shot on each possession and most of the time, they find their shot.

This leads me to the second factor: bad luck.

Eastern has a talented offense that is capable of scoring at any time, but lately it seems like the momentum -shifting shots are stopped by an incredible save or just miss and hit the crossbar.

In any sport, teams will have their bad luck streaks, and I have a good feeling this streak will end against Oral Roberts.

The Golden Eagles are one of the worst defensive teams in the Summit League and I think the Panthers’ speed and athleticism will take advantage of that.

The last time these teams met was in 1998. The teams are not too familiar with each other-all the more reason the Panthers should score multiple goals in this one.

Eastern always plays well in front of its home fans, posting a 1-0-1 record this season, and Oral Roberts is not the best team on the road.

I’m sure the team is hungry to bounce pack from an underwhelming performance against Western and deliver an offensive outburst against Oral Roberts.

This game should be extremely entertaining for Eastern fans. Oral Roberts is not a bad team, but the Panthers should not have any trouble with them.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or at [email protected]