POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 26, 2015) – The Vassar College women's lacrosse team will open Liberty League play this weekend with a pair of home games against conference rivals Union College and William Smith College on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
 
Game Details
Opponent: Union College
Links:  (Union College Women's Lacrosse Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Weinberg Field
Date: March 27, 2015
Time: 4:00 pm
Coverage: (Live Stats)(Video)
 
Game Details
Opponent: William Smith College
Links:  (William Smith Women's Lacrosse Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Weinberg Field
Date: March 28, 2015
Time: 3:00 pm
Coverage: (Live Stats)(Video)
 
Last Time Out
Vassar went 2-1 during the team's weeklong excursion to Bradenton, Florida for spring break, picking up wins over Keene State (March 15) and Western Connecticut State (March 18), while falling to Stevenson University (March 17).  

A Look at the Dutchwomen
Union is 2-2 so far this season, picking up wins against Emerson College and Stevenson University while falling to nationally ranked opponents SUNY Cortland and Williams College. This will be the first league game of the season for the Dutchwomen, who posted a 7-2 record in conference play last year and advanced to the finals of the Liberty League playoffs.
 
The Dutchwomen are led by senior captain Emily McGrail. McGrail is a reigning All-American, a two-time First Team All-Liberty League selection, and was the 2014 Liberty League Co-Player of the Year. The midfielder has been on a tear through the team's first four games, notching 16 goals to lead the league in goals per game. McGrail is also fourth in the league in caused turnovers per game, and has been remarkably efficient on offense, putting 92% of her shots on target and scoring 64% of her shots.
 
Union is tied with Vassar for the most goals per game in the Liberty League, as both teams are pouring in 12.25 goals per contest. The Brewers, meanwhile, hold a slight edge in goals allowed, as they have surrendered 43 goals this season to Union's 45 goals given up. Expect a thrilling game from these evenly matched teams as they vie to stay on the right side of .500.
 
Against Union All-Time
Vassar is 2-21 against Union All-Time, notching wins in 1997 and 2013. The 2013 win was one for the history books, as the Brewers topped the Dutchwomen 15-14 at home in a double-overtime nail-biter. The victory catapulted Vassar into the Liberty League playoffs for the first time since 2007 and helped the Brewers post the best overall record and best conference record in school history. Then-sophomore Dara Davis (Guilford, CT/Guilford) led the team with four goals, Jackie Palma (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset Junior-Senior) caused four turnovers and scooped up five ground balls, and Isabelle Goldstein (Belmont, MA/Belmont) had two goals and the assist on the game winner.
 
A Look at the Herons
William Smith is coming off an up-and-down 2014 season that saw the team go 8-1 in conference play, but just 8-8 overall. The Herons entered the playoffs as the #2 seed, but fell in the first round to Union. So far this season the Herons are 2-4. Like the Brewers and the Dutchwomen, the Herons will open league play this weekend. William Smith will begin conference play against Bard on Friday in a neutral-site game hosted by Vassar and will remain in Poughkeepsie to take on the Brewers on Saturday in what will be both teams' second league game of the year. The Herons are 0-1 on the road this year, after falling to Brockport 9-15 on Tuesday. The Herons are also 0-3 at home and have picked up both of their wins this season in neutral locations.
 
Sophomore Alexandra Bird is fourth in the Liberty League in goals with 19, and was named the Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week last week, tallying 12 goals in just two games during that span. Bird scored seven goals in a 15-8 win over Connecticut College and five goals—all in the first half—in a 17-15 victory over Denison.
 
Despite their 2-4 record, the Herons have not been outscored this season, as they have both scored and surrendered 68 goals on the year. Opponents are outshooting the Herons by 3.2 shots per game (28.7 to 25.5), but the Herons have held the opposition to a .395 shot percentage and .756 shot on goal percentage. Interestingly, the Brewers have allowed opponents to post a .524 shot percentage and .854 shot on goal percentage, but by limiting their opponents to 20.5 shots per game, the Brewers have managed to give up .58 fewer goals per game than the Herons. Vassar comes into the game with an edge in offensive firepower, but look for this game to be decided on defense.
 
Against William Smith All-Time
Vassar is 1-12 in the all-time series between the schools, but won the last meeting at Weinberg Field when the Brewers edged the Herons 10-9 on April 19, 2013.
 
Knock It Out
The Brewers have four players among the league leaders in caused turnovers per game—by far the most of any team. Senior Jackie Palma leads the league, forcing 3.00 turnovers per game, which also ranks 15^th in the nation. As a team, the Brewers rank sixth in the nation in caused turnovers, forcing 15.25 changes of possession per game.
 
Helping Hand
Junior Isabelle Goldstein ranks 11^th in the nation in assists per game, averaging 3.00 helpers per contest. Goldstein is also ranked 45^th in the nation in points per game, with an average of 5.00. Goldstein is tied for first in the Liberty League in assists per game and is second in points per game.
 
High-Powered Offense
The Brewers lead the Liberty League in goals per game (12.25), assists per game (6.25) and point per game (18.50). VC is also also second in the league in shots per game (27.50) and shots on goal per game (21.50).
 
Streak to Start
Freshman Storm Sideleau (Hopkinton, NH/Kimball Union Academy) is the only Brewer to score in all four games this season, and ranks fifth on the team in points with seven (5 goals, 2 assists). Last season, Julia Trudell (Newtown, CT/Newtown) opened up her rookie campaign with a 10-game goal-scoring streak spanning one month.
 
High Score
Vassar's 20 goals against Western Connecticut was one of the highest scoring outputs for the Brewers since 2002. Vassar has twice scored 20 goals against SUNY-New Paltz on April 2, 2003 and Farmingdale State on March 28, 2011. The all-time goal scoring record for a game dates back to 1996, when Vassar recorded 22 goals in a win over Skidmore on April 24, 1996.

On the Radar
After this weekend's home games, the Brewers will begin a stretch of five away games, starting with a pair of Liberty League matchups on April 3 at RPI and on April 4 at Skidmore.