The postseason has seemed to be where the University of Charleston's men's soccer team has been able to elevate itself to another level for the last few seasons. The No. 4 Golden Eagles are hoping that trend continues Thursday as they head into the Mountain East Conference semifinals.
Dating back to its days in the WVIAC, the University of Charleston has won six consecutive conference tournament titles - including winning three straight MEC postseason crowns. And UC has done that while outscoring its opponents 29-1 in those games.
"There's something about the postseason that focuses the mind a bit," Charleston coach Chris Grassie said. "The guys know it all comes down to the postseason and this is when it's most important. There's some relief when we get to this part of the season because we know what we're playing for, we know this is where the run to a championship starts."
The Golden Eagles (14-2-1) will be hosting West Virginia Wesleyan at 7 p.m. at Schoenbaum Stadium.
In the previous meetings between the two schools this season, Charleston earned a 1-0 victory in Buckhannon a few weeks after beating the Bobcats 9-0 at home. UC wants to carry that momentum over to this postseason showdown.
West Virginia Wesleyan comes into the game 11-7 overall and having won four consecutive games.
"We've got to get that spirit and that winning mentality and continue to carry it over," Grassie said. "We've still been getting guys back from injuries or other reasons they've missed games. We're finally getting to where we can pick our strongest group and we can find that identity with all the players involved."
UC rides a five-match unbeaten streak into Thursday's game, led by the strong recent play of goalkeeper Paulo Pita. Pita was recently named the MEC's Defensive Player of the Week after finishing the regular season in strong fashion. The sophomore from Sao Paulo, Brazil, has allowed just one goal in 425 minutes of action this season.
"He's got a big presence back there and it's good to know that he's able to do a really good job," Grassie said. "We know that we're extremely confident with whoever is back there, which is where you want to be right now."
The attack has looked just as strong as the defense for the Golden Eagles as of late, with Will Roberts and Patrick Guier continuing to spearhead the group that has been one of the most dangerous scoring teams in all of Division II. Roberts has scored 19 times to go along with his seven assists, while Guier's 16 assists are tied for the most in the country.
But it hasn't been just those two making things happen for Charleston. The Golden Eagles have two other players who have scored at least eight goals in Jermaine Windster and Felipe Antonio, and Bruno Oliviera also has nine assists.
"That's something we pride ourselves on, and we have a lot of weapons we can use," Grassie said. "A lot of guys have been able to provide goals and assists and, because of our injuries and stuff throughout the year, guys have been forced to step up in big moments and that's good for us as well.
"They all have confidence in themselves and each other, and that's really important at this point in the season."