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Eastern Illinois at Loyola Chicago  
Thursday, August 15
7 pm at Chicago, Illinois (Loyola Soccer Park)
Watch | Live Stats

Eastern Illinois vs. Akron 
Sunday, August 18
1 pm – Charleston, Illinois (Lakeside Field).
Watch | Live Stats

ON-TAP:  Eastern Illinois prepares to open the 2024 season on Thursday night at Loyola Chicago.  This marks the 30th season of EIU women's soccer which played its first collegiate season in 1995.  EIU is coming off a 4-9-4 record last season advancing to the OVC Tournament first round.  Loyola Chicago posted a 7-7-4 record on the pitch last season.   EIU will then open the home season on Sunday against an Akron team that was 3-14-1 last season.
 
NEXT UP: Following the two matches on the opening weekend of the regular season, Eastern Illinois will remain at home as they have an early four-match homestand at Lakeside Field.  During week two of the season the Panthers will host Valparaiso on August 22 and Purdue Fort Wayne on August 25.
 
RETURNING ALL-OVC: Eastern Illinois has two returning players that earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors last season for the Panthers.  Sophomore Alex Tetteh was a second team All-OVC selection as well as named to the All-OVC Newcomer team.  Tetteh had three goals and one assist during the season.  Elisa Solis was also an All-OVC Newcomer selection.  Solis played in the back line making 15 appearances with 13 starts for the year.  

OVC PLAYER TO WATCH: Senior Avery Richardson was named the Ohio Valley Conference preseason player to watch for Eastern Illinois this year.  Richardson played in all 17 matches last season making 16 starts.  She moved from midfield to defender for the season and led the team with minutes played on the pitch with 1,384.  Richardson logged the full 90 minutes during nine of the 17 matches for the season.

GOAL PRODUCTION RETURNING: On the offensive front EIU returns three of its top five point producers from last season in Abby Reinl, Alex Tetteh and Ella Onstott.  Reinl led the Panthers in both goals scored (3) and total points (9).   Tetteh was tied for the team lead in goals scored with three adding one assist.  Ella Onstott was fifth on the team in scoring last season with one goal and a pair of assists.  Three additional returning players scored one goal each in Carys Grieve, Katiebeth May and Kate Germano.
 
BATTLE IN THE NET: Last season EIU had three different players earn time in the net with freshman Ella Kratochvil the everyday starter at the end of the season with ten total starts to her credit.  Two of the three return from last season with Ashlyn Hoover joining Kratochvil in the net.  Hoover started four matches last season and picked up the start in the Panthers recent exhibition match against Southern Illinois. 

SEASON OPENERS: Entering its 30th season of NCAA competition the EIU women's soccer program has posted an 11-14-4 record in season opening matches.   EIU lost its season opener in 2023 at Valparaiso and posted a tie against Valpo to open the 2022 season.  EIU's last win to open a season was in 2017 with a 2-0 win over IUPUI.  In terms of home openers for a season, EIU has posted a 2-0-1 record in those contests over the last three seasons.

SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 14th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Loyola Chicago when the two schools open the regular season on the pitch on Thursday night.  EIU holds a 7-5-1 all-time series lead but the two schools have not met since the 2007 season, a 2-0 Loyola win.  EIU's home opener on Sunday against Akron will be just the second meeting between the schools with the Zips winning the previous match-up, 2-0 during the 2011 season.

HEAD COACH: Dirk Bennett enters his second season as the head coach of the Eastern Illinois women's soccer team. A two-time EIU graduate, Bennett previously served as the Panthers assistant women's soccer coach since July of 2019. In February of 2023, he became the seventh head coach in program history. In 2022, Bennett helped coach the team to a 0.81 goals against average, which is the third best single season mark in school history. EIU's 3-1 home win over Illinois Springfield was his first career win as he holds a 4-9-4 career record, including 3-4-2 in the OVC. He is assisted by Deanna Hecht.