Eastern Illinois at Omaha
Thursday, August 20
7:30 p.m. at Omaha, Neb. (Caniglia Field)
Live Stats
ON TAP: Eastern Illinois will open the 2026 regular season on Thursday evening when the Panthers travel to Omaha for a 7:30 p.m. match at Caniglia Field. EIU enters its second season under head coach Ruy Vaz after posting an 8-8-3 record in 2025, including a 5-3-1 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Panthers advanced to the OVC Tournament quarterfinals last season. Following Thursday's season opener, Eastern Illinois will return home for its regular season home opener against Wright State on August 27 at Lakeside Field.
NEXT UP: Following the season opener at Omaha, Eastern Illinois will begin a four-match homestand at Lakeside Field. The Panthers host Wright State on August 27, St. Thomas on August 30, Northern Illinois on September 5 and Bradley on September 11.
FIRST TEAM ALL-OVC: Eastern Illinois midfielder Yui Nakamura earned first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in 2025, becoming the first Panther to earn first team All-OVC recognition. Nakamura started all 17 matches and played a team-high 1,510 minutes while recording two assists. He also earned a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
OFFENSIVE RETURNERS: Eastern Illinois returns several key pieces from last year's offensive, including senior forward Gui Gragnano. Gragnano led the Panthers with four goals in 2025 despite missing several matches because of injury. He scored twice against Western Illinois and also scored in EIU's 1-1 draw at Lindenwood.
BOYKIN BACK: Junior forward Adam Boykin returns after scoring two goals during the 2025 campaign; Boykin finished the year with 21 shots and 14 shots on goal, ranking second on the Panthers in shots on goal.
BETWEEN THE POSTS: Redshirt junior goalkeeper Lucas Ortiz returns after taking over the starting goalkeeper role during the second half of the 2025 season. Ortiz started the final nine matches, finishing with a 1.22 goals-against average, 29 saves and two shutouts. His goals-against average ranked 10th in EIU's Division I history.
NEW FACES IN 2026: Eastern Illinois welcomed 12 newcomers to the program for the 2026 season. The class includes four-year transfers, juniors' college players and high school recruits. Among the newcomers are forward Keidin Green, who played two seasons at the College of Idaho and earned first-team All-Cascade Colligate Conference honors in 2025 after scoring 12 goals with five assists. Carmelo Bello also joins the Panthers after earning second team NJCCA All-America honors in 2025 at Monroe University.
PROGRAM PROGRESS: Eastern Illinois made significant progress in 2025, finishing 8-8-3 overall and 5-3-1 in OVC play. The eight wins were the program's most since 2007, while the winning conference record was EIU's first since 2018. The Panthers also advanced to the OVC Tournament quarterfinals before falling 1-0 to Liberty.
BUILDING UNDER VAZ: Ruy Vaz enters his second season as the Eastern Illinois head coach. Vaz was hired in February 2025 after spending seven seasons as the head coach at Cowley College in Kansas, where he posted a 110-21-6 record, won five conference championships and five Plains District championships. In his first season at EIU, Vaz guided the Panthers to their highest win total since 2007 and coached the program's first first team All-OVC selection.
EXHIBTION ACTION: Eastern Illinois opened the 2026 preseason with two exhibition matches at Lakeside Field. The Panthers hosted Lewis & Clark Community College on August 9 before facing UIC on August 15. The exhibitions provided EIU with an opportunity to prepare for its August 20 regular-season opener at Omaha.
NEW OVC FORMAT: Eastern Illinois will play a 10-match Ohio Valley Conference schedule in 2026. The Panthers will face three league opponents twice and four opponents once, with conference play beginning September 26 against Western Illinois. The 2026 OVC Tournament is scheduled for November 8, 11 and 14 at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Illinois and Omaha have met multiple times throughout the program's history, with the Mavericks holding the advantage in the all-time series. The most recent meetings came in 2021, when Omaha earned a pair of 2-0 victories over the Panthers in Omaha. Thursday's contest will mark the first meeting between the programs since the 2022 season.
2026 SCHEDULE: Following the opening match at Omaha, Eastern Illinois will host Wright State, St. Thomas, Northern Illinois and Bradley before road contests at Chicago State and Marshall, OVC play begins September 26 against Western Illinois and continues through November 1, with the OVC Tournament beginning November and continues through November 1, with the OVC Tournament beginning November 8.
