After dropping its sixth straight game Saturday to Tennessee, the Eastern rugby team will head to Lexington, Ky., to play the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

With the Panthers still looking for their first win, Eastern coach Frank Graziano said he will be looking for more players to have their best game of the season, just like red-shirt Miranda Hankins had Saturday.

“Individually for the last couple weeks, certain players have played their best games,” Graziano said. “From an individual stand point, that has got to happen.”

The Panthers had multiple scoring opportunities last weekend and did not convert. The offense is getting better for the Panthers, Graziano said, and they are starting to get more scoring opportunities. 

The Panthers also had their highest point total last weekend with 17 points, but senior Shelby Pilch said they are going to have to improve the defense this week in order to beat Kentucky.

“We need to stop waiting for the players with the ball to come to us,” she said. “We need to be on our toes and ready to play at all moments of the game and not take any time off. Confidence in our ability is crucial.”

The Panthers have had multiple players with over 20-yard runs this season including sophomore Jasmine Gardner, who currently leads the team with six and Hankins has five.

Tackling has been a problem for the Panthers thus far this season, because they are out of position sometimes, Graziano said, but in the last game freshman Alivia Smithers led the team with 19 tackles. 

Junior Carissa Burge currently leads the team with 41 tackles, while red-shirt freshman Emalie Thornton has 38 on the season.

This week in practice, Graziano has had the players dress in full gear, which is the first time they had done that all season.

“It is a very controlled live opposition kind of playing,” he said. “I think we are still struggling with the difference between Thursday practice and Saturday game day, so I have got to make practices look, feel and act like game day.”

Pilch said that Graziano wants the team to start executing the offensive plays and make the tackles that they need to make.

“Each person has to do his or her part on the field when the opportunity arises,” she said. “He has been preaching defense since day one. Defense wins games.”

Pilch said in order to win this game it is going to come down to execution of both offense and defense.

“Doing all the little things is important, like coming up on defense, tackling low, running offense with a set back line and running up the field,” she said.

The Panthers take on the Wildcats at 10 am on Saturday. 

Bob Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or rjreynolds@eiu.edu.