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Millersville, Pa. — Last season's path to the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals was one the fourth-ranked Millersville men's soccer team was hoping to travel down again, with the potential to host games at Biemesderfer Stadium all the way to the national semifinals. That path was altered with last Saturday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship game loss at Slippery Rock. The Marauders are headed back to Western Pennsylvania to face No. 14 Charleston on Friday afternoon in hopes of beginning another deep NCAA run.

Already soured from having to make the long trek back to Slippery Rock, Millersville (17-2) will have a bit of adversity on its hands in its opening-round game, which is set to begin tomorrow at 2 p.m. at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium. Starting goalkeeper Matt Langione will be sidelined due to his red card in last Saturday's PSAC title game. His replacement will be Kurt Pleier, who filled in admirably last weekend by making key saves to keep the Marauders in the championship game. Just a sophomore, Pleier will be making his first career start.

The Black and Gold is making its second trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament all-time. The tournament newcomers downed California (Pa.) 3-0 and Slippery Rock 1-0 in the first two rounds to claim their first ever Atlantic Regional crown. In the national quarterfinals, the Marauders hosted perennial power Northern Kentucky. Shane Seabrook tied the game at one late in regulation for Millersville, but it was the Norse that moved on to the semifinals, 5-4, in penalty kicks.

It's been a decade since Charleston (17-3) last made an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance. The Golden Eagles had similar success in their only other NCAA foray. Back in 1999, Charleston knocked off West Virginia Wesleyan in the first round and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) in the second round, before Southern Connecticut State ended the Golden Eagles' championship dreams in the third round.

Led by second-year head coach Chad Duernberger, Charleston claimed the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title with an unbeaten 10-0 mark. The squad backed up their regular season supremacy with a WVIAC Championship, defeating Davis & Elkins in the final last Saturday. Millersville completed its second consecutive sweeping of the PSAC East, compiling an 8-0 record in conference play. Steve Widdowson's club moved past Bloomsburg in the conference semifinals, before faltering in the 2-1 loss at Slippery Rock for the title.

Both schools have seen their national rankings rise throughout the season. The Marauders claimed the top spot in the NSCAA/adidas Division II National Poll for the first time in program history on Nov. 3. The team currently sits at No. 4 in the national rankings. Charleston has steadily progressed throughout the season since entering the poll on Sept. 29. The Golden Eagles' current ranking at No. 14 is the highest they've achieved all season.

A Look at the Marauders

Millersville is not what you'd call an offensive juggernaut, but the team still finds ways to score timely goals and can score in quick succession. Junior forward/midfielder Kyle Loughlin continues to lead the team in scoring by a wide margin. Loughlin has racked up 13 goals and five assists for 31 points and has six game-winning goals. The natural goal scorer earned multiple weekly honors from the conference and was recently named PSAC East Men's Soccer Athlete of the Year, in addition his inclusion on the All-PSAC East Team. Last weekend Loughlin collected the Marauders' only goal, scoring shorthanded in the 61st minute.

Secondary scoring has been plentiful as well. Sophomores Pat Baffuto and Aaron Roland each have five goals or more, and the team has five double-digit point scorers, with Anthony Pagnotti a point away from making it six. Millersville has scored at least one goal in each of its last 40 games, dating back to the final game of the 2007 season.

In the midfield, the Marauders are led by All-PSAC East selection Ethan Daubert. Another sophomore on a relatively young team, Daubert has registered two goals and two assists. Matt Wilson, Todd Grimm, Eric Pepper and freshman sparkplug Joseph Chilutti help Daubert in making up the core of Millersville's midfield.

The Black and Gold has really starred on defense. The team has allowed just 13 goals in 19 games and has 13 shutouts on the season, a single-season school record. Senior Thomas Bargmann and freshman Adam Keller anchor the outside of the defense, while 2008 All-PSAC East First Team member John Claffey and 2009 All-PSAC East selection Jeremy Yoder man the middle of the backline. Yoder and Keller have also been proficient offensively from the back, with Yoder collecting two goals (including a game-winner) this season. Keller has a goal and five assists to his resume in his rookie campaign.

Pleier will protect the goal in Friday's opening-round game. The Elkins Park, Pa., native saw just over 60 minutes of play this season, before being thrown into the fire last Saturday. Pleier nearly doubled his playing time, putting in 57 minutes in the loss to The Rock. He has only allowed one goal in his three appearances this season, with a goals against average of 0.74 and a save percentage of .833. Pleier is undoubtedly relying on the words and wisdom of Langione, who is the school's career leader in wins (43) and has 10 shutouts this season, another single-season school record for a goalkeeper.

A Look at the Golden Eagles

Another young and emerging team, Charleston gets the bulk of its scoring from a quartet of players. Dion Peters leads the team in scoring with 34 points, 30 of those coming off of his team-leading 15 goals. Darko Karamatic is close behind with 31 points and has nearly identical totals in goals (11) and assists (9). Predrag Ivanovic is a 21-point scorer and Rob Vincent has 17. The Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents 55-10 this season.

Charleston is just two years removed from a winless season, in which it went 0-13. Last year the team finished with a 4-11-2 record, but they've managed to turn things around in a big way this season. While the team boasts gaudy offensive numbers, depth may be an issue. Only 10 field players have played in 18 or more of the team's 20 games. Four more players have made between 9-13 appearances. The Marauders may need to take advantage of this stat and try to wear the opposition down with fresh legs. Millersville, in comparison, has 21 players with double digit appearances. Of those 21, 15 have seen action in 17 games or more of the team's 19 games.

The Golden Eagles will turn to Sean Teepen in net. Teepen leads the team in wins, goals against average, saves, and save percentage. He has stopped over 80-percent of the chances he's faced.

Common Opponents and History

The WVIAC Champions are 4-1 against opponents that they and Millersville have in common. Both teams have defeated West Virginia Wesleyan (Charleston's beaten them twice), Shippensburg (Millersville's beaten them twice), and Wheeling Jesuit. Both teams also dropped a game against Slippery Rock.

Millersville and Charleston will meet on the pitch for the first time on Friday. The Marauders have never before faced the Golden Eagles in their 50 seasons of play.

The Other Matchup and Media Information

Host Slippery Rock (17-3-1) takes on Mercyhurst in the region's other opening-round game at 5 p.m. The winner of the Millersville/Charleston game will play the winner of the Slippery Rock/Mercyhurst game on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Fans that can't make it out to Slippery Rock this weekend will be able to follow the games through live stats. The Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network (MSBN) will also have coverage of Millersville's opening-round game with Dominic Panza and Matt Heffelfinger calling the action. Live stats and live audio can be accessed by clicking on the links at the top of the story.