The Panthers will travel north to face Milwaukee on Aug. 24 for their second game of the regular season. 

After playing to a 0-0 draw against Valparaiso on Aug. 19, the Panthers will try to gain experience and prepare for the looming conference schedule. 

Head coach Jake Plant expects the team to be competitive and consistent against Milwaukee, and throughout the rest of the season. 

“The girls lead themselves with a quality work ethic, so we all expect to see the same every day,” he said.

Milwaukee is 1-0 this season, having beaten Northern Illinois University 3-0. 

Milwaukee was 16-0-4 last season, including a 2-0 win over Eastern on Aug. 27. 

Their two leading scorers from last season are no longer on the team. Aubrey Krahn had registered nine goals and nine assists, while Anna Smalley had eight goals and seven assists. 

Filling their shoes are three players who also had successful seasons in 2017. 

Lourdes Onwuemeka was third on the team in points as a junior, tallying six goals and nine assists. Four of her goals were game-winners. 

In her sophomore season, McKaela Schmelzer had six goals to go with six assists. 

Rounding out Milwaukee’s top-five scorers last year was Mackenzie Schill, whose seven goals were the third most on the team, despite her not starting a single game. 

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Milwaukee will be replacing goalkeeper Mallory Geurts, who started all 20 games and registered 14 shutouts. She allowed only six goals all year. 

True freshman Elaina LaMacchia started the opener, posting her first career shutout. 

Another true freshman is leading the team in points so far. Haley Johnson had one goal and one assist against NIU.

In the 2017 matchup, Eastern only had three shots on goal, including two from returning players Pilar Barrio and Sarah DeWolf. 

After the Milwaukee game, the Panthers will play a second straight game in Wisconsin. They play Green Bay on Aug. 26. 

They return home next to play IUPUI on Aug. 31. 

The ultimate goal of the next several games is to prepare the Panthers for OVC play next month. 

Getting the offense on the scoreboard is the first step, as the team has yet to score through two exhibitions and one regular season game. 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 

581-2812 or ajtumino@eiu.edu.