EIU men’s soccer will travel to Macomb for its first Ohio Valley Conference game against the Western Illinois University Leathernecks.
The Panthers are heading into the game with a record of 1-4-1. All the games have been away, including a 3-2 win against Northern Illinois. The Panthers are the only NCAA Division 1 team to have not played a home game yet this season.
The team has seen a major overhaul of the roster, with 25 out of the 32 roster spots being filled by freshmen or transfer students. It is also head coach Ruy Vaz’s first season with the Panthers after six years at Cowley College.
Vaz brings a winning spirit to Eastern from Cowley, where the program won 85 percent of its matches in the six years it was under his direction. Vaz is focused on bringing that culture and mindset to the program.
“We have to go with the mindset that we have to fight to win, not to fight just to get by,” Vaz said. “We have the tools, but there needs to be a culture shift.”
Senior midfielder Casey Welage also expressed the need for a fighting mentality in conference. Welage is one of the eight returners for Panthers this year.
“It doesn’t mean a fist fight or a brawl. It’s about having that intensity and ideology to just go,” Welage said. “Whether that’s winning your first tackle or scoring the first goal, whatever it is. “I’m very confident and very grateful for the group that we have and the culture we’re building here.”
One of the players heading the culture shift is senior midfielder and captain Yuki Nakamura. The senior transfer from Georgia State played previously for Vaz at Cowley in 2022 & 2023 where he helped the team make the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 Championship both years.
Junior transfer goalkeeper Franco Barba is no stranger to winning either. Barba led his former team at San Joaquin Delta College to the Big Eight championship while being named to the All-Region team. At Eastern, Barba now leads the nation in saves per game and is within the top 50 in save percentage.
Barba’s goalkeeping may be essential to beating Western Illinois, with the Leathernecks scoring in four out of nine non-conference games despite sitting at a 2-7 record overall. They have also scored three or more goals in two separate matches, including a loss against the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Eastern on the other hand has scored in only two out of their first six matches, one game less than last season. However, they are averaging 11.5 shots per game compared to 9.5 last year.
Senior forward Liam Gainey of Western Illinois leads the Leathernecks with four goals this season, with a season-high two goals coming against UIC. The Panthers’ attack is more balanced, with four players having scored one goal apiece and none over that mark.
Eastern went 1-8-1 in OVC games last season, with the sole win being a 2-1 victory against Western Illinois on October 20th.
The Panthers will play 10 OVC games this season and the OVC conference tournament will begin Nov. 9. A sixth-place finish or higher is required to make the postseason tournament.
