CHARLESTON, Ill. --Â Eastern Illinois women's rugby will once again take to the road this weekend, as the Panthers travel to Lexington, Ky., to face the Wildcats of Kentucky at 10 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 19).
Panthers continue to attempt to snap a program-long six-game losing streak as EIU sits at 0-6 on the season.
HEAD COACH FRANK GRAZIANO
Graziano is in his 15th season as skipper of the Panthers. Â He owns a 118-27 overall mark, which includes a 4-3 record in NCAA contests. Â EIU sports a 125-28 all-time program record, as the sport first took the field during the fall of 1998.
QUOTING GRAZIANO
"I am looking for more players to have their best game of the season, just as Miranda Hankins did last Saturday... individually, certain players have played their best games the last couple of weeks... that has to continue... we had multiple scoring opportunities last week as our offense continues to improve... we keep having good practices, but continue to struggle with the difference between a Thursday practice and a Saturday game... so I have got to make practices look, feel and act like a game day... which is why we have been dressing in full game gear at our practices as of late... hopefully that will help us prepare better for game day."
ALL-TIME EIU/UKSERIES
EIU and Kentucky will meet for the first time on the rugby pitch this weekend.
CHANGE TO PANTHER SLATE
Earlier this week, a schedule change has been made as the originally scheduled season-finale road contest at Michigan State on November 9 has been cancelled. Â Panthers are attempting to schedule another opponent to fill-in the fall schedule.
OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
Freshman Miranda Hankins leads all Panthers with two trys on the season, while fellow newcomer Hannah Vieth paces the EIU offense with 15 total points, including 2-for-6 two-point conversion and 2-for-3 penalty kick marks.
Defensively, junior Carissa Burge and freshman Emalie Thornton own 41 and 38 solo tackles, respectively, while newcomer Alivia Smithers' 24 assisted stops also leads the squad.
Six different players have scampered for 20+ yards this season, led by sophomore Jasmine Gardner's six sprints.
WEEKEND WEATHER PROJECTION
According to weather.com, the Saturday outlook in Lexington is calling for possible rain with a 40% chance of precipitation and a high temp of around 55-degrees.
QUICK RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S GAME
EIU lost a 33-17 road contest at Tennessee last Saturday (Oct. 12) afternoon, as the Panthers dropped to 0-6 on the season.
Twelve minutes into the game, EIU enjoyed an early 7-0 lead off freshman Emalie Thornton's first career try and sophomore Hannah Vieth's two-point conversion. Â Following scores by Tennessee the Panthers would knot the score at 12-all thanks to a try from Jasmine Gardner.
Following the halftime break, the host squad would earn two more trys lead 26-12, yet Miranda Hankins earned her second try of the season to pull EIU to within 26-17, but the Vols would secure an additional seven points to account for the final 33-17 margin of victory.
Defense was the name of the game for the Panthers, as EIU totaled 79 total solo tackles, led by freshman Alivia Smithers' 19 stops. That tally ties for sixth in the all-time single-game mark. Juniors Ellen Wilson and Carissa Burge would add respective 12 and 10 solo tackles as well.
While in assisted tackle numbers, EIU finished 56 total, which ranks as the third highest school number. Â Smithers paced EIU with eight assisted stops, with Burge adding seven of her own.
QUICK LOOK AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK
Following Saturday's contest at Kentucky, the Panthers will have to immediately prepare for a midweek road game at nearby rival Lindenwood, with the 7:30 p.m. evening matchup set for Wednesday, Oct. 23.
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID
