Charleston, W.Va. – The University of Charleston football team will begin a new era for the 2013 season as the Golden Eagles move into the newly formed Mountain East Conference.
 
UC is one of 12 charter members of the NCAA’s 25^th Division II all-sports league, but there will still be plenty of familiar teams on the Charleston schedule as Head Coach Pat Kirkland and his staff jump in the MEC.
 
Kirkland and the Golden Eagles are coming off a 9-2 season, 6-2 WVIAC mark and 25^th National Ranking in DII from the 2013 campaign.  Kirkland has a compiled a 14-8 record in his two seasons as the leader of the Charleston Football program, including an 11-5 mark in the WVIAC.
 
The Golden Eagles’ 11-game slate, which features nine MEC games and a pair of tough road non-conference opponents, kicks off on Sept. 7 with a non-league game at Shaw in Raleigh, NC.  UC hosted Shaw to begin the 2012 season and came away with a convincing 44-26 win.  The following week the Golden Eagles will face a Division I FCS opponent as they travel to Carbondale, Ill. to take on Southern Illinois University from the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  The Salukis completed the season at 6-5 last year and tied for third in the MVFC with a 5-3 conference finish.
 
Charleston opens its MEC slate on the road on Sept. 21 against an unfamiliar opponent in University of Virginia at Wise before making their home debut against another unfamiliar MEC foe Notre Dame College (Ohio) on September 28. 
 
October kicks off with a bang as the Golden Eagles look to avenge their only blemishes from 2012 as they travel to Shepherd on Oct. 5 to face the Rams, then returning home on October 12^th to take on the Pioneers from Glenville State.  Charleston lost those games last year by a combined 10 points, so there will be added incentive to come away with wins against Glenville and Shepherd going into preseason camp. 
 
The Golden Eagles will then make the short trip to Institute to play the Yellow Jackets on the 19^th in a heated rivalry game, one that Charleston has owned winning six of the last seven matchups against WVSU.  Concord will then come to UC Stadium on Oct. 26 looking for revenge after a narrow victory in Athens last season by Charleston, 17-14.
 
November showcases the final three MEC matchups of the 2013 season with Charleston traveling to West Liberty on November 2, followed by Fairmont making their way to Charleston on Nov. 9, and concluding the 2013 season with a road test against Urbana University in Urbana, Oh. on the 16^th. 
 
Kirkland and the Golden Eagles are currently in the midst of spring drills, which will conclude with the annual Maroon-White Spring Game on April 18 at 7pm at UC stadium.

University of Charleston 2013 Football Schedule
 
Date                Opponent
Sept. 7            @ Shaw
Sept. 14          @ Southern Illinois
Sept. 21          @ UVa – Wise*
Sept. 28          Notre Dame College*
Oct. 5              @ Shepherd*
Oct. 12            Glenville State*
Oct. 19            @ WV State*
Oct. 26            Concord*
Nov. 2              @ West Liberty*
Nov. 9              Fairmont State*
Nov. 16            @ Urbana*
 

• Dates with a “*” indicate Mountain East Conference games.
• Home game are indicated by bold type