CAMDEN, N.J. -- The U.S. Merchant Marines' quest to go deep in the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament for the second year in a row ended with a 4-2 first-round loss to Rutgers University-Camden on Saturday night.
The Scarlet Raptors (17-2-2) will play Wesleyan (Conn.) on Sunday at 5 p.m. Wesleyan (11-2-3) recorded a 1-0 win over Misericordia University (13-3-4) in the second game of the doubleheader.
Freshman forward Corey Beltran led Rutgers with two goals, one in each half.
Senior forward Andrew MacKenzie and midfielder Kyle Arestivo tallied for the Mariners (11-7-1), who had hopes of reaching the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season.
"We played an excellent match, but weren't able to do enough to get the victory," Mariners head coach Mike Smolens said. "Coach [associate John] Fitzgerald and I are proud of the way our guys battled back after being down 1-0 and then 3-1 against a talented team from Camden, which is one of the hottest teams in the country.