San Rafael, CA – The Golden Eagles made the trip west to face Dominican University of California at Kennelly Field in a rematch of last season's MEC semifinal. Despite several momentum swings and standout individual performances, Charleston fell 13–10 in a hard-fought contest.

The Basics

• Location: Kennelly Field 
• Final Score: UC 10, DUC 13 
• Records: Charleston (2-3, 0-1 MEC), Dominican (3-0, 1-0 MEC)

How It Happened
Dominican controlled the opening draw, but Charleston struck first. After three tightly contested minutes, Alyse Weber converted a free-position shot to put the Golden Eagles on the board. The Penguins responded less than a minute later, setting the tone for a back-and-forth first quarter. Madison Partridge gave Charleston a 2–1 advantage, but once again Dominican answered quickly. Weber capitalized on a man-up opportunity to regain the lead at 3–2, yet the Penguins continued to respond, leveling the score at 3–3 by the end of the opening frame.
The second quarter followed a similar script. Partridge opened the scoring to put UC back in front, but Dominican claimed its first lead of the game, 5–4, three minutes later. Hayden Slinkard netted her first goal of the afternoon on a free-position shot to even the score. Partridge, assisted by Sylvi Jenner, pushed Charleston ahead once more, but Dominican tied the game at 6–6 just before halftime.

Coming out of the break, Dominican seized control. Following a green card assessed to Charleston, the Penguins capitalized to take a 7–6 lead. They then erupted for three goals in under two minutes, building a commanding 10–6 advantage. Weber helped halt the run with her third goal of the game with three minutes left in the quarter, but Dominican added another to carry an 11–7 lead into the final period.
Charleston opened the fourth quarter with renewed energy. Weber recorded her fourth goal of the game just two minutes in, and Jayden Ballance followed with a score to cut the deficit. The Golden Eagles continued to pressure, but Dominican stretched the lead back to three. Partridge, again assisted by Jenner, brought UC within striking distance. However, the Penguins added a late goal to secure the 13–10 victory.
 
Next Up 
Charleston remains in California to face Wilmington University on Tuesday, March 3 at 3:00 p.m.