The Ohio Valley Conference picked Eastern women’s soccer to finish fifth in the conference.

The Panthers finished sixth.

But then the Panthers made the semifinals of the conference tournament and lost to runner-up up Samford.

“It’s not what we expected,” said Eastern head coach Tim Nowak.

Eastern won three of its first four matches in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Then it lost four-straight matches in the OVC, a program first.

The Panthers sixth place finish in the conference is also a program first.

But then they defeated the No. 3 team in the conference, Murray State, on the road in overtime.

They were strong at the end of the season and won two of their three final matches.

The Panthers lost to Samford earlier in the season 3-1, but on Friday night, they played as an equal in a 1-0 loss.

“I think we played our best soccer at then end of the season,” Nowak said.

Nowak said this Eastern-Samford match would go down as one the best in history.

But more importantly, this team will lose many seniors to graduation.

“We need to redefine ourselves,” Nowak said.

One of those lost players is senior forward Michelle Steinhaus.

She finished her career with 25 goals, the fourth-most in program history. An injury during her sophomore year limited her playing time after a successful freshman campaign. The Lemont native had 10 goals freshman year and was named the Conference Freshman of the Year in 2004. Since then, she was named to the 2007 First-Team All-OVC and to the 2007 OVC All-Tournament Team.

“Michelle is a incredible goal scorer,” Nowak said. “She played outstanding. She has the ability to put teams under a lot (of) pressure.”

Senior forward Kellie Floyd was also an All-OVC pick this season and was last year’s Co-OVC Player of the Year. Senior Jenny Bock was part of the 2006 All-OVC Tournament Team and played vital time as a midfielder and defender this season. Senior defender Karisa Brenner played the rest of the season despite a knee injury in the third match of the year. Senior defender Meghan Ryon was shuffled in and out of the lineup with 22 different Panthers who started this season. The Peoria Heights native was named to the 2006 ESPN the Magazine Academic District.

Nowak has said Ryon will be a top businessperson. Ryon also played Friday with an ankle sprain.

Then there’s senior midfielder Kathleen Hayes. Hayes played with a small tear in her knee ligament Friday, which she tore in the Murray State match last Tuesday.

Hayes was also named to the 2007 All-OVC Tournament Team, the 2007 First-Team All-OVC. She also earned those same nods during the 2005 season.

“She’s one of the more extraordinary soccer players,” Nowak said. “She’s willing to get into the physical battles. She’s a once-in-a-lifetime-player. You can’t fill her role.”

Senior midfielder Jenny Bock tries to deflect a shot vs. Samford October 26 at Lakeside Field. The Panthers have 6 seniors departing this year.

(more…)