The Eastern women’s rugby team will travel to Clemson S.C., to play the Clemson Tigers at 6 p.m. today.

The Panthers (8-0) will try to keep their perfect season alive as they face off against a difficult Tigers team.

The 12-day layoff is the Panthers’ longest of the season, but head coach Frank Graziano is not worried about the team being rusty.

He said the layoff gave the players some time to recover and not think about the perfect season.

Graziano – who attended Clemson and also played for the men’s club rugby team – started the women’s rugby team for the Tigers in 1995.

He recorded a record of 21-4 in his two seasons with the team.

After leaving Clemson in 1997, Graziano went on to coach the United State Women’s National Team.

He then decided to come to Eastern, where he has been since 1999.

Graziano has only coached the Panthers to an undefeated season one time, when the Panthers finished 11-0 in 2002, their first season as a Division I program.

Although Graziano does not have any extra motivation to beat the Tigers, he feels Clemson may not feel the same way.

“I’m focused on us getting 10 wins and zero losses,” Graziano said. “Clemson just happens to be the next game on the schedule.”

He said this might be the best team the Tigers have ever had.

“The motivation is probably more on their end; there must have been over 400 people at the game when we played them last year,” Graziano said.

He said the Tigers probably want to beat him more than he wants to beat them and the crowd should be hostile.

In the final road trip of the year the Panthers will receive boost on the defensive side as their leading tackler will return to the field.

Junior flanker Stephanie Militello who has missed the last two games against Purdue and Kansas because of an ankle injury will enhance the Panthers already strong defense.

Bob Shaughnessy can be reached at 581-7944 or at rrshaughnessy@eiu.edu.