The Eastern men’s soccer team will travel to Colorado to take on Denver Saturday in the Panthers’ fifth Summit League match of the season.

Denver (8-3-3) is on top of the conference table after winning all three of its league matches. The team is also unbeaten in nine games, one shy of a school record.

The Pioneers have been sound defensively, as the it has been 318 minutes since they have last conceded a goal in a streak stretching back more than three matches.

Summit League competitor Omaha traveled to Denver last weekend and lost 1-0, when senior midfielder Zach Bolden netted a goal to put the Mavericks behind.

The top-three goal scorers are all midfielders for Denver. Additionally, Denver’s league-best 27 total goals have come from 14 different players.

Bolden leads the way for the Pioneers, having scored five goals on the season. The Denver-native was named to College Soccer News’ national team of the week after his performance against Omaha, when he scored in his third consecutive game.

But it is not just about scoring goals for Bolden because he also leads Denver in the assists’ category, having tallied four on the year.

Bolden shares the midfield with senior Cole Chapleski, who collected his third assist of the year on Bolden’s goal in the Omaha match. Additionally, Chapleski has scored four goals in 2013.

Eastern (1-10-2) enters Saturday’s match after a week that saw the Panthers collect their first win of the campaign against Oral Roberts and then suffer a three-goal defeat against Northern Illinois in DeKalb Tuesday night.

“We have two conference games left so we have to get points,” Eastern coach Adam Howarth said. “It’d be nice to snag some points on the road and then do the business at home. That’s always been our goal. We have four points out of six at home but we are zero for six on the road so far.”

Howarth has favored a faster lineup in recent games and he said he does not plan to shy away from that tactic for the match with Denver.

“I think the speed in the lineup is going to be a key for us so we need to make sure that we utilize that and have those players available,” Howarth said.

The Panthers have shifted players that normally play in attacking positions on the wings to outside defenders in an attempt to free up players on the wings and open up the center of the pitch.

But for Howarth and his team, the need for a positive result cannot be understated.

“It’s very important,” Howarth said. “It’s a conference game. It’s a game that we must try to get as many points as we can. Road games are always tough, especially for us because we have to travel a long way.”

In addition to the distance the team will travel, there is the altitude to contend with.

“We’re only going to be there for a day or so, but I think we will deal with it as best as we can,” Howarth said. “Hopefully we are not there long enough for it to affect us too much. Every team is in the same boat who goes out there.”

Michael Spencer can be reached at 581-2812 or tmspencer2@eiu.edu.