Coaches always tell players to have a short-term memory when it comes to losses. Eastern head coach Frank Graziano is no different.

“A loss is only good if you learn from it,” Graziano said. “Other than that, you just need to forget about it and focus on the next week.”

The Panthers started off the season losing their first two games, making that the first time in school history.

However, the Panthers will make the switch back to the traditional 15 versus 15 rugby format starting against Lindenwood, Oct. 4. Eastern is 0-2 career in the sevens format, while in rugby fifteens history Eastern is 119-20.

Although there are some looming questions after a rocky start to the season, the Panthers have a lot to look forward to heading into the rest of the year.

Sophomore center Nia Williams leads the team in tries (3) and points (15) to spearhead the Eastern attack.

These numbers are almost a mirror image of how red-shirt senior Lauren Doyle began her season in 2011. Doyle, the leading scorer last year, began the season with three tries and sprinkled in 21 points. She went on to post 20 tries and 170 points on the year.

The Panthers continue to feature youth in their starting lineups with only one upperclassman starting in each of the first two games.

With three weeks to prepare for their next game, Eastern will look to perfect its art and have a breakout match against Lindenwood.

Nicholas Ruffolo can be reached at 581-2812 or nfruffolo@eiu.edu.