Junior defender Adam Gartner has played plenty of positions at Eastern.

In three years on the squad, the junior has played at midfielder, defender and forward.

“I like playing them all the same,” Gartner said. “But in the back on defense you get more space.”

Gartner looks to lead the Panthers to victory on Sunday when Eastern plays Valparaiso at Lakeside Field at 3:30 p.m. Gartner has scored two game-winning goals against Valparaiso in the past two seasons.

The junior had started the season playing midfield, but has since moved to defense and notched three assists and helped the Panthers record two shutouts against the Kentucky and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne.

Gartner received regional and national recognition. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on national team of the week for topdrawer.com for his role in the shutout in victories.

The Iowa City, Iowa native had played a number of positions in high school and knew he would be playing at least some defense in college.

“I had played midfield and defense on my club team when I was in high school,” Gartner said. “When I was coming to Eastern, I had talked to coach and we had plans on doing both.”

Gartner’s move to the back line came at the perfect time as the team lost two center backs in a 2-0 victory against IFPW Friday. The Panthers lost sophomore defender Chris Pearson and senior defender Jeremy Maubach with foot injuries.

“It was obviously tough losing Jeremy because he has been a starter for a long time. It feels good to step up as a junior,” Gartner said.

Eastern head coach Adam Howarth is very happy with how Maubach has improved as a player and a leader.

“It has been great,” Howarth said. “Adam has been able to play more minutes and since playing in the back he has not been as tired. It has been very beneficial to our team.”

Howarth has seen great progression in Gartner’s game since the defenders freshman year.

“He has grown tremendously as a player,” Howarth said. “His touching has improved and he is stepping into a leadership role as a junior and he will be a leader again when he is a senior next season.”

Gartner said he has become more comfortable with the new role he has been asked to fill and recognizes the changes from freshman to senior year.

“I’ve grown into more of a leadership role as an upperclassman,” Gartner said. “As a freshman you are trying to earn your spot and learn your role. You have to continue growth as you go along. My goal is to make both the younger and the older guys better and motivate the whole team.”

The Panthers are 6-0 when Gartner scores.