The Eastern rugby team had its game against Southern Illinois-Carbondale canceled Saturday because the Salukis did not have enough players to fill out their roster because of injuries.

Eastern coach Frank Graziano said the Panthers plan to reschedule this game on Nov. 2, as a home game at Lakeside Field.

This is the third time this season the Panthers have had a game canceled. The first two were because of scheduling conflicts and those have no plans to be rescheduled.

Graziano said the Panthers were told on Thursday about this cancelation, so the team had enough time to tell parents who had made plans to head down to Carbondale.

Graziano turned his Saturday into a three-hour practice, which he said was the best of the season.

“I was really happy with the attitude the girls brought,” he said. “Initially they were a little disappointed they didn’t get to play, but we put that behind us and had a great practice. It was intense. It was fast and the kids were in a good mood. Other than playing a game, we got the next best thing.”

The team still watched film on Sunday for three hours, which is the normal after a Saturday game.

The Panthers will open its home schedule at 3 p.m. Saturday at Lakeside Field against Tennessee.

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