Boxscore | Photos (courtesy of Brian Poulter)

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Junior Samantha Manto scored on six trys as the Eastern Illinois Panther rugby squad steamrolled Purdue, 73-0, Saturday afternoon on a wet Lakeside Field.  With the win, EIU moves to 2-0 prior to next weekend's historic NCAA matchup with West Chester.

Molly Clutter and Stephanie Militello each scored two trys apiece while Victoria Rosales and Crystal Jones each ran in one try on the day.  Freshman Tiffany Kennedy notched her first career try as well with a scamper in the middle of the second half.

"Overall, we did well today," said EIU head coach Frank Graziano.  "We took advantage of our strength, with is our speed.  We made Purdue defend the entire width of the field, which allowed us many opportunities to run our game plan."

Playing on a wet field, the Panthers scored early and often as they ended the first half up 39-0.  Five minutes into the second half, EIU lost some momentum as senior co-captain Eileen O'Rourke injured her knee in what may be possible ACL damage.  That loss, as well as a steady downpour, seemed to knock the wind out of the Panthers, but they responded by scoring five more times for the final margin of victory.

Victoria Rosales connected on four extra-point conversions, including one kick in a steady rainshower.

"Obviously the game ball was slick," said Graziano, "but our defense was solid today and the squad was definitely motivated as this was the final tune-up prior to the West Chester match-up.  In preparation we utilized practically every play in our game plan today to see how it would execute in a real game situation."

Losing Eileen today definitely hurts.  We don't know right now whether she is definitely out for the remainder of the season, but she is one of our leaders.  She is an emotional leader to this squad and even if she can't get on the field next weekend, she'll most definitely be there cheering everyone on and leading from from the sidelines if necessary.  We'll need to make some adjustments next weekend if she's unable to contribute, but I know that Amanda Fromm will step-up to fill in that slot."

The Panthers will regroup in preparation for next weekend's first-ever NCAA rugby match against Division II West Chester on Saturday (Sept. 15).  Kickoff is set for 1 pm as a large crowd is expected to take in the historic contest.

For more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID