The Lady Panthers kicked off the annual Panther Invitational with a blowout of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos, 6-1.

Sophomore Megan Cameron set the tone early with a header off of a free kick from sophomore Grace Goldman to put the Panthers out front 1-0.

Twelve minutes into the game, the Panthers suffered a setback when sophomore Missy Journot went in to what looked like a slide tackle to save a corner kick, and came out with a potentially season-ending injury. Athletic trainers and coaches alike rushed to her aid until paramedics could arrive.

The team found out following the game that Journot had broken her leg in four different places and would be put in a full-leg cast.

“It definitely took the fun out of Friday night; we knew straight away she had broken her leg,” Coach James Price said. “She’s a big player for us, and a popular girl amongst the team, but we’re confident we have players we can put in her spot that will do well.”

After paramedics carted Journot off the field, the Panthers continued their attack when a potential shot from sophomore forward Ashley Sill turned into a nice cross that sophomore Chelsea Hochstedler finished off for the team’s second goal. Hochstedler connected again shortly after via penalty kick for her second goal.

The Kangaroos returned the favor, adding their only point of the evening in the closing minutes of the first half with a goal from Zaina Mayer.

In a very physical match, riddled with yellow cards and eventually a red for the Kangaroos, the Panthers had to keep their cool to save themselves from retaliating.

“As long as we stay together, stay organized and stay positive, it’s really hard to get past us,” sophomore goalie Lauren Potzman said.

Keeping the trend with penalties, the Kangaroos continued to hurt themselves by interfering in the box for the second time, setting up Nicole Ferlito for yet another penalty kick conversion.

The girls closed out the game in the final minutes with freshmen Ashley Capone’s upper nineties goal, and Mel VanVlair’s unassisted strike, making the final score 6-1.

With one match of the Panther Invitational tallied up, the team had a day of rest before facing the Western Michigan Broncos.

The Broncos proved to pose more of a threat, putting the Panthers at their defensive end for the majority of the first half of play. Combined efforts from Morgan Olsen, Potzman, Goldman and Cameron kept the match scoreless through the first half.

“We don’t normally set the tone. We let the other team set it and then we react to it, and we did that again today. I feel like in the second half we did a much better job,” Price said.

Turning the tables in the second half, the girls managed to keep the ball in the Broncos’ zone, creating opportunities to take the lead.

The first chance came off a free kick awarded to sophomore Kala Negus that barely hit the post, returning the ball to play. Following the free kick, Negus later took a corner kick that set up Cameron with a header. Despite their efforts, it too was saved by Broncos goaltender Julia Francy.

With the final seconds winding down, Potzman remained calm and kept the Panthers’ hopes alive, finishing out regular playing time with nine saves.

It was the same story for overtime. Chances came, but with the combination of the wind and the Broncos defense, the score remained tied.

Minutes into the first overtime, Sill gave a cross to junior Laura Heaton. Heaton took the open look only to have the wind carry the ball up and slightly over the net.

The match took a turn for the worse when yet another player, Goldman, went for a tackle and injured her shoulder with only minutes left. She was able to walk herself off the field after stoppage. With the game not being tournament play, double zero on the scoreboard meant the back-and-forth match would end in a tie.

“If you get through a weekend and you haven’t lost, then that’s always positive. I’m pretty happy with the way the weekend went,” Price said.

The Panthers are back in action this weekend as they visit Western Illinois on Friday at 4 p.m. and Eastern Illinois on Sunday at 1 p.m.