Eastern is 5-0 for the third time in

the last four years and a perfect season is beginning to fall in

line. The Panthers are coming off of another win, but the matter

they recorded the win leaves me with some questions as they enter

the second half of their schedule.

The Panthers put together a lackluster first half performance that

resembled their performance against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Panthers flat first half had them in an unfamiliar position,

and left Head Coach Frank Graziano questioning his team’s heart and

commitment. Luckily, the Panthers responded with 36 unanswered

points after giving up the lead early in the second half. Although

the Panthers did put together an impressive second half, the

inconsistent play and cold starts has me wondering if this team

really has what it takes to go undefeated.

The Panthers are also a very young and inexperienced team. The

Panthers remain undefeated and have been tested on the road, but

the general rugby play continues to be a problem. The Panthers gave

credit to last weekend’s game as being an eye opening performance.

They feel as if the younger players are beginning to grasp the full

concept of rugby, and their chemistry and confidence is soaring to

new heights.

It remains to be seen if everything has come together, but if it

does, the perfect season is definitely in reach.

The Panthers remaining opponents: Quinnipiac, Northern Iowa, Iowa

State and Purdue have had limited success against the Panthers over

the years. These four teams have been dominated and have never come

out with a victory over Eastern.

The Panthers have bullied these teams and seemingly will continue

to do so this season. The only team the Panthers did not face in

previous seasons was Quinnipiac. The Bobcats are newcomers to NCAA

Division-I women’s rugby and are enduring the growing pains of

being a new program. The Panthers got the best of the Bobcats in

their first of three meetings back on Sept. 18. The Panthers have

outscored their remaining opponents 188-5 in their previous

meetings.

Jordan Pottorff can be reached at 581-7942 or

jbpottorff@eiu.edu.