Much ado has been made about the graduation of leading scorer Jimmy Klatter but the men’s soccer team has improved in his absence.

Eastern had an overall record of 5-9-3 last season, but this year the Panthers have already won five games. They are not beating weak teams either, as they have beaten two teams this season that they lost to in 2005.

Last season, the Panthers tied Bowling Green 1-1 and lost to Western Illinois 2-1, but this year’s team beat Bowling Green 2-1 and was victorious over Western 1-0 in overtime Tuesday night.

The Panthers can show their improvement again this weekend as they take on Wisconsin-Green Bay, a team they lost to in last year’s season opener by two goals.

Head coach Adam Howarth hit the jackpot with his recruiting class a year ago as those players, now sophomores are carrying the team. Striker Brad Peters has scored six goals in seven games and is just one goal shy of Klatter’s mark last season.

Peter’s exudes confidence – or cockiness, depending on how you look at it – on the field

and goalie Mark Hansen won the starting job in the off-season and anchors a defense that has shutout their opponents three times.

OK only two, NAIA team Asbury College does not count. That game looked like the Bears playing the Packers.

The current sophomore class also includes starting midfielder Adam Gartner and defensemen Eddie Barnes. Dave Rigby, Mike Lewis and David LeBeau have been used extensively off the bench.

With all that young talent already contributing significant minutes, Howarth went out and added even more young players with this year’s freshmen.

Two freshmen currently start for the Panthers, Nick Bonacker on defense and Evan Philpott at midfield.

Bonacker has shown great instincts on the backline and has a strong left foot, which comes in handy at his left back position.

Philpott has excellent ball control skills and has dribbled around and through multiple opponents so far this year.

Ari Horing is another freshman that contributes as he comes off the bench to spell either Peters or junior Brad Earl at striker.

Howarth recruits strongly in Illinois and also gets players from the St. Louis area and his native England.

He was able to go south and sign Hansen and Earl from Texas.

Many times when a team graduates a large amount of players, there is a rebuilding period, a time when the team develops young players by playing them, regardless if they are ready or not.

That is not the case with the Panthers as their young talent is playing better and has a better record than last year’s team.

As the saying goes, good college programs don’t rebuild, they reload.