Women’s soccer assistant coach Beth Liesen, ’03 said the game is sort of a win-win situation for her.

“While it isn’t really about winning, I would like to see the current girls do well and I am also really excited to play with some old teammates,” Liesen said.

Alumni dating back from when the program first started in 1995 will be competing said head coach Tim Nowak.

A shortened game will occur between alumni and the current Panther team. Another shortened game will follow between the alumni of even and odd graduation years, Nowak said.

Nowak said Eastern is expecting thirty plus alumni to return to play at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Lakeside Field.

However if the field is still wet from the rain this week the games will be moved to O’Brien Stadium, he said.

The soccer teams try to limit their playing time on the wet field because now is a crucial growing period and they don’t want to ruin it.

“O’Brien isn’t regulation so we wouldn’t ever play in the fall but with it being the alumni game,” Nowak said. “I don’t believe the alumni or our players are going to care too much where we are at.”

Tennis plays important conference matches

Two important conference matches will take place this weekend with the men’s and women’s teams facing Tennessee Martin on Saturday and Austin Peay on Sunday.

“They are two important matches because all conference matches are extremely important,” Blackburn said.

Only six teams make the conference tournament. There are 11 women’s and 10 men’s teams.

The women are coming off of a loss to Saint Louis University but Blackburn said that most everyone played well and should be going into this weekend with confidence.

Track heads to Carbondale

Outdoor track and field teams will head to Carbondale for their first competition of the outdoor season on Saturday.

Like many other spring sports the Panthers went south for Spring Break, and put in extra practice in Georgia.

Head coach Tom Akers said he hasn’t seen any conference teams that will be present on Saturday but that doesn’t matter.

“It is really immaterial at this point in the season,” Akers said. “Right now it is just about getting prepared and racing people in a manner that will help get them where they need to be come conference.”

Although there may not be conference teams, Akers said a number of state schools will be present and it will be a ‘Mini-Illinois Intercollegiate Meet.’

“They used to have those back in the 1980’s and all Illinois teams, Division I, II and III would all compete. It is sort of neat to see where you match up against other schools in your area.”

Women’s Golf follow track

The women’s golf team will also be heading to Carbondale Saturday and Sunday for their third tournament of the spring season.

With the first two tournaments being held in Mexico and Florida, the Panthers are going to have to account for the weather this weekend in southern Illinois, head coach Mike Moncel said.

“Historically we have had bad weather there but the forecast for Saturday looks ok,” Moncel said. “Everyone plays on the same course so the scores may be a little higher but we all have to deal with that.”

Moncel said he is expecting some conference competition with Murray State, Austin Peay and possibly Eastern Kentucky.

“It will be nice to see how we play against them,” Moncel said. “In the fall we beat those teams but the spring is just a whole different story.”

Moncel said in the fall that the golfers have been practicing all summer but coming off the winter there is not as much time to prepare.

“We are a little rusty,” Moncel said “It’s kind of like starting over but a lot of other schools have the same problems and are in the same situation.”