CAMDEN, N.J. (Nov. 5, 2018) – The last time the Rutgers University-Camden women's soccer team played in the ECAC tournament, high school soccer was still years away for even the oldest members of the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Rutgers-Camden is returning to the ECAC Division III Women's Soccer Championship this season, adding to an amazing list of accomplishments by the team under second-year Head Coach Steve Weaver. The Eastern College Athletic Conference announced the field for its 2018 tournament late Monday and the Scarlet Raptors will be the third seed in their pod for the 16-team, four-pod tournament, which begins Saturday.
 
Rutgers-Camden (8-8-2) will play second-seed Widener University (7-7-3) at 3 p.m. Saturday in a four-team pod that will be held at top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham. The Devils (12-6-2) will host No. 4 seed Wesley College (9-4-2) Saturday at 12 p.m. Saturday's winners will play at 4 p.m. Sunday for the right to advance to the semifinal rounds, which will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, at a site to be determined. The title game will be held at that same site on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 12 p.m.

The Scarlet Raptors played at Widener University earlier in the season, losing a 2-0 decision on Sept. 12.
 
The ECAC berth is the first for the Scarlet Raptors since they qualified for the 2007 ECAC Metro tournament. They defeated St. Joseph's College-Long Island, 1-0, in the opening round on Nov. 7 for the only post-season victory in the program's history before losing a semifinal game against Centenary College, 2-0, three days later.
 
Rutgers-Camden also competed in the 2002 and 2006 ECAC Metro tournament, losing its opening game both seasons.
 
This year the Scarlet Raptors posted an 8-7-2 regular-season record before losing in their first New Jersey Athletic Conference playoff game since that banner 2007 season. The Raptors' winning regular-season record also marked a first for the program since 2007 and their 5-2-2 record in the NJAC tied their victory for NJAC wins, last accomplished during a 5-4 conference campaign in 2005. This year's 5-2-2 record tied the program's top NJAC mark since a similar 5-2-2 record in 2003, when they hosted the first NJAC playoff game in program history. It was the only home NJAC playoff game until the team earned another one this season.
 
The 2018 season marked a quick turnaround for a program that went 4-10-2 only two seasons ago before improving to 7-9 in Weaver's first year at the helm in 2017. This season Weaver became the only Rutgers-Camden women's soccer coach in history to earn NJAC Coach of the Year honors, leading a program-record seven Scarlet Raptors on the All-NJAC team. For the second straight year, Rutgers-Camden captured the NJAC Rookie of the Year honor as freshman back Breana Winder captured that award and added NJAC Second Team recognition. Last season's NJAC Co-Rookie of the Year, Meghan Wachira, went from being a NJAC Second Team player as a freshman to earning NJAC First Team honors as a sophomore forward. In addition to Winder, freshman forward Ava Pizzaro and sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Eberhardt were named to the NJAC Second Team. Senior midfielder Melissa Peel and freshman back Sophia Spadano earned NJAC Honorable Mention, with Peel capturing that recognition for the second straight year.
 
ECAC bracket