POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 1, 2014) - The Vassar College men's soccer team will begin its double-header weekend starting with the visiting RIT Tigers this Friday at 4 pm. The Brewers will then take on the Hobart Statesmen on Saturday at 2 pm.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT 3-5-1, 1-0 Liberty League)
Links: (RIT Men's Soccer Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Gordon Field
Date: October 3, 2014
Time: 4 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Opponent: vs. Hobart College (HWS 5-3-1, 0-1-0 Liberty League)
Links: (HWS Men's Soccer Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Gordon Field
Date: October 4, 2014
Time: 2 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

What To Watch For:
In an effort to continue their winning season, the Brewers will need a strong showing against RIT in their Liberty League home opener. Hobart will provide another day of stiff competition on Saturday as VC looks to start 3-0 in Liberty League play for the first time ever.

Last Time Out:
VC picked up a big Liberty League road win last Saturday, as the Brewers knocked off Skidmore 2-1. Junior Nick Hess (Troy, NY/Averill Park) netted the game-winner in the 80^th minute off a cross from junior Gavin Jennings (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) as the Brewers hung on to move to 7-3-1 on the season.

A Look at the Tigers (3-5-1)
RIT had a tough start to the 2014 campaign, tying their season opener before dropping four consecutive games. The Tigers have rebounded from their 0-4-1 start however, winning three of their last four games including a critical 2-1 victory against Clarkson in their Liberty League opener.

The Tigers are led by freshman Dean Kouroupus on offense, as the forward has notched two goals and three assists in seven starts. Senior Danny Bloshkin is another serious threat in the final third, racking up three assists and one goal for RIT through nine games. Junior goalkeeper Mark Reeves will look to grow his impressive 0.767 save percentage in this weekend's game.

A Look at the Statesmen (5-3-1)
Hobart enters the weekend with a winning record, while compiling some positive results over the past month. Though they started with a tough 0-5 loss to Brandeis, the Statesmen made a quick rebound with three consecutive wins over the course of the next two weeks. Hobart's momentum has somewhat faded over the past two games, as the team dropped its conference opener to St. Lawrence 3-1, and tied Ithaca 2-2 on Tuesday (9/30).

The Statesmen are led by junior Marco Ronning who has been a major factor for the Statesmen with two goals and six assists this season. Junior Jacob Fox and freshman Adrian Colmenares are also players to watch on the Statesmen's side, both having scored 3 goals each over the course of the season. Goalkeeper Mike Lucas, a senior, comes into this weekend's game with an impressive .850 save percentage.

Previous Encounter:
Last year when the Brewers met the Tigers in Rochester, Vassar came away with a 1-0 win on a goal from then senior Juliano Pereira. VC is 2-1-2 all-time against RIT, and have won or tied in all three of the last meetings.

When the Brewers and the Statesmen met last year at Hobart College, the game ended in a double-overtime tie despite 41 total shots in the game. This was only the second tie in Vassar's 3-9-2 all-time series history against the Statesmen.

Every Day There's a Different Star:
With his goal against Skidmore, Hess became the seventh Brewer to net a game-winning goal this season. No single player has recorded more than one game-winner for Vassar so far this year, a testament to the team's balance on offense.

The Fountain of Youth:
With a consistent group of freshmen in the starting line-up, the Brewers have felt the enormous contribution from the Class of 2018. Last week's game against Skidmore saw a great all-freshmen goal provided by Reid Smith (Greensboro, NC/Greensboro Day School) and Alex Gonzales (Aliso Viejo, CA/Mater Dei).

Daunting Distributor:
Gavin Jennings continued his prowess as the team's go-to set up man against Skidmore, notching his sixth assist on the year in the victory. Jennings is now tied for seventh all-time in assists in a season (6) with current assistant coach Ross Macklin, who tallied six during the 2010 season. Jennings ranks 13^th across all of Division III soccer and first in the Liberty League with the mark.

Looking Ahead:
The Brewers will travel to face Clarkson and St. Lawrence in another series of back-to-back games on October 17^th and 18^th. Clarkson has a current record of 5-5-1, while St. Lawrence presently boasts a 7-2-0 record.