After winning three non-conference games against NCAA Division 1 opponents for the first time since 2017, the Eastern women’s soccer team feels like it has the tools necessary for a special season with Ohio Valley Conference play approaching.
“I feel like we’ve learned about how much resilience we have in our team and each other,” senior midfielder and captain Ella Onstott said. “I think we’ve built a lot of good chemistry.”
It hasn’t really yet sunk in for Onstott that this is her last ride through the conference season, she says, but as the Panthers walk onto Lakeside Field in preparation for Sunday’s conference opener against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the reality may dawn on her a little brighter.
“I’m just trying to soak in every minute as a senior, especially with my best friends,” she said. “Just trying to enjoy the lasts together.”
The Panthers (3-4-2) are unbeaten in their last three games, and unbeaten in four of their last five games.
During that five-game stretch, Eastern has held winning positions in four of those games, and the team’s back-to-back clean sheets in its last two games has shot junior goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil into seventh all-time for the program’s shutout leaderboard.
“We do so good defending,” Onstott said. “We have a really strong back line, strong midfield and strong forward line, we just have to finish [scoring chances].”
Having momentum, Onstott says, is everything. And with OVC play comes the reality that results now count for points in the standings.
“Anytime conference [play] rolls around, the team just gets a little more serious and just a little bit more up for it,” head coach Dirk Bennett said. “We’ve got a lot of good rivalries with teams we’re familiar with and players that we know.”
During non-conference play, Eastern won games against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference and Horizon League and put in strong performances against Mid-American Conference teams.
This season’s run of conference games was tougher than in years past, according to junior forward and leading-goal scorer Abby Reinl.
“I’m excited to see how that translates into conference play,” Reinl said.” I think some of the teams we’ve played in [non-conference] like Ball State, and NIU are kind of the two that stick out as being pretty good competitors.”
Reinl added that the top three teams in the OVC from last season: Tennessee Tech, Little Rock, and Lindenwood, compare the closest to Ball State and NIU. However, she says Eastern may not see the same caliber of attacking quality in the OVC as it saw in those two games earlier in the season.
“Anyone can have a good day, though,” Reinl said. “Little Rock and Lindenwood have both been playing really well. They have similar scores to us as well, so I think it’ll be a really good conference table this year.”
Eastern went unbeaten against the top three teams from last season, securing 0-0 draws against Little Rock and Lindenwood and beating Tennessee Tech 2-1 at Lakeside Field.
Going into the OVC slate, Reinl currently sits tied for second among the goal scorers in the conference. Her four goals has her tied with two Little Rock players, while Trojan sophomore forward Maria Schuller leads the conference with six goals.
Three teams, including last season’s OVC regular season champions Tennessee Tech, are still looking for their first win of the season.
Conference play is different though, because teams are more familiar with one another and mostly know what to expect from each other by this point in the season according to Bennett.
“There’s a lot more film out there,” Bennett said. “They get to watch you and adjust to you. So, they’re going to know us a lot better and probably have some solutions to problems that we cause that maybe other teams have overlooked.”
Eastern had a 10-day break between its 0-0 draw at Illinois State and its conference opener against SIUE on Sunday. Players like junior forward and captain Katiebeth May were able to take advantage of that time to get healthy.
May was dealing with an ankle injury that she sustained during the team’s 2-1 win over Valparaiso that left her unavailable until Wednesday.
Bennett says she could be given the all-clear to return to action on Sunday after being involved in full contact practices for a few days leading up to it, and added that others that were dealing with minor injuries were able to use the off-period to recover.
“We’re definitely getting healthier as we go,” Bennett said.
SIUE has lost seven straight games going into Sunday’s game. The Cougars (1-7-1) have been outscored by their opponents 24-5 during that stretch and failed to score in four of those seven games. SIUE’s last game was a 7-0 loss to Milwaukee, which is the Cougars’ largest defeat since 1982.
Kickoff at Lakeside Field is set for 1 p.m.
Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.
