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Slippery Rock, Pa. — Two first half goals by speedster Dion Peters made the fourth-ranked Millersville men's soccer team's second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional a short one. The Marauders were never able to get any offense going as No. 14 Charleston (W.Va.) moved on to Sunday's second round with a 2-0 victory on Friday afternoon at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

Peters came into the game with a team-high 15 goals for the Golden Eagles (18-3) and he quickly stamped his dominance on a stunned Marauders' (17-3) backline. After a brief feeling out process over the first 15 minutes, in which Millersville carried most of the play, Peters headed in a cross from Darko Karamatic in the 17th minute to give the slight underdogs a 1-0 advantage.

Much like in last weekend's PSAC Championship game, the Black and Gold were once again forced to play from behind. Peters was out to send a message, however. He gave Charleston —in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999— an insurance tally eight minutes later. Predrag Ivanovic split the Marauder defense with a pass that Peters ran down and beat Millersville keeper Kurt Pleier on a breakaway for a clutch 2-0 lead and his team-leading 17th goal of the season.

Millersville, which advanced all the way to the national quarterfinals in last season's NCAA Division II Tournament, could never recover. The Golden Eagles gave MU a bunch of different defensive looks, clogging the middle of the field with anywhere between six and nine players the rest of the way. The result was a lack of sustained offense and few quality scoring chances.

Charleston outshot the Marauders 13-10 for the game, but Millersville held a 4-2 edge in corner kicks. Three of those corners came in the second half as MU tried to mount a comeback. That comeback bid was not to be on this afternoon though, as Millersville was shutout for the first time in 41 games. The last time the team failed to score was in a 2007 season-ending 3-0 loss to Lock Haven.

Millersville's leading scorer Kyle Loughlin took a team-high two shots on goal, while Anthony Pagnotti, Eric Pepper, and Adam Keller each had one apiece.

Pleier, making his first career start, registered three saves in his debut. Sean Teepen made five saves for the Golden Eagles in picking up his 10th shutout of the season. Charleston, which advanced all the way to the national semifinals in its last NCAA appearance, will now await the winner of Friday's late match between the host school Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst. The Atlantic Regional title game is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.

While the result is disappointing for the Marauders, the team still will look back on the season with pride. The 2009 squad was the first in Millersville men's soccer's 50-season history to ascend to the No. 1 ranking in a national poll. In addition, the 17 wins were the program's second most all-time, trailing last season's 18. This Marauder team also set a single-season school record with 13 shutouts and had a program record 12-game winning streak. Goalkeeper Matt Langione, who was unavailable for Friday's game, registered a single-season record 11 shutouts and ranks second for shutouts in a season all-time in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The junior finished with a 17-1 record in goal. As a team, Millersville finished their PSAC East Division schedule unbeaten for the second straight year and will carry an 18-game division winning streak into the 2010 season.

Today marked the end of three Marauders' careers. Thomas Bargmann, Steve Melnick, and Anthony Pagnotti each helped contribute to Millersville's success over the last few seasons. Bargmann and Melnick were with the program when it won just three games in 2006-07 and have helped in turning the Marauders into a national contender. Pagnotti played two seasons in a Millersville uniform and delivered timely goals and leadership in his brief stint as a Marauder.