The Eastern men’s soccer team is very interesting.

This preseason they have shown flashes of brilliance but sometimes they have made that head-scratching mistake.

Preseason play is mainly for improvement and for coaches to decide which players play well together and which players are not going to be on the team.

This preseason the Panthers have shown improvement in each game.

Before this season I was not a big soccer fan but after watching the World Cup and just a few preseason games this year I am jumping on the world’s most popular sports bandwagon.

The improvements I have noticed for Eastern so far have gotten me very excited for the regular season.

Last season was a disappointment for the Panthers when they finished 6-8-3, but this year the Panthers have a good shot to contend for the Missouri Valley Conference championship.

Eastern is returning its best player from last season Alex Harrison who made second team all-conference when he scored two goals and dish out nine assists.

Over the offseason Harrison worked on finishing his scoring chances and the preseason definitely showed that improvement. He scored two goals in four games, which led the team.

I know that a record of 0-1-2 does not look that impressive but Eastern grew more and more as a team with each game. Also, their final two opponents Butler and Green Bay went to the NCAA tournament last season and Green Bay starts the season rank No. 25 in the nation.

Tying those teams is a big step in the right direction for the Panthers.

I am a sophomore this year and sadly last year I did not attend any of the home soccer games; partly because I was uninterested at the time and partly because I never knew their schedule.

This year, I encourage students across the campus to come to these games. Fans are treated great, with some kind of promotion at every game. The team is in great shape and believe me, they are very fun to watch.

Behind the leadership of coach Adam Howarth, who is in his eleventh year at Eastern, the Panthers should be in for a terrific season.

Eastern’s first home game will take place at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 15 against Western Illinois.

Eastern leads the overall series with Western 31-11-5 so it should be a great game to come watch.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or