Vassar Women's Lacrosse Falters At No. 20 William Smith

Recap, photo courtesy of Vassar

GENEVA, NY (April 14, 2018) – The Vassar women's lacrosse team ran into No. 20 William Smith on Saturday afternoon, dropping the game 16-3.

The Herons came out hot with a 5-0 lead in the first 11 minutes of the game. Storm Sideleau scored her first of two goals on the afternoon at the 12:12 mark of the first half to close out scoring in the stanza.

Sideleau then opened the second half with a quick score to make it 5-2. But nine straight goals from the Herons put the game out of reach for the Brewers. Olivia O'Loughlin tallied a score at the nine minute mark off a free position attempt to make it 14-3, but the  William Smith defense held strong after that as the Herons went on to win 16-3.

Vassar held the edge in draw controls at 12-9 led by Tessa Waters' four. But the Herons had the advantage in shots, groundballs, and caused turnovers.

Julia Sledzik made her first career start in cage as she made six saves in her 60 minutes of action.

The Brewers take on RPI and Ithaca on the road next weekend on Friday and Saturday.

-VASSAR-

Vassar Women's Rugby Wins Third Straight Beast of the East Championship

Recap, photo courtesy of Vassar

College Rugby  
Portsmouth, RI
Saturday & Sunday April 14 & 15, 2018
 
Vassar Women at The Beast of the East Tournament
 
The Beast of the East Collegiate Rugby Tournament is big, really big! In fact, this year there were 63 teams competing in 6 divisions over two days, on 6 rugby fields with a total of 136 games played in Portsmouth, RI. Each game is two 20 minute halves and in order to be successful it takes a squad effort.
 
The Vassar Women traveled with 32 players, the Vassar Men had 23 and both would have a good first day. The women, playing in the Division I bracket, were up against 5 other teams and on Saturday Vassar faced Boston College Women and Buffalo State Women in their group play. On the other side of the draw were the University of Connecticut Huskies, UMass., Amherst and Bishops University from Quebec, Canada.
 
The Vassar Men competed against Central Connecticut State University Men and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Men in group play. There being 20 teams in this bracket the quarterfinalists would be the top 8 teams based on results and points difference.
 
Saturday April 14, 2018
 
Vassar College Women 36 v 0 Boston College Women
Tries: Oshana Reich (3), Jennie To (1), Michelle Urrutia (1), Penalty Try (1).
Cons: Makena Emery (3).
 
Division 1 Boston College Women and Vassar College Women took the field with temperatures in

Waters Leads No. 10 Men's Volleyball Past Upstart Falcons

Recap, photo courtesy of Vassar

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 6, 2018) -- The No. 10 Vassar College men's volleyball team got a career-high 14 kills from freshman Jefferson Waters Friday evening, using his offensive output to push past the Falcons in three games in non-conference play from Kenyon Hall.

The Brewers (19-6) upped their win streak to 10 matches with the victory thanks to the career night from the freshman southpaw, who eclipsed his previous match best of 12 kills against Neumann back on January 26. Waters hit .571 for his 21 attempts on the evening, adding three service aces and four digs.

The Brewers came out of the gate on fire though, hitting .542 in the opening set, converting 17 of their 24 attacking attempts to roll to the victory. Waters led the barrage for the Brewers in the first game, posting five kills, while sophomores Zach Bygall and Kevin Ros along with junior George Diehl each had three attack finishes.

In the second game, Messiah (14-9) trailed early at 11-8 forcing a timeout, but the Falcons came out of the stoppage with a renewed spirit. The visitors tallied the next five points to turn a three-point deficit into a two-point lead at 13-11 after a kill from Matt Knab. After a Brewers timeout, Vassar pulled back even at 14-all after an ace by Bygall, and then tallied six of the next seven points to take control. Ros led the Brewers with five kills on six swings in the second set.

In the third set, Vassar's offense again was on full display, hammering down 19 kills in the period. Waters posted kills on all seven of his attacks, while Diehl added five terminations as well to fend off a late rally by the Falcons. The 19 kills in a set for the Brewers were the most in a set this season, while the 48 total terminations was the most in a three-set match for Vassar this year.

Along with Waters, Vassar had two other players in double-digit kills, as Diehl hit .350 on 20 attempts to chalk up 11 kills while adding six digs. Ros finished with 10 kills while attacking at a .389 clip, and senior Zechariah Lee was huge as well with 36 assists, eight digs, two blocks and five kills. Vassar hit .412 (48-13-85) for the match, which was the second-highest of the year eclipsed only by the .449 clip against Neumann.

Messiah was paced by the eight kills from Travis Hoover, while Knab ended the match with seven kills and six digs. Brad Nase also added 23 assists and four digs for the Falcons, who are competing in their first year as an NCAA varsity program.

The Brewers will turn right around less than a day later for more non-conference action, hosting Baruch College (3 p.m.) and Eastern Mennonite University (7 p.m.) in Kenyon Hall Saturday to finish the 2018 regular season. Vassar will honor its three seniors, Brian Manley, Lee and Matthew Knigge prior to the 3 p.m. match with Baruch College.

--VASSAR--

Men's Tennis Topped By No. 26 MIT Friday

Recap, photo courtesy of Vassar

CAMBRIDGE, MA (April 6, 2018) -- The Vassar College men's tennis squad started its two-day trip to Eastern Massachusetts on Friday afternoon, dropping an 8-1 final to No. 26 Massachusetts Institute of Technology in action from the J.B. Carr Tennis Bubble.

MIT took all three doubles matches, going up 1-0 with a 8-1 win at the No. 2 position by Michael Zhao and Albert Go over Vassar's duo of Dom Demeterfi and Robin Drummond. The closest doubles bout came at the top spot in the flight, as sophomore Jeremy Auh and junior Nick Zuczek pushed Tyler Barr and Alex Cauneac of MIT before dropping an 8-4 score line.

The host Engineers (3-3) clinched the third doubles match as well, taking a 3-0 lead into singles action. Cauneac was able to push the Engineers to within one of clinching the match at No. 2 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 win over MIT, and Barr earned the team win for MIT with a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles over VC freshman David Gandham.

Vassar's match victory came at No. 5 singles, as Demeterfi earned a break in the opening set to top Charles Deng 6-4 in the first. Demeterfi kept the momentum going in the second, cruising to a 6-2 victory to earn his third win of the year at the No. 5 position.

The Brewers will stay in Beantown overnight before battling another ranked team in No. 15 Tufts University in Medford, MA in more non-conference play Saturday at 10 a.m. at Voute Tennis Courts.

--VASSAR--

Vassar Baseball Opens Liberty League Action With Split To St. Lawrence

Recap, photo courtesy of Vassar College

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 30, 2018) -- The Vassar College baseball team opened its 2018 Liberty League slate on Friday with a conference doubleheader with visiting St. Lawrence University, splitting a pair of contests from Prentiss Field. Vassar took the opening game 6-2, before St. Lawrence gathered itself to earn an 8-3 win in the nightcap.

Game 1: Vassar 6, St. Lawrence 2
Sophomore Max Spencer hurled his first career complete game for Vassar in game one, allowing two earned runs and seven hits, to help lead the Brewers to the win. Spencer allowed two runs in the top of the fifth, but stuck through it to finish things while throwing 116 pitches on the day.

Vassar jumped out on top in the bottom of the second inning, plating three runs
off of St. Lawrence starter Patrick Greenan. Sophomore Evan Trausch singled to start the frame, followed by a walk by fellow sophomore Daniel Bonfiglio. A throwing error loaded the bases for VC, and the Brewers pushed across runs on a ground out, RBI bunt single from freshman Tanner Blough and a squeeze play from senior Eric Strickland.

St. Lawrence threatened in the fourth, loading the bases with one out but Spencer would work out of the jam thanks to a pop out and a ground ball to third to strand three runners on base for the Saints.

VC added two more in the bottom half of the fourth, as senior Bobby Kinne was hit by a pitch which forced in a run. Later in the frame, Strickland made a great baserunning play at third base, reading the ball in the dirt and scampered home with the ball just feet away from the plate to make the score 5-0.

St. Lawrence clawed back into the game with two in the top of the fifth, but that was all the visitors would get, as Spencer held SLU off the board the rest of the way to seal the win for Vassar.

Kinne finished 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Brewers, while Blough was 2-for-3 with two RBI in the win. Junior catcher Jake Doyle was 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI and three runs scored as well for Vassar, which finished with seven hits on the day.

SLU was paced by the three hits from Evan O'Keefe in game one.

Game 2: St. Lawrence 8, Vassar 3
St. Lawrence No. 9 hitter Tyler Guido drove in three runs,and starter Caleb Clark went eight innings to help earn a doubleheader split for the Saints in the second game of the day.

St. Lawrence scored four runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead for good, and VC had chances but the Saints made multiple nice defensive plays to keep the hosts from busting open a big inning.

Trausch finished with two hits to lead the Brewers, while Vassar saw juniors Bryan Rubin, Matt Schwartz and Doyle each singled and scored a run. Blough was 1-for-3 with a RBI for VC as well. Freshman starter Matt McGannon went five innings, scattering five hits while striking out three hitters.

No. 12 Brewers Clip Hunter Thursday In Four Sets

Recap, photo courtesy of Vassar

NEW YORK (March 22, 2018) – The No. 12 Vassar College men's volleyball team ran its win streak to a season-best five matches Thursday, rallying from down a set to earn a 3-1 victory over Hunter College in non-conference play from the Hunter Sportsplex. VC won with scores of 22-25, 25-18, 25-23 and 25-15.
 
With the victory, Vassar (14-6) has now not lost since February 27 against Elms College going into this weekend's huge United Volleyball Conference (UVC) match with New Paltz Saturday at 4 p.m. in Kenyon Hall. VC will also host The Sage Colleges and Massachusetts Institute of Technology this weekend, playing Sage Sunday afternoon while MIT plays Sage Saturday and New Paltz Sunday.
 
The Brewers dominated pretty much every single offensive category, but service errors over the first few games doomed VC. Vassar held a huge advantage in kills (54-34), points (71.5-45), hitting percentage (.340-.126) and total blocks (12.5-7.0), but 21 service errors by VC kept the Hawks (13-7) in the match.  
 
In the opening set, hosts Hunter College took advantage of seven of those service miscues, pull away and leading by as many as six at 22-16 after a kill from HC's Daniel Kim. Vassar fended off four set points to make the score 24-22 after a block by sophomore Zach Bygall, but Daniel Dobrogowski chalked up a kill to give the Hawks the early 1-0 match edge.
 
The second set was close early but the Brewers slowly turned a 6-6 score and turned it into a 19-12 advantage. Vassar was able to maintain its focus and pulled away for the 25-18 win, as VC held Hunter to a hitting percentage of .100.
 
The third set was nip and tuck the entire way, as the largest lead by either team was three at 20-17 thanks to a Matthew Knigge kill. Hunter battled back to pull to within one at 21-20 after a Benjamin Cassidy ace, and trailed by one again at 24-23, but a George Diehl perfectly placed roll shot pushed VC to a 25-23 win. VC hit .458 in the third set, posting 15 kills on 24 swings.
 
The fourth set saw Vassar's defensive unit once again provide the spark, with VC holding its hosts to .000 hitting for the game while allowing just six kills. VC on the other hand hammered down 14 terminations and led by as many as 12 at 16-4 after a kill from Knigge. The cushion was more than enough for VC to cruise to the victory.
 
Vassar was paced by Knigge and his 20 kills, which marked the sixth time this season he's chalked up 20 or more offensive finishes. Knigge hit .361 on 36 swings, adding five total blocks as well for VC. Diehl continued his nice offensive run of late for Vassar as well, tying his season-high kill total with 15 while efficiently hitting .407 and posting nine digs to lead VC.
 
Senior setter Zechariah Lee continued to rack up the assists as well, as he finished with 44 on the day, while tying for the team lead with nine digs. Sophomore Kevin Ros collected seven kills and a career-high six total blocks, and freshman Jefferson Waters registered seven kills and three service aces as well.
 
Benjamin Cassidy led the way for the Hawks with eight kills, and setter Alex Helford posted 32 assists and six digs in the loss.
 

--VASSAR--

Vassar Edged 1-0 By No. 11 St. Lawrence

CANTON, NY (October 1, 2016) — The Vassar College men's soccer team concluded its three-game road trip with a 1-0 setback at No. 11 St. Lawrence University on Saturday.

Previously on the Brewers' road trip, they tied with Skidmore College 1-1 and topped Clarkson University 2-1. With that, Vassar (7-2-2, 1-1-1) is tied for third in the Liberty League with four points, alongside Hobart College, Clarkson University and Rochester Institute of Technology.

The Brewers held a slight possession edge, outshooting the home team 18-16 overall. Freshmen Mattie Mrlik and Henrik Olsson led the Brewers with two shots-on-goal apiece.

Goalkeeper Matt Marcelino took the loss with four saves, while Mike Smith earned the win for St. Lawrence (9-1-0, 2-1-0) with six stops.

The game's lone goal came in the 14th minute. Christian Barral-Arteta sent a long feed from the midfield into the top of the box, where Brendan McNamee notched his first goal of the season to put the Saints on top for good, 1-0.

Vassar returns home to Poughkeepsie for a five-game homestand, beginning Saturday, Oct. 8 against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Kickoff from Gordon Field is set for 2 p.m.

—VASSAR—

Freshmen Highlight Vassar's 3-0 Win

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Freshmen players stepped up, as the Vassar College men's soccer team topped Elmira College at Gordon Field on Tuesday.

Mattie Mrlik assisted on the game-winner, scored by fellow freshman Henrik Olsson in the first half, before finding the back of the net himself in the second, thanks to an assist from Desmond Curran.

"(The freshmen) have worked hard," coach Andy Jennings said. "Both Henrik and Mattie did well…. We're pleased, and kids coming off the bench did a great job."

Vassar extended its lead to 3-0 with a Jose Novas goal, courtesy of Alex Gonzales.

The Brewers maintained possession throughout the contest, outshooting the Soaring Eagles, 18-5. Freshman goalkeeper Will Marment earned the win for Vassar (6-1-1) with one save in his first start, while Haruka Okamoto took the loss for Elmira (2-2-1) with six saves through 83 minutes. Michael Bryant played the remaining seven minutes in the cage for the Soaring Eagles, who came into the contest having won or drawn their three previous games.

Looking at each goal, the Brewers opened up scoring in the 20th minute. Mrlik popped up a header-pass to Olsson, who struck his first goal on the year into the far corner from inside the six. The Brewers took a 1-0 lead into the break before coming out even more focused in the second half.

"I thought we came out a little slow, but everyone supported each other and we got through," Mrlik said. "We played well as a team in the second half and started connecting passes really well."

About 10 minutes into the new period, Curran crossed left into the box for Mrlik to head his team-leading fourth goal of the season straight back into the net. The Brewers earned even more breathing room in the 74th minute. Gonzales bent a low cross to Novas, who buried his third goal of the year into the near post.

Vassar looks to build upon this victory heading into conference play, which begins Saturday, Sept. 24 at Skidmore College. Kickoff from Wachenheim Field is set for 2 p.m.

—VASSAR—

Vassar's Banquet Honors Vann, Parson, Drakeley As Top Award Honorees

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (May 11, 2016) — Senior Caitlin Drakeley of the women's basketball team, senior Noah Parson of the men's lacrosse team and senior Taylor Vann of the men's track team earned the 2015-16 Matthew Vassar Outstanding Awards to highlight the annual Vassar College Award Banquet on Wednesday evening. 

Matthew Vassar Outstanding Career Awards
Men's: Parson has been a staple for the men's lacrosse offensive unit over the past four seasons, holding the all-time records for points, goals and assists, while becoming the first Vassar men's lacrosse player to be named Liberty League Rookie of the Year back in 2013. Parson has set the single-season goals record at Vassar three times, including this year when he led the Brewers with 42 goals and 57 points. Parson is now the all-time program leader in points per game and goals per game. He has also earned All-Liberty League Second Team honors this season. He was tabbed a Second-Team All-Liberty League player as a freshman, while picking up Honorable Mention honors as well. He ranks in the top five in the conference this year in goals and points and has finished in the top 10 in goals every year at Vassar. For his career, he is the holder of eight individual records, but his leadership will be hugely missed, as he helped the program to a record number of wins in 2016 with eight.

Vann, the second recipient of the award, will go down as one of the best men's track athletes at

Vassar Baseball Wins Sixth Straight With 11-1 Victory Over Mount Saint Mary

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 27, 2016) – The Vassar College baseball team and its pitching staff allowed just two hits over nine innings, and Matt Hernandez and Eric Strickland added three hits apiece as the Brewers upped their win streak to six with an 11-1 victory over Mount Saint Mary College Wednesday from Prentiss Field.

The win for the Brewers (16-15) put them over .500 for the first time since three games into the season, when a win over Plattsburgh State made VC 2-1. A complete effort for Vassar saw the bats pound out 16 hits on the contest, while starter Jesse Mulham and reliever John Madsen stifled the Knight hitters to just two hits.

The two hits allowed in a win were the fewest since VC surrendered two against Bard College back

Vassar College Parson Sets Another Record On Senior Day

Recap, photo is courtesy of Vassar College

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Noah Parson eclipsed his own record for most goals in a season on Senior Day, as the Vassar College men's lacrosse team fell 21-8 to No. 2 Rochester Institute of Technology at home Saturday.

Parson potted two goals in the contest to bring his season total to 36, one more than the record he set last year. The senior captain will go down as the best attack player in program history when his career comes to an end, as he is the holder of most offensive program records at Vassar.  Parson stands atop the record book for career goals (121), assists (51) and therefore points (172).

Parson was one of three seniors to be honored prior to the contest. T.J. Morrow and Nick Page were

Brewers' Comeback Bid Falls Short To RIT, 13-11

Recap, photo is courtesy of Vassar College

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — The Vassar College women's lacrosse team nearly completed a comeback by scoring the final three goals of Friday's game, but the Brewers ultimately lost at home to the Tigers of Rochester Institute of Technology, 13-11.

With the loss, the Brewers fall to 5-7 overall and 1-5 in conference play, while the Tigers improve to 5-8 and 2-4 in the Liberty League.

Isabelle Goldstein led the offensive effort with seven points on five goals and two assists, as five Brewers found the back of the net. Julia Trudell scored a hat trick to go along with an assist, while Kim Mulvehill had a goal and two assists, Storm Sideleau notched a goal and an assist, and Olivia O'Loughlin finished with a goal.

O'Loughlin was also solid on the defensive end, picking up two ground balls, forcing a turnover and

Brewers Host Tri-State 7s Championships 2016

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY -- It is going to be a busy, busy weekend for the Vassar College Rugby teams as they are hosting the Tri-State Conference 7s Championships. (Schedules attached).
 

If you want a day out with plenty of action as 3 fields are in use then the Vassar Farm is the place to be on Saturday and Sunday.

Women
On Saturday the women will take on all comers as 16 teams will compete for the Conference 7s title. Four groups of four teams play round-robin and then the top 2 from each group advance to the quarterfinal stage of the championship. Vassar will be without their prolific try scorer Cierra Thomas as she broke her leg last weekend and is scheduled for surgery next Tuesday. Our best wishes are with her for a speedy recovery. In her absence some newcomers will be asked to fill the void. Rachel Jones and Rachel Elson have plenty of pace and the team will be led by Darienne Jones and Taylor Nunley. It promises to be an exciting Saturday.
 

Men

The Vassar Men are the defending Tri-State 7s Champions and will no doubt defend the title to the max. Fifteen teams will be at Vassar on Sunday in three groups of five. There will be action on 3 fields all day long! Vassar's Joe Simon is joined by Seamus Taylor in the backs and both were in the mix last year. A new addition is Gary Garcia at scrumhalf and this is the game he was born to play. It is a tough group that the Brewers find themselves in but you have to beat 'em all to win it, so maybe better early than late!
 

For more information please check out the Vassar Athletics web site or call Coach Brown at (845) 380-9052.

TCNJ Nips Vassar Men's Tennis In Contested Battle, 6-3

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY -- The Vassar College men's tennis team hosted the Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings Division III Men's Northeast Region No. 12 team Wednesday in The College of New Jersey, battling hard but dropping a highly contested 6-3 decision to the Lions in action from Joss Courts.

The doubles play was hot and heavy from the get go, as all three flights were nip and tuck the entire

Thomas Sets Career High In Points in Vassar Loss To Williams

Recap, photo is courtesy of Vassar College

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Vassar College freshman standout James Thomas posted a career-high six points Wednesday afternoon at Williams College, but the Brewer men's lacrosse team was topped by the host Ephs 14-10 in non-conference action from Farley-Lamb Field.

Thomas scored his six points on three goals and three assists Wednesday, eclipsing his previous game-high of five points set back in a win over Mount Saint Mary College on March 23. The Brewers (7-6) fell behind 5-0 early on before Thomas ended the Eph run right before the end of the first quarter with help from Brandon DeStasio.

The Brewers pulled to within three just before the halftime intermission as senior Noah Parson

Brewer Golf Takes Sixth At Jack Leaman

Photo is courtesy of Vassar College

NORTHAMPTON, MA -- The Vassar College women's golf team finished action at the Jack Leaman Invitational Sunday afternoon, trimming 10 shots off its score from Saturday to take sixth place in play from The Orchards Golf Club.

The story of the weekend for the Brewers was the hot play from senior captain Angela Mentel, who posted a season-best score on Sunday with a seven-over 79. She finished the weekend tied for eighth with a 36-hole total of 164. The tournament score for Mentel was eight shots better than her previous season-best 36-hole total of 172. It was also her first Top 10 finish of the 2015-16 season.

Junior Emily Prince took home 30th place, as she posted a Sunday total of 87, finishing with a two-day score of 178. Sophomores Annie Hsu and Kristin Diep both finished tied for 31st place, as the two both chalked up tournament scores of 179. Diep carded a 91 Sunday, while Hsu was right off her pace with a 92. Senior Aimee Dubois shook off her day one score of 97 to knock off 13 shots Sunday with an 84 Sunday afternoon.

The Brewers will return to central Massachusetts next weekend to play in the Liberty League Championships at The Orchards Golf Club Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24.

Vassar Bats Erupt In Game Two Win Over WCSU Sunday

Photo is courtesy of Vassar College

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – After being shutout in a 1-0 loss in game one to the Colonials of Western Connecticut State University, the Vassar College bats came alive in running away with a 17-5 win over the Colonials in game two to force a split in non-conference action from Prentiss Field Sunday.

Game 1 – Western Connecticut 1, Vassar 0
The Colonial's pitching duo of Andrew Fogarty and Taylor Donofrio held the Vassar College lineup to just three hits and no runs in picking up the victory in game one. Fogarty went six innings and pitched around six walks, striking out four batters in earning his first win of the season. Donofrio came in and earned his second save of the season, working a three-up, three-down seventh inning.

The contest wasted what was a brilliant performance from junior right-hander, who scattered only

Laso Shines In Vassar Setback

Photo is courtesy of Vassar College

TROY, NY  — Juan Felipe Laso came out victorious in both doubles and singles, as the Vassar College men's tennis team fell to rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on the road Sunday, 5-4.

With the loss, the Brewers drop to 7-12, while the Engineers improve to 6-7.

"Ever since I've been here, RPI has been a big rival of ours," said third-year coach Alex Wong. "Each

Vassar Falls On The Road, 17-7

Photo is courtesy of Vassar University

ANTON, NY — The Vassar College women's lacrosse team fell 17-7 at St. Lawrence University on Friday afternoon.

With the loss, the Brewers fall to 5-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play, while the Saints improve to 7-6 and 3-2 in the Liberty League.

Isabelle Goldstein led Vassar with four points on three goals and an assist, while Storm Sideleau and

Old Westbury Pulls Away Late for 10-3 Win

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The Vassar College baseball team fell behind and could not rally against the Panthers of Old Westbury Wednesday, dropping a non-conference decision 10-3 in action from Prentiss Field.

Vassar starter Derek DeMild's solid performance was not enough to keep the Brewers in position to win the game, as the Panthers pulled away late in the game, scoring five runs in the top of the eighth.

Both DeMild and Old Westbury starter Joseph Nicoletti came out strong in the early innings, with