The men’s soccer team’s 8-2 season start was exciting.

With the dominating defense forcing four shutouts and the offense putting in two or more goals in six games, the Panthers looked like they had changed for the better.

It looked like Eastern’s abysmal 5-9-3 season just one year ago was not going to happen again this season.

The Panthers beat three teams that the ’05 squad lost to or tied. Sophomore striker Brad Peters had as many goals a week ago, seven, that last season’s scoring leader had all season.

With all the Missouri Valley Conference’s coaches talking about parity, especially Missouri State head coach Jon Leamy, who said he had never seen the conference so open, maybe the Panthers had a shot to improve on last season’s one-and-done in the conference tournament.

Despite the success, I had one sinking feeling.

Did the Panthers play a tough enough non-conference schedule?

Just two games into MVC play, it appears they did not.

Playing an NAIA school does nothing to prepare for the MVC, which is a strong soccer conference with perennial powerhouse Creighton routinely advancing deep into the NCAA tournament.

In the most recent edition of the NCSAA Midwest Region Top 10, six MVC schools were ranked all in a row from Creighton at No. 5 to Bradley at No. 10 with the Panthers in the middle of the pack at No. 7.

Head coach Adam Howarth, now in his seventh year, is aware of the quality teams in the conference. However, Howarth did not create a non-conference schedule that featured a team whose difficulty would represent a conference opponent.

Howarth’s career non-conference record is a respectable 35-24-4 but his overall record is a disappointing 48-63-8.

Based on those records, it appears that Howarth has been scheduling easier non-conference schedules each year during his tenure.

A weak non-conference schedule is good for a couple of things. Getting beat up day-in and day-out can hurt a team’s psyche so some easier games can help.

A coach also needs his team to have success in order for his players to believe in his methods and teaching abilities. In a win-at-all-costs collegiate athletic environment, the wins certainly help Howarth keep his job.

But playing challenging teams would give the Panthers a realistic measuring stick.

Scoring five goals against Asbury College is fun, but scoring just one goal against a nationally ranked team like Clemson means something.

The football team schedules I-A programs to take their lumps and compare themselves to the best. (The big check isn’t bad either.)

Howarth and the Panthers need to beef up their schedule in the same way.

On the current soccertimes.com Men’s Soccer Top 25 poll, six teams in the area would give the Panthers more experience against tough competition.

Indiana, Illinois-Chicago, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Akron are all within driving distance. Playing these teams would give the Panthers a chance to play against teams that have similar players and compete at the same level as Creighton. Just because Creighton routinely wins the conference does not mean that the Panthers should forget about beating them. They need to play tough teams to prepare for the Bluejays, who were ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll.

During Wednesday’s game against Western Kentucky, the Panthers looked flat in the first half. Howarth saw it too.

The Hilltoppers stayed out on the field at halftime but Howarth brought the Panthers into the locker room and gave them a stern talking too. It worked, the Panthers came out with much more intensity, but playing teams that challenged the Panthers early on would have shown them the intensity level needed during every game.

Phil Clemmer and captain Mick Galeski can yell and try to pump the team up as much as possible, but nothing would have been more beneficial for the young starters than comparing their ability to big name players at big time schools.

Exciting starts are fun, but playing better competition can improve a team in the long run and would give the Panthers an accurate measuring stick for how they will succeed, or fail, in the MVC