POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 29, 2015) – Junior Emma Bracken (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) scored two goals and assisted on another Thursday evening, as the Vassar College field hockey shutout visiting University of Scranton 3-0 in non-conference action from Weinberg Field.

The Brewers (11-5) wasted no time getting on the board in the opening half, as Bracken tallied her first of the game and fifth of the season on a great individual effort. The junior intercepted a pass 25 yards from goal, dodging defenders before taking a shot that deflected off a defender and past the near post of the Scranton cage.

Vassar College was relentless in the first half with its pressure, hemming the Royals (13-3) in their own end for the entirety of the period. The Brewers would double their lead in the 16^th minute of the game, as junior Hayley Beach (Latham, NY/Shaker) netted her fourth of the season.

On the goal, Bracken fed Beach in front of the cage, and the junior spun and shot low to the left of Royal keeper Christina Black for the 2-0 lead. The Brewers nearly made the score 3-0 two minutes later, but Black denied Lauren Wiebe (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker) and the follow up shot by Haley Merritt (Northport, NY/Northport) was stopped by defender Jessica Pankey.

That was all the scoring that the Brewers would get in the first half, but the defensive unit and midfielders were superb in the opening stanza. Vassar did not allow a shot over the first 35 minutes, holding an 8-0 shot advantage at the half.

After the intermission, Bracken was at it again as she completed a perfectly run penalty corner in the 39^th minute. On the corner attempt, Wiebe inserted to the stick stop of freshman Megan Caveny (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), and Bracken teed up the shot that stayed low and to the right of the keeper for the tally.

The two-goal game for Bracken was the first of her Vassar career, as she upped her career-high goal total to six. Scranton got its first shot attempt on goal in the 49^th minute. The Royals finished with four shots in the closing half, but it wasn't enough as the Brewers notched their sixth shutout of the season. The six shutouts tie the school record for clean sheets in the season, equaling last year's total.

Vassar College will finish its season on Saturday against New Paltz at 2 p.m., hosting the Hawks on Weinberg Field on Halloween in an attempt to up its home win streak to 18 games.