Win Saturday could secure Panthers playoff berth

JJ Bullock, Assistant Sports Editor

While the upcoming smatch on Saturday against Fort Wayne is setting up to be the Eastern men’s soccer team’s biggest game of the season, the ramifications of the contest could not be drawn up any simpler for head coach Kiki Lara and his team; win and secure a spot in the Summit League conference tournament, lose or tie and things get a little dicey.

The following scenarios can play out for Eastern in their final game regarding the final postseason spot.

Panthers win against Fort Wayne- clinch playoff berth automatically.

Panthers tie and Oral Roberts wins against Omaha- Oral Roberts gets the final spot.

Panthers lose and Oral Roberts wins- Oral Roberts gets the final spot.

Panthers lose to Fort Wayne and Oral Roberts ties with Omaha- Eastern, Oral Roberts and Fort Wayne fall into a three-way tie for the final spot that is decided based on the three-team’s goal differential.

Eastern for the most part controls its own fate, all they have to do is win. Lara said that fact has the team feeling good about the weekend.

“That is ideal to play our own table,” Lara said. “Being in control is a rewarding feeling and something we can take pride in.”

The Panthers really could not have asked for a better Summit League opponent, Fort Wayne is the last place team in the conference and is without a win in the Summit League. However, Fort Wayne has been hot of late and Lara “absolutely” sees them as being better than a last place team.

“(Fort Wayne) Just came off two wins at IUPUI and Bowling Green. They have ability that we respect very much.”

Fort Wayne is second to last in the conference, ahead of only Eastern, with 17 goals this season. However, the Mastodon’s attacking offense has led them to Summit League high 204 shots this season.

“A lot of fight we should see from them. Very tough place to play and very good attacking players as well,” Lara said of Fort Wayne.

Redshirt senior Oscar Uyamadu is the player that has done the most damage in the attack this season for Fort Wayne, he leads the team with four goals and 43 shots this season.

Uyamadu along with junior Romain Lopez figure to draw the most attention from the Eastern defense. Lopez closely tails Uyamadu with three goals of his own and 28 shots. Lopez should be watched particularly close late in the second half, as he has two game winning goals on his resume this year.

The Panthers may not be coming off their best game of the season in their 3-1 loss to Valparaiso Monday night, but the loss has been quickly erased from the team’s memory bank as they are faced with their most crucial game of the season.

“You will see quality and fight from our guys as well. Our locker room fights to earn what they deserve,” Lara said. “We have gained in many ways and these conference games mean so much to our guys. They are ready to invest in the moment.”

The game against Fort Wayne will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday. Before the game begins the Panthers should have a better understanding of what they need to do, as the ever-important Oral Roberts- Omaha match begins at 2 p.m. and should be over before the Panthers begin.

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]