The men’s soccer team will be back in action today after snapping a 14-match winless streak Sept. 11 against Central Arkansas.

Eastern will play Stony Brook at 5 p.m. today and Indiana-Purdue-Indianapolis at noon Sunday, at the Aces Soccer Classic in Evansville, Ind.

Eastern head coach Adam Howarth said the match against Stony Brook would be tough because they are a big, physical team.

“They will be tough competition-wise,” Howarth said. “They had a tie against St. John’s, this season and they are one of the top teams in the country. That is the thing about Division I college soccer. There is so much parody, anyone can beat anyone.”

Senior defender Jeff Kupiec said he did not know much about either weekend opponent, but he loves playing in tournaments because they get them ready for the busier parts of their schedule and they see new teams.

“It is great in tournaments because every year in conference we see the same teams,” Kupiec said. “These tournaments give us opportunities to play top competition, like we did last year against Ohio State. We get to see different teams who play different formations.”

Eastern went 0-1-1 in its only tournament this season, tying Mercer 0-0 Sept. 4, and losing 2-0 to Memphis Sept. 6 at the Bradley Classic.

Sophomore midfielder Mike Picinich said he heard Stony Brook is a compact team that likes to play the ball side to the outside.

Stony Brook (1-4-1) is a member of the America East Conference. Not only will this be the Panthers’ (1-2-1) first match against Stony Brook, but also the first time they play a team from that conference.

Freshman forward Berian Gobeil has seven points already with three goals and one assist.

Eastern has played IUPUI (1-3-1) seven times, with the Jaguars holding a 3-2-1 advantage. The Jaguars defeated Eastern 1-0 last season at Lakeside Field.

Freshman defender Emile Garcia and sophomore defender Yogi Snider lead the team with three points, one goal and one assist.

This is the seventh year of the Evansville tournament.

The last match Eastern played at Evansville was a 4-1 loss against Missouri State in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Nov. 12, 2008.

The Panthers will return to Evansville Oct. 7 for their third MVC match of the season.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or dscusack@eiu.edu.

Eastern freshman midfielder Jerry Maddi kicks the ball away from Valparaiso forward Clayton Lyons during the match at Lakeside Field Sept. 1. The Panthers are playing at the Evansville Classic today and Sunday. (Amir Prellberg/The Daily Eastern News)

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