The only time a loss has any value is when the team learns from it. 

The women’s rugby squad will look to learn from only their second loss in almost four seasons and improve their play for the next match. 

That match happens to be on Saturday against the Wisconsin All-Stars. 

Stevens Point, Wisc., will play host to a rugby match pitting the Panthers against the best rugby players from the Division II Great Waters Conference. 

In their last matchup, back in 2008, Eastern pulled out a narrow victory with a 12-10 score at Lakeside Field. Eastern head coach Frank Graziano remembers the challenge that the Wisconsin all-star team posed in the harsh conditions.

“It was the first game of the year and the field wasn’t in good shape,” Graziano said. “It was at least 100 degrees and neither team was playing well. We probably used about eight or 10 subs in that game because it was just too hot.”

This contest between them will not be as hot and will be the last match played in a 7-on-7 format, but it is a good opportunity for the rugby team to show they can play with the new rules. 

A hard-fought match last time will be even more difficult this time with the rugby sevens format. 

This contest will be one to follow because of what it means for the state of sevens at Eastern. 

Eastern’s last match using rugby sevens against Quinnipiac did not go as head coach Frank Graziano had planned, but he promised that the team would improve their play against the Wisconsin All-Stars.

“I’m very encouraged individually that we’ve had a good week of practice and that we are ready to head down to Stevens Point,” Graziano said. “I think we just needed to get the bad game out of the way.”

One person who did not have the benefit of those practices is senior flanker Stefanie Mahan, who is still out with a facial injury. 

Mahan will need to be in the lineup for Eastern to be at its full potential on Saturday. 

In rugby sevens, a solid tackler like Mahan is crucial in a format where there is ample field for a player to get around a defender. 

Mahan sat out the match against Quinnipiac; a match that felt her absence as Quinnipiac outscored Eastern 25-5. 

She will be a game-time decision on Saturday.

“I think she gets her stitches out in the next couple of days,” Graziano said. “After that we will get her mouth guard in and see where it goes. 

The player to watch this week is sophomore center Nia Williams. With Panther star Lauren Doyle red-shirting, that leaves Williams as the team’s most exciting player. 

Although Quinnipiac held her off the scoreboard last week, look for this electric second-year player to bounce back this time against the Wisconsin All-Stars.

The Panthers will head to Stevens Point and face-off at 2 p.m. Saturday in an attempt to climb back to .500 on the season.

Nicholas Ruffolo can 

be reached at 581-2812 

or nfruffolo@eiu.edu