VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Aug. 31, 2025) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's soccer team dropped a 3-0 decision on the road on Sunday afternoon against Virginia Wesleyan. The loss moves the Mariners to 0-1-1 on the young season, while the Marlins improve to 1-0-1 with the victory.
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Virginia Wesleyan opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan McAdams found the back of the net off an assist from Zach Bittler. The Marlins doubled their lead in the 50th minute, as Bittler scored his first of two goals on the day. He added his second tally in the 58th minute to make it 3-0, with assists credited to Cowen Napior and Gio Zizza.
The Mariners created several chances but were unable to capitalize. Sophomore
Robert Derwin (East Meadow, N.Y.) led the attack with three shots, including one on goal, while junior
Jack Ouellette (Alexandria, Va.) added two attempts.
Junior
Ethan Howell (Alexandria, Va.) made two saves in goal for the Mariners.
Overall, USMMA outshot Virginia Wesleyan 10-9, but it was VWU who had a slight 5-4 edge in shots on goal. However, the Marlins' defense and goalkeeper tandem combined for a clean sheet.
The Mariners return to action on Wednesday night, Sept. 3, with their home-opener against John Jay College beginning at 7 p.m. down on Bartoszek Field.
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