Three straight seasons of at least reaching the NCAA Division II national semifinals have allowed the University of Charleston men's soccer team to grow into one of the nation's elite programs. Reaching that point creates certain expectations for the team.
The Golden Eagles, which brought in one of their largest recruiting classes in recent memory this season, are not only dealing with those expectations while integrating those new players. They're also adding some new tactics that come with changing formations.
"We're building an identity as a team. Understanding and growing that culture, when you have so many new players, it takes time," UC coach Dan Stratford said. "Maybe when you have to integrate one or two players it can happen quicker, but it's a process for this team.
"We needed games like [last week's 3-0 win over Notre Dame] and we needed games like the Wheeling Jesuit game where we faced adversity. It's an opportunity for them to come together."
Even with working with so many new pieces, the Golden Eagles (8-0, 4-0 Mountain East) are outscoring opponents 20-2 and they have six clean sheets in the first eight games of the season.
"We're off to a really fantastic start, but the important thing now is for them to figure out how you can win and still learn from the performances," Stratford said. "That's the key for us. It's easy to get carried away when you're off to a perfect start and the feel-good factor is there, but we have to stay focused and identify where we can be even better."
Stratford's team is getting into a tough, crucial stretch of the season. The Golden Eagles play a run of five games in 11 days. UC will have tough tests against MEC opponents like Notre Dame and Urbana, as well as a West Virginia Wesleyan team that is the only other MEC team currently undefeated in conference play and has jumped up to No. 22 in the national rankings.
Getting that many quality matchups in such a short timespan is good for the team as it continues to learn more about itself. It will also give the players a good glimpse of what the postseason will be like when they're playing teams with the season on the line in the span of a handful of days.
"It's important, and I think we'll get some tough games which will be great for us," Stratford said. "One of the things that caught up with us back in 2014 was that we didn't face adversity until the [NCAA tournament] final. Then, all of a sudden, you go down 3-0 and it was so foreign to us that we didn't know how to react.
"You want tests like this during the season - which can sound ironic because you obviously also want to win every game."
The team knows it has the talent to go far again this year. It knows it can get back to - and perhaps beyond - the bar set by three straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Final Four and two trips to the national championship game. UC also knows there is plenty of work to be done and the first steps along the way come this week through these tough tests against the other top teams in the MEC.
"It's going to take everyone if we want to accomplish our goals," Stratford said. "If we can do that, we're going to be difficult to break down and we're going to take advantage of our chances. But these next couple of weeks are crucial and they'll give us some insight of what we're capable of when November and December get here."