CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The University of Charleston Golden Eagles are set to hit the road for the MEC/PSAC Challenge hosted at West Liberty. Charleston will face PSAC foes, Cal Pa Vulcans on Friday at 7:30 p.m. followed by a 3:00 p.m. game against Mercyhurst University on Saturday.
 
The Golden Eagles are starting their second season under the leadership of second-year head coach, Becky Burke, and have seen the addition of Xavier Women's Basketball alum Jenna Crittenden as an assistant coach.
 
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 27-5 season where the Golden Eagles finished second in the Mountain East Conference and notched their first NCAA berth since 2014. The Golden eagles season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament, falling to the Vulcans in the Waco Center of Glenville State College. Charleston is returning starters in first team All-MEC forward Anna Hayton and Brooklyn Pannell. Charleston welcomes 11 new faces to the program.
 
THE OPPOSITION
The Vulcans, who knocked the Golden Eagles out of post-season play at the end of the 2019 season, finished the year ranked No. 21 in the WBCA poll, and have been picked to finished second in the PSAC West. The Vulcans placed second in the PSAC West standings last year with a 17-4 league record and posted a 26-6 overall mark. The Vulcans return two starters and nearly all of their reserves heading into the 2019-2020 season.
 
Mercyhurst is coming off a 10-18 season posting a 7-14 mark in PSAC play and are now under the direction of first-year head coach Brooklyn Kohlheim after she spent one campaign at the helm of Lake Erie College.  The Lakers return five players that started over half of the games last year in Emily Shopene, Lauren Lapertosa, Nicolete Newman, Meghan Komendarek, and Jenna Kunst.  Only three new players take up space on the roster as freshmen Emma McDermott, Jillian Spano, and Gillian Fisher will all look to contribute to the efforts.  
 
GAME COVERAGE
The weekend's games can will be streamed on the MECTV network and live stats will be provided.
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM
 
GAME SCHEDULE
Friday, November 8: Charleston vs. Cal. Pa. 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 9: Charleston vs. Mercyhurst 3:00 p.m.