As his team prepares for its first-round matchup against Edinboro in the NCAA Division II tournament, University of Charleston women's soccer coach Todd Diuguid remembers what happened a year ago when the two teams faced off in the postseason.
In another opening-round game in the Atlantic Region, the Golden Eagles battled through difficult weather conditions to play to a draw before falling in penalty kicks.
"That was an epic game last year, it went about five hours because of a bunch of lightning delays," Diuguid said. "We got hit with rain and sleet and it was a tough loss to take at the end of the day. But they're a good team that returns a lot and we know what's at stake when you get to this point in the year against a team like this."
The teams meet at 1 p.m. Friday at Kutztown (Pa.) University. UC comes in as the No. 3 seed in the region while Edinboro is No. 6.
The winner advances to face host Kutztown (the No. 2 seed, which drew a first-round bye) at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Golden Eagles enter the tournament with a 14-3-3 record while the Fighting Scots come in at 13-4-1.
Marieke Kramer and Ivey Nucilli lead Charleston with nine and seven goals, respectively, this season. Goalkeeper Zoe Zyta has 12 shutouts and has allowed just nine goals in 20 games for the Golden Eagles.
Edinboro finished fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference this season and is led by Ashley Mutkus, who scored 10 goals.
"Edinboro does a very good job of getting forward, they've always been offensive-minded," Diuguid said. "Last year, they were a little weaker defensively [than this season] and they're traditionally strong in goal.
"There's no tomorrow if you don't win [Friday]. We have to maximize our effort, minimize our mistakes and maximize our opportunities."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.