Frostburg, MD – The Golden Eagles traveled to Maryland on Friday for an MEC Semifinal matchup with the Frostburg State Bobcats. Charleston was downed in the previous matchup 0-3, but this one would play on for 120 minutes into two overtimes as neither side wanted their season to come to an end.
The Basics
Location: Bobcat Stadium
Score: UC 0, FSU 1
Records: UC (10-10, 9-7 MEC), FSU (18-1-1, 14-1-1 MEC)
How it Happened
Despite 120 minutes of action, only six shots throughout the entire match posed as a threat towards either keeper. You could blame this one on the fact that both teams came into this one with their very own MEC Co-Defensive Player of the year: Charleston's Madison Hansen and Frostburg State's Abbey Dennis.
Charleston played lights out in their defensive-third on a team that averaged 2.55 goals per game coming into this matchup. With Jordan Maynard's red card coming in the previous win against Concord, Helen Alfes would start for the Golden Eagles between the posts and contributed three saves on the day.
The two teams would head into overtime knotted up at 0-0 as neither side was able to find their luck in regulation.
In the first overtime, the Golden Eagles managed one shot from Sydney Cavender towards the net but Ashley Bilger had no problem on the save. The Bobcats would find two shots of their own with neither of them threatening Alfes in goal. The game would head to a second overtime still tied at 0-0.
In the 103
rd minute of play, the Bobcats would finally end the drought. An airborne pass was played over to an unmarked Lela Clark on the Charleston endline. Clark would take several touches before she rolled it to Toni Fiocco-Mizer who blasted it home for the late 1-0 lead. Brooke Lucas was able to find a shot on target towards the bottom left corner of the net, but Bilger would use her gloves once again and Frostburg State would run out the clock to escape with the 1-0 victory.
The Golden Eagles finish the 2022 season 10-10 (9-7 MEC) and a 22-yearlong era comes to an end. Todd Diuguid will be stepping down from the head coach role as Gary Ogilvie, current men's soccer assistant coach, will be the new head coach of the Golden Eagles for the 2023 season.