The Eastern women’s soccer team fell twice over the weekend, dropping its record to 2-7 heading into conference play.

The Panthers lost their fourth straight match on Friday, falling to Butler by a score of 3-0 in Indianapolis.

Freshman midfielder Sophia Maccagnone of Butler continues to pace the Bulldogs, adding to her already team-leading total of goals, scoring both the goals in Friday’s match.

Her first came off a penalty kick in the 54th minute, giving Butler a 1-0 lead after a scoreless first half.

Her second goal came in the 79th minute with an assist from sophomore midfielder Caroline Kowal.

The goal is Maccagnone’s fourth of the season.

The Bulldogs added a final goal by junior defender Ali Backscheider in the 87th minute, with junior midfielder Olivia Colosimo being credited on the assist.

The Panthers were tremendously out-shot by the Bulldogs, with Butler piling on 27 shots in the match, while Eastern managed just four total.

The Panthers registered just two shots in each half.

Red-shirt junior Jessica Taldone was again in goal for the Panthers, making eight saves in the match.

Junior Julie Burton was in goal for Butler, and saw just one shot on goal for the entire match.

Eastern’s one shot on goal came by way of freshman midfielder Molly Hawkins.

On Sunday, the Panthers were shutout for the third straight time, losing to Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, by a score of 1-0.

Senior midfielder Kelsey Pigg added the only goal of the contest in the 68th minute, extending Drake’s winning streak to five matches.

Senior Kristin Germann had two shots on goal in the match for the Panthers, who were out-shot 15-12 by the Bulldogs.

The Panthers will open conference play at 1 p.m. on Sept. 23 against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, in Edwardsville.

Around the OVC

Tennessee-Martin took down Kennesaw State 2-0 at KSU Soccer Stadium. The win was Tennessee-Martin’s second shutout of the season.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville fell to St. Louis 1-0, giving up a goal in the final minutes at Korte Stadium.

Murray State was able to sneak past South Alabama with a 1-0 win. Murray State’s Taylor Stevens scored with just 1.3 seconds left in overtime.

Austin Peay scored five goals in the first half in route to a 6-1 victory over Alabama A&M on Sunday.

Morehead State remains winless on the season, falling to 0-7-1 after losing 2-0 to Wright State.

Jacksonville State ended its non-conference season with a 2-1 win over Samford. The win was the Gamecocks first win over Samford since 2002.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-2812 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.