Junior defender Adam Gartner doesn’t want the same result this year.

Gartner was a freshman when the Panthers traveled to Nebraska to play Creighton and the bus broke down.

Gartner said it was a disaster.

The team left Tuesday for a game against the Alabama-Birmingham and will stay overnight before playing the game at 7 p.m. Wednesday at West Campus Field in Birmingham, Ala.

The Panthers will travel through four states and about 520 miles on the eight-hour bus ride.

“We have done well on the road this year and we are well prepared,” Gartner said. “We have had some long road trips.”

Eastern head coach Adam Howarth talked about the number of distant locations the team has had matches in during the past couple of seasons.

“We have gone to Tulsa, Creighton, and Southern Methodist over the years,” Howarth said. “With the farther road trips we like to leave the night before. You have to go out and play the best teams in the Midwest if you want to stay competitive.”

Howarth likes to keep the team on a tight regiment when they play on the road.

The players arrive at the destination late, and usually go to bed once they arrive. Howarth allows the players to sleep in, but players all eat together in the afternoon before kicking the ball around hours before the game.

Eastern has been successful on the road this season going (5-1-1) away from Lakeside Field.

Sometimes, Howarth feels road games can make the players more relaxed and more focused.

“It has worked to our advantage so far this season,” Howarth said. “Players don’t have to think about school or what they’re going to eat and they can just focus on soccer. It is always tough when we are playing at home, and players have tests on game days.”

For longer road trips like one earlier this year when the team participated in the University of Kansas City-Missouri Invitational, the team is required to have study sessions.

“We had study sessions to keep up with our work in Kansas City, so it wasn’t so bad,” freshman midfielder Darby Kehoe said.

Eastern (7-2-1) will look to hand the Blazers (5-4-0) their third consecutive home loss.

Alex Harrison, freshmen forward, tries to head the ball past Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne Friday afternoon at Lakeside Field.

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