The Eastern women’s soccer team went 1-1 in a pair of weekend matches as the end of the regular season looms next weekend.

The Panthers dropped a conference match on Thursday against Southeast Missouri 1-0 in overtime. 

The loss dropped them to 3-3-2 in OVC play. 

They also lost a spot in the standings, now sitting in fifth place.

On Saturday they faced a non-conference opponent in Fort Wayne, and had their most productive offensive match of the season, winning 4-3.

The loss on Thursday was the first overtime loss for the Panthers this season. They had reached overtime in four previous matches, all of which ended in draws.

Eastern senior Kayla Stolfa had a shot attempt sail high over the crossbar just 22 seconds into overtime, and Southeast Missouri netted the game winner just four minutes later.

Head coach Jake Plant said that overtime losses are particularly disheartening, because the team has no opportunity to respond.

“Losing in overtime always sucks,” Plant said. “Losing altogether is not great, and losing in overtime just feels like a punch in the gut.”

He added that he believed that the loss would not deflate the team’s confidence heading into the stretch of the season.

“It’s something that will motivate this team rather than kill it,” Plant said.

Plant has also been optimistic about the offense eventually breaking out and having a high scoring match, and he said that it should have come on Thursday.

“If you want to talk about winning, and really contesting, you’ve got to put the ball in the net,” Plant said. “You can’t just rely on defending very well, which honestly we did.”

Their first chance to respond to the overtime loss was against Fort Wayne, and they responded with their best offensive match of the season.

Four different players scored in the match as the Panthers scored multiple goals for just the third time this season, and the first time since Sept. 2.

Sophomores Itxaso Aguero and Pilar Barrio scored early on, in the third and fifth minutes respectively. It was the second goal of the season for both players.

In the 37th minute, sophomore defender Victoria Wharton scored her first career goal and the Panthers entered halftime with a 3-0 lead.

After Fort Wayne scored twice early in the second half, Eastern sophomore Haylee Renick netted her third goal of the season, which would wind up as the game winner.

The defense did not perform as well as in previous matches, but Plant said he was not too concerned.

“(Fort Wayne) attacked well, and there was a bit of a tactical change for us,” Plant said. “We rested some player because we have conference coming up.”

Resting was starting goalkeeper Sara Teteak, giving freshman Daniela Bermeo her first start since Aug. 31.

Bermeo made five saves, four of which came in a second-half offensive push by Fort Wayne, en route to her first career victory.

“Scoring four feels good. Conceding three is not great,” Plant said. “But I think the main thing for us was that we found the back of the net.”

The Panthers have two matches remaining in the regular season, both road matches against conference opponents.

They play Jacksonville State on Oct. 19 and Tennessee Tech on Oct. 21. The OVC tournament begins on Oct. 21.

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]