I have never been a die-hard Panther fan, or a fan in general, but I have enjoyed nearly every minute of reporting Panther sports.

I came to Eastern as a History major, but with a few weeks left before classes started I decided to give journalism a shot. I immediately started working for the Daily Eastern News, and women’s soccer was my sport to cover this fall.

Going into the job I was a bit skeptical of what I got myself into, but my opinion on women’s soccer quickly changed.

I have never been to intrigued by watching women’s soccer, but I found out that if a team plays soccer with skill, determination and heart it does not matter if it’s men or women playing “the beautiful game.”

I have only watched the Panthers play in a handful of games, but I anticipate watching them throughout the 2010 season. I went to Lakeside Field expecting to watch a rather sloppy soccer game on Friday, August 20, but what I saw was a well-organized, fast paced and physical soccer game.

The Panthers dominated every aspect of the game and cruised by the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Jaguars 2-0. I left Lakeside Field that day anxious to watch the Panthers battle the Evansville Aces on Sunday.

The Panthers play with a lot of heart and energy and are an exciting team to watch. In my first week of covering women’s soccer I was treated to a dominating 2-0 win over IUPUI and a dramatic, game-winning goal in the 95th minute against Evansville.

Since the Panthers opened up the season 2-0 they have hit a skid and have fallen to 2-2. They have battled in every game this season and could easily be 3-1 or 4-0 if they would have caught a few breaks.

The offense is struggling to finish scoring opportunities and that must change if the Panthers look to contend with Ohio Valley Conference-leading Austin Peay.

The Panthers are getting plenty of shot opportunities but have only managed 3 goals in 4 games this season.

The defense has been nothing short of amazing, but I for one am wondering how long the Panthers can ride the defensive play of goalkeeper Kaylin Lorbert and defenders Sam Balek, Erika Prazma and Hillary Blake.

In two short weeks my interest on women’s soccer and Panther athletics has definitely increased. I have always been a die-hard Fighting Illini fan and rarely kept up with the Panthers, but I have found that the women’s soccer team is definitely worth watching.

Jordan Pottorff can be reached at 581-7944 or jbpottorff@eiu.edu