The Eastern men’s soccer team has begun conference play 0-1-1 for the second straight season, following a 2-0 loss against Omaha on September 27th and then a 1-1 draw against Denver at Lakeside Field on Saturday.

Eastern is 2-6-1 overall this year after its first two Summit League games. The Panthers have doubled their win total from last year’s team, which went 1-14-2.

The Panthers’ next game is against IUPUI at 11 a.m. Saturday in Indianapolis, Ind. Last season, both teams played to a 1-1 draw at Lakeside Field.

Eastern sophomore Jack Patrick has only played in one game this year after suffering a lower body injury in the first game of the season. He played in 10 games last season as a freshman, but had no points on four shots.

Senior captain Jake Brillhart is tied for third for most assists in the Summit League with three and tied for second with the most total points with nine. Freshman goalkeeper Mike Novotny is tied for fourth for most saves in the conference with 20 and has the fifth best save percentage.

Other top goalkeepers in conference are Fort Wayne’s goalie Raphael Kotzock, who had a 291-minute scoreless streak snapped in the loss at Western Illinois, while the Leathernecks’ goalie Yves Dietrich notched his third consecutive shutout in their first conference victory.

Denver, Omaha and Western Illinois are the only teams without a loss in conference play so far this season. Denver and Omaha each have a tie. Oral Roberts, Eastern and IUPUI are all still seeking their first conference win. Fort Wayne is the only team 1-1 in conference play.

Players of the week:

Charlie Bales of Western Illinois was named Offensive Player of the Week.

This Bales first player of the week honor of the year. He scored the game-winning goal in the Leathernecks’ 1-0 victory over Fort Wayne. That was his fourth goal of the season and his second game winner.

Omaha’s Joseph Ghitis was named co-Defensive Player of the week, as the freshman goalkeeper extended his scoreless streak to 200:58 minutes after a scoreless tie against Oral Roberts. He earned his first career award after making his second consecutive shutout.

Yves Dietrich of Western Illinois was the other co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Dietrich leads the Summit League in seven out of 11 categories including saves, shutouts, save percentage and wins.

This is his second career award and first award this year. His shutout streak has been extended to three games after a 1-0 victory over Fort Wayne.

Mark Shanahan can be reached at 581-2812 or mmshanahan@eiu.edu