Box Score
Game Program

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 1, 2012) – The Vassar College men's soccer team won its Liberty League semifinal game 3-1 in a physical, intense rematch over Union College at Gordon Field on Thursday afternoon.

Sophomore forward Tom Wiechert got the game-winning goal and tacked on a second goal in the rainy win as the Brewers move onto the Liberty League Championship.

The No. 1 seeded Brewers will next host No. 2 RPI at Gordon Field at 1 pm the championship game. RPI defeated St. Lawrence 3-2 on penalty kicks. Vassar defeated RPI 1-0 earlier this year. “It's great to be playing for a Liberty League Championship for a second year in a row,” head coach Andy Jennings said.

Sophomore Zachary Nasipak scored first after Wiechert shot at Union goalkeeper Ryan Carter. Carter saved the shot with a dive but the ball bounced off his chest, sending it back to Nasipak. Nasipak sent a precise shot towards the left corner to put the Brewers up 1-0 in the second minute of play.

Junior Rob Manukyan opened up a two-on-one situation fresh from the bench when he and Wiechert beat out the Union defenders in the 33rd minute. Manukyan waited for Carter to approach him before sending a quick cross pass from the right side of the box to Wiechert who tipped the ball in for the second goal and what proved to be the game-winner.

“Union started out strong and we were able to stay with them through that first period,” Jennings said. “When we scored our two goals, I thought we were the better team. The second half was back and forth with both of us scoring goals.”

In the last four minutes of the half, Union's Benjamin Golub sent a long, through ball from 55 yards out to meet Dean Constant who was about 30 yards from the goal. Constant drove past the 18-yard mark and sent a shot into the back right side of the net, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of Vassar. “We knew it was going to be a physical game and we wanted to match them on that level and I thought we did,” Jennings said.

The Brewers gave themselves more breathing room when junior defender Evan Seltzer found a long, clearing pass from senior Zander Mrlik in the 65th minute. Mrlik's pass was picked up by Seltzer near the left side of the box. Seltzer sent a lobbed cross to Wiechert on the right side of the box for a one-timer to bring the score to 3-1.

In their last meeting back on October 24, the Brewers fell behind when Union's Sebastiaan Jansen scored the first goal. Vassar managed a goal from Mrlik in the 69th minute to tie the game and Wiechert hit the game-winner with less than eight seconds remaining in overtime. Today's game was played by what seemed to be a different set of Brewers.

The passing from Vassar was precise and hardly ever intercepted by a Union player. Senior Dante Varotsis and junior Juliano Pereira had multiple chances of adding more goals to the scoreboard because they were finding perfect passes that allowed them to blow past the Union defenders.

The Brewers outshot Union 27-18 with 12 of their shots being on goal. Union managed four shots on goal. Junior Vassar goalkeeper Ryan Grimme had three saves in goal while Union's Carter had nine.