POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 3, 2014) – The VC men's soccer team will face the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this Wednesday, November 5 at 7:00 pm in the semifinals of the Liberty League Playoffs. 

Game Details
Opponent: vs. RPI (11-3-3)
Links: (RPI Men's Soccer Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Troy, NY
Facility: East Campus Stadium
Date: November 3, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
What to Look For:
The Brewers enter the Liberty League Tournament with an overall record of 11-5-2 for the 2014 campaign. VC finished 5-2-1 in the conference, and go is as the the No. 3 seed for the playoffs.   

How They Got Here:
The Vassar men's soccer team put together one of its best regular seasons since joining the Liberty League to qualify for this year's postseason. VC's 5-2-1 conference record is the second best finish ever for the Brewers, as the team clinched the third seed for the first time in school history. Vassar found ways to win games all season, using a stingy defense to keep opponents scoreless and creative offense to put away chances.

Last Time Out:
Vassar clinched the No. 3 seed with a 2-1 overtime victory over Bard on November 1. Freshman Tanner Sands (Draper, UT/Juan Diego) scored the game-winner for VC in the 94^th minute, while junior Nick Hess (Troy, NY/Averill Park) notched his third goal of the year in the victory. The win was much needed, as a tie or loss would have dropped the Brewers into the No. 4 spot in the tournament.

A Look at the Engineers:
RPI enters in Liberty League semifinals 11-3-3 overall on the season with a 6-1-1-conference record. The Engineers are coming off a 2-0 loss to Keene State in their regular season finale on October 29, and have been ranked in the East region steadily throughout the season. In the last NSCAA National poll, RPI was tabbed at the No. 17 team in the country.

Offensively, senior Matt Koziol leads the team with 15 points on six goals and three assists. Junior Matt Carberry has also been a big time contributor for the Engineers, notching five goals and two assists in 17 games this season. In goal, senior Rob Dewald has been the majority starter for RPI, tallying a .843 save percentage and 0.57 GAA in 14 starts.   
 
Previous Encounters:
Both schools met less than two weeks ago in the regular season, where RPI earned a 2-0 victory at Gordon Field on late goals from Vito Mesiti and Koziol. The Brewers looked like the better team in the first half, creating a array of chances but unable to find the net. The Engineers capitalized on their second half looks, and locked up the No. 2 seed in the tournament with the win.

The last time these two teams met in the Liberty League championship in 2012, it proved to be a heartbreaker for the Brewers. With RPI up 1-0 late in 6the second half, then-freshman Jordan Palmer scored the equalizer in the 79^th minute to keep the Brewers alive. After two scoreless overtime periods, RPI won a 4-2 shootout decision to claim the 2012 Liberty crown.    

In the Other Semifinal…:
Top seeded St. Lawrence (14-2-1) will square off against No. 4 seeded Hobart (12-4-3) in the Liberty's other semifinal match on Wednesday. The Saints will be the heavy favorites after previously topping the Statesmen 3-1 on September 27.       
 
Playoff History:
Vassar's all-time record in the Liberty League playoffs is 2-1-2, with all five games coming since 2011. The Brewers used a PK victory over St. Lawrence and 3-2 decision over RIT to claim the conference title in 2011, while losing in PKs in the 2012 title game to RPI. St. Lawrence knocked VC out of the first round last season with a 1-0 win.

Every Game There's a Different Star:
The 2014 Vassar squad is built with no particular go-to guy. 17 different players have recorded at least one goal for Vassar, while 10 different players have notched a game winner proving almost anyone on this team is capable of making it happen. Junior Jordan Palmer (Woodland Hills, CA/Agoura) leads the team with two game-winners, while totaling three goals and three assists on the year.

The Point Man:
Junior Gavin Jennings (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) currently leads the Brewers in points with 11, which looks unusual since the midfield/forward only has one goal this season. Jennings's point scoring has come from his play-making ability before goals, as the junior has notched nine assists in 16 games for the Brewers this season. The total ranks second all-time in a season for a Vassar player, behind only Zander Mrlik ('13) who finished with 10 in 2009.    

Youth Support:
One of the biggest storylines of the 2014 Vassar soccer team is the immediate impact the freshmen players have had on the team. Reid Smith (Greensboro, NC/Greensoboro Day School) is fourth on the team in points (7) with one goal and five assists, while Alex Gonzales (Aliso Viejo, CA/Mater Dei) and Tanner Sands (Draper, UT/Juan Diego) have combined for three goals and four assists. Hayden Van Brewer (Wilbraham, MA/Minnechaug Regional) has started in all 18 games as a defensive midfielder for VC, while goalkeeper Matt Marcelino (Valencia, CA/Notre Dame) picked up his first career win against Bard on November 1.

Championship Saturday:
A win against RPI will push Vassar into the Liberty League Championship game this Saturday, November 8 at a site and time to be determined.