The Eastern women’s soccer team will host its final match of the regular season at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Lakeside Field.

The Panthers will take on the Belmont Bruins, in what is a crucial match in determining the team’s post-season hopes.

Eastern is fighting to be one of the top six teams in the conference that advance to the conference tournament, which begins on Nov. 1.

The team who wins the regular season title hosts the post-season tournament.

The Panthers, currently 3-5-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, are trying to enter the post-season OVC tournament for the 15th straight year.

For the Panthers to advance to the OVC tournament, it starts with Eastern defeating Belmont on Friday.

If the Panthers lose, they have no chance of advancing.

In addition to winning, the Panthers would also need Belmont to lose in its match Sunday against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, as well as having Jacksonville State lose to, tie or lose one match and tie one match with Tennessee-Martin and Southeast Missouri this weekend, according to OVC director of media relations Heather Brown.

Belmont enters the match with a record of 3-3-2 in the OVC, coming off a 1-0 loss to Tennessee-Martin.

Belmont’s points leaders are junior forward Katie Proud and senior midfielder Laura Harris.

Proud, a Knoxville, Tenn., native and Samford transfer, and Harris each have a total of three goals with no assists. Proud leads the team in shots with 24, while Harris has 10.

Junior goalkeeper Nicole Berner has started 16 matches for the Bruins. She has given up 18 goals this season and has made 71 saves.

Friday’s match will be senior day, with seniors Kristin Germann, Jessie Morgan, Ashley Streid and Jessica Taldone.

Germann leads the team with six goals off 39 shots. She also has one assist this season.

Eastern and Belmont have only played twice in the two teams’ history, but this will be the first time the two teams meet as OVC opponents, with Belmont joining the OVC this season.

The all-time record between the two is 1-1, with Belmont winning last season 1-0 off a penalty kick.

The Panthers defeated Belmont 1-0 in the teams’ first meeting in 2010.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].