POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 21, 2014) – The Vassar College field hockey team will look to rebound from last week's 2-1 overtime loss to Union College with a pair of hugely important Liberty League games against St. Lawrence University and No. 13 Skidmore College. The Brewers earned votes last week in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Poll, but after the loss fell out of this week's poll, but still are in the driver's seat for a high seed in the conference tournament if they play well.

Game Details
Opponent: at St. Lawrence University (5-9, 0-4 Liberty League)
Links: (St. Lawrence Field Hockey Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Canton, NY
Facility:  Hall/Leet Stadium
Date: October 24, 2014
Time:  4 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Game Details
Opponent: at No. 13 Skidmore College (11-3, 3-1 Liberty League)
Links: (Skidmore Field Hockey Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Saratoga Springs, NY
Facility:  Wagner Park
Date: October 25, 2014
Time:  2 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Stats)

What To Look For
Things are coming down to the wire in the Liberty League, and this weekend will be huge for seeding in the postseason conference tournament. Currently, the Brewers have one conference loss but still aren't assured a playoff spot. Vassar College cannot finish with the No. 4 seed, but can still finish anywhere from the top seed to the No. 3 seed to out of the playoffs all together. If Vassar wins both games this weekend, the Brewers will earn the top seed in the Liberty League Tournament and will host either William Smith or Union College.

If Vassar goes 1-1 but with a win over Skidmore, Vassar will be the No. 2 seed and host at least one game in the playoffs. If the Brewers earn a win over SLU, but fall to Skidmore, Vassar will be the No. 3 seed and travel to Saratoga Springs for the semifinals of the Liberty League. If Union goes 2-0 and Vassar or Skidmore go 0-2 over the weekend, the Dutchwomen would claim the final spot in the tournament. Lots to look out this weekend in Liberty League action.

A Look At the Saints
St. Lawrence won't qualify for the Liberty League playoffs in 2014, but the Saints have been in many of their games and have the opportunity to play spoiler with two home games vs. VC and Union this weekend. The Saints are 2-2 at home this season, and of their four home games, three have been decided by one goal or less. SLU can score goals and is just ahead of the Brewers in goals per game with 2.21, but have struggled to keep teams off the board allowing a league-high 3.29 goals per outing. Coming into the week, the Saints are currently 22^nd in the country and tied for 15^th in the nation in defensive saves.

Kara Pelosi leads the attack for the Saints, as she has posted nine tallies, the sixth-most in the Liberty League. Samantha Haab has scored five times as well for the Saints, while Anna Hughes has four goals and three assists. Pelosi and Erica French lead the team with four assists, while eight players have chalked up at least one helper. The scoring balance has been impressive for St. Lawrence, as it has seen 11 players dent the back of the cage.

Defensively, Carly Dziekan has made six defensive saves, which is first in the Liberty League and 21^st in the country. The Saints have split keeper minutes, as Julia Hudson has played 534 minutes, allowing 23 goals on 90 saves. Kim Haab has also allowed 23 goals on the season, starting eight games and stopping 52 shots.

Against St. Lawrence All-Time
The Brewers started playing the Saints back in 2000, and is 2-14 against their foes from North Country. Vassar College has never beat SLU in Canton, going 0-9 against the Saints on the road. Last year, Vassar knocked off SLU at home 3-1 thanks to a pair of goals from Tina Caso.

A Look at the No. 13 Thoroughbreds
Skidmore enters the week with the conference's longest current win streak of four, having earned wins last week over Williams College and Oneonta. The Thoroughbreds have one of the best offensive units in the nation, coming into this weekend's games with the seventh-most goals per game with 4.79 a contest. Skidmore leads the Liberty League in goals, scoring average, scoring margin and points per game. Skidmore is tough at home, falling just once over the last three seasons at Warner Park, a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Middlebury earlier in the season.

The offense is led by a pair of stars in Dani DeGregory and Sam Skott, as the pair has combined for 40 goals this season. DeGregory leads the conference in scoring with 22 goals and eight assists, as her 52 points are fourth most in NCAA Division III. Skott is second only to her teammate in points and goals, and she also ranks in the top 20 nationally in both of those statistics. Melanie Webb has nine goals and six assists, while Krista Lamoreaux also has five goals and seven helpers. Amy Beck has started and played all but 21 minutes in goal for the T'Breds, making 49 saves and allowing just 18 goals all season.

Against Skidmore All-Time
The Brewers are 6-22 against Skidmore in the all-time series, earning their first win over SC since 2000 last year with a 2-1 win. Before that victory for Vassar, the Brewers hadn't knocked off the Thoroughbreds since 2000.

Lucky 13
The Brewers have knocked off two ranked opponents in the last two seasons, earning wins over Rochester earlier this season and Skidmore last year. In both occasions, the team was ranked No. 13, and currently, Skidmore is again ranked No. 13 coming into the weekend.

Home Importance
A home playoff game is very important in field hockey, as displayed by the teams in the Liberty League. Skidmore is 7-1 at home this year after going 21-1 in 2012 and 2013, Rochester is 9-0 at home and Vassar finished it's home slate 9-0 as well in 2014.

Getting Forward
Defender Enya Cunningham (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) has been great defensively, but also excels on penalty corners, as she has taken 41 shots this year, third-best on the team and 10^th in the Liberty League.

Dynamic Duo
The forward pair of Hayley Beach (Latham, NY/Shaker) and Lauren Wiebe (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker) have each posted 16 points, seven goals and two assists this season to tie for eighth-most in the League.

Sideleau Is There
Freshman Storm Sideleau (Hopkinton, NH/Kimball Union Academy) is currently second in the conference in assists per game, posting .545 a contest.

First As The Last
The Brewers have allowed five goals in both the first and second halves this year, tallying the same 13 goals in both periods as well.

Back-To-Back Jack
Vassar has posted back-to-back seasons with 10 or more wins for the first time in program history, as the 22 wins over a two-year span surpassed the 20 of the 2000-01 seasons.

Record Watch
- With one more goal, Lauren Wiebe (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker) moves in 4TH all-time in goals at Vassar with 22.
- With one more point, Lauren Wiebe moves into a tied for 6TH all-time in points.
- With one more game-winning goal, Lauren Wiebe becomes all-time leader in that category with six.
- With one more win, the team moves in 2ND in season wins with 12.
- With one more penalty stroke made, Enya Cunningham becomes all-time leader in that category.
- With one more win, Amreen Bhasin (Cresskill, NJ/Riverdale) moves into tie for 2ND all-time in career wins.
- With one more assist, Storm Sideleau (Hopkinton, NH/Kimball Union Academy) moves into tie for 3RD in single-season assists.

Up Next
Vassar continues its five-game road swing to finish the regular season next week, traveling to the University of Scranton Tuesday, October 28 at 7 pm before concluding the regular season November 1 at 1 p.m. against New Paltz.