MADISON, N.J. (Nov. 10, 2018) – The 2018 Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team accomplished numerous feats that the program hadn't seen in years, but the Scarlet Raptors' long climb back to the post season ended here Saturday afternoon.
 
Widener University scored three first-half goals and went on to defeat the Scarlet Raptors, 3-0, in the opening game of the ECAC Division III Women's Soccer Championship. The game, the second of the day in a four-team pod held at FDU-Florham, ended the Raptors' season with an 8-9-2 record.
 
Widener (8-7-3), which also had blanked Rutgers-Camden by a 2-0 score during the regular season, advances to Sunday's quarterfinals against host FDU-Florham, which posted a 4-2 victory over Wesley College Saturday. The game will be played at 4 p.m.
 
Widener collected a goal only 2:24 into the game when Bella Abrams converted a cross from Hannah Berard. The Pride added a second goal at 20:17 on a 20-yard shot by Brielle Errico and completed their first-half salvo only 3:30 before the break on a shot by Alex Polon.
 
Widener out-shot Rutgers-Camden, 7-1, in the opening half and 14-5 in the game. The Pride also held a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Junior Taylor Hueston had two of the Raptors' five shots, and both Hueston and Wachira had one shot apiece on goal.
 
Widener keeper Delaney Sabath made two saves to earn the shutout. Raptor sophomore goalie Natalie Eberhardt played 56:38, making three saves and allowing two goals, while senior Liz DiCamillo allowed one goal and made two saves in 33:22.
 
Rutgers-Camden earned both a New Jersey Athletic Conference playoff berth and an ECAC tourney spot this season for the first time since 2007. In the Raptors' second season under Head Coach Steve Weaver, they posted an 8-7-2 regular-season mark, saw Weaver earn NJAC Coach of the Year, freshman back Breana Winder earn NJAC Rookie of the Year and NJAC Second Team, and placed sophomore forward Meghan Wachira on the NJAC First Team. The trio of Weaver, Winder and Wachira led a program-record seven Scarlet Raptors on the all-conference team.
 
Rutgers-Camden also hosted a NJAC playoff game for the first time since 2003 after tying the program's record for its best conference mark ever (5-2-2).
 
Senior midfielder Melissa Peel (pictured above) played in her 64th and final career game Saturday, earning her 60th career start. The two-time NJAC Honorable Mention player finished 12th on the program's career list with 13 assists.