POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 11, 2015) – The Vassar College men's lacrosse team will host Western Connecticut State on Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 pm at Tenney Stadium on the campus of Marist College.
 
Game Details
Opponent: Western Connecticut (0-3)  
Links:  (West Conn Men's Lacrosse Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Tenney Stadium
Date: March 12, 2015
Time: 7:00 pm
Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video) (Twitter)
 
What To Look For
Vassar will be back in action for the first time March 5, after the team's game at Swarthmore College scheduled for March 7 was postponed due to snow. VC will look to get back over .500 coming into the game against West Conn 1-1 on the year. Face-off against the Colonials is slated for 7:00 pm.
 
Last Time Out:
No. 14 Montclair State outscored Vassar 9-1 in the second half, led by a five-goal performance from junior Zach Schreck, as the Red Hawks downed Vassar 12-3 on March 5. Despite an hour and a half delay due to traffic issues, Montclair (3-0) arrived at Tenney Stadium on the campus of Marist College to earn its third victory of the season. Freshman goalie Erik Mikelinich (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills HS West) made 12 saves for the Brewers in his second collegiate game, as the Brewers now fall to 1-1 on the year.
 
A Look at the Colonials (0-3, 0-0 Little East):
Western Connecticut has had a rough start to the 2015 season, dropping its first three games by a combined margin of 21 goals. The Colonials fell to Kean 13-7 to open the season on February 28, then lost to Trinity (CT) 16-6 (March 4) and Scranton 12-7 (March 7) last week. West Conn was scheduled to play FDU-Florham on Tuesday evening, but the game was cancelled. Head coach Jason Ouellet is at the helm in his 10^th season with the Colonials, leading the team to a 7-10 record and Little East Tournament berth in 2014.
 
Senior Nick Foley and junior Nate Wilson lead West Conn offensively this season, both tallying six points each through three games. Wilson has scored a team-high five goals for the Colonials on the year, while Foley has notched four goals, two assists and seven ground balls. Senior Zach Bartlett has established himself as the team's top defender through the first part of the season, causing a team-high eight turnovers while collecting a team-best 12 ground balls.
 
Junior Ryan Caldwell and freshman Bryan Murchison have been the team's primary options on the face-off, combining to go 22-70 from the restart this season. Senior Kevin Seery has been given the nod to start in goal in all three games for the Colonials, holding a 49.4% save percentage and a 13.21 GAA.
 
Against Western Connecticut All-Time
Vassar is 1-5 all-time against the Colonials, but picked up the program's first-ever win last season on March 14. Sophomore Noah Parson (Cary, NC/Panther Creek) chalked up a career-best six goals to go with three assists in the 23-8 victory, while the Brewers poured on 14 second-half goals.
 
Opening With a Bang
VC's 18 goals against Manhattanville on February 25 marks the most ever scored in school history to open a season for the Brewers. The 16-point margin of victory is also a school record in season debuts for Vassar, and ties the team's largest margin of victory from last season when the Brewers bested SUNY-Cobleskill 21-5.
 
300 in Sight
Senior Scott Brekne (Stony Brook, NY/Ward Melville) is approaching 300 career face-offs wins as a Brewer, coming into Thursday's game with 272. Brekne has gone 7-13 from the restart this season for a 53.8% face-off percentage.
 
Climbing Up the Record Books
Junior Noah Parson and Brekne came into the 2015 season ranked ninth and tied for 10^th (respectively) on the all-time points list in school history. After scoring a hat trick against Manhattanville and goal against Montclair, Parson now has 79 points all-time, one short of Ben Kelly's ('00) career mark of 80 points scored. Brekne now sits one spot behind Kelly at No. 10 in the all-time assists list with 32 career feeds, while Parson's 54 career goals puts him two away from passing Nick Cardillo ('10) on the all-time list.
 
Freshman in the Cage
Freshman goalie Erik Mikelinich had a successful collegiate debut against Manhattanville, making five saves while allowing no goals in two halves of play. Mikelinich currently has an 8.00 GAA for a 58.6% save percentage through two games.
 
Tale of Two Halves
VC trailed only 2-3 heading into the locker room against Montclair State, but could not find the same consistency on offense or defense in the second half. The Brewers managed just two shots on goal after producing eight in the first, and have scored only two goals in the fourth quarter so far this season.
 
Snow Snow Go Away
Due to snow accumulation on Weinberg Field, the Vassar men and women's lacrosse team will play its opening games of the 2015 season at Tenney Stadium on the campus of Marist College. Be sure to check vassarathletics.com before attending any athletic events this season for updated game times and dates.  
 
Up Next
Vassar will head west for Colorado Springs, CO to play a pair of games against Colorado College (3/15) and Adams State (3/17) over spring break.