The Eastern rugby team won its first game of the season on Saturday, when the Panthers defeated Kentucky 61-0 in Lexington, Ky.

Coming off the bus on Saturday, the Panthers confidence was really high, Eastern coach Frank Graziano said, despite having to play under rain for the entire game.

Graziano said the weather did not play a factor at all and was excited that the team did not let the weather conditions bother them.

“We dealt with the weather conditions fairly well,” he said. “We did have some mishandles, but we handled the ball pretty well. It was nice to see the practice game plan a little bit. Once the girls got a couple scores, they felt really good about how they were playing.”

The Panthers took the lead early in the game and never let the foot off the gas pedal.

They scored 11 tries, which is the most the Panthers have scored all season. The Panthers snapped a six-game losing streak with their shutout win.

Graziano said all the pieces came into place during the game, but it wasn’t perfect.

“There are areas that can be improved, but I am very proud of the girls. We were able to get our first win, and we can build on that for the next couple games,” he said.

Graziano was preaching defense in practice all week, and it paid off as junior Ellen Wilson led the team with 25 tackles and also was one of eight players who converted tries for the Panthers.

Graziano said they maintained focus through the entire day.

“When we did throw bad passes, it didn’t look like it frustrated us,” he said. “The field conditions held up very well. I think they did a very good job of maintaining their focus.”

The Panthers will have a short week, as they will play Lindenwood on Wednesday.

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