POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 9, 2015) – The Vassar College women's lacrosse team will be back on the road this weekend for a pair of Liberty League games against the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester April 10-11.
 
Game Details
Opponent: RIT (4-6, 2-2 LL)
Links: (RIT Women's Lacrosse Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Rochester, NY
Facility: RIT Turf Field
Date: April 10, 2015
Time: 4:00 pm
Coverage: (Live Stats)  
 
Game Details
Opponent: Rochester (6-5, 2-2 LL)
Links: (Rochester Women's Lacrosse Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Rochester, NY
Facility: Edwin Fauver Stadium
Date: April 11, 2015
Time: 2:00 pm
Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
Last Time Out
Vassar went 1-1 last weekend in its first Liberty League road doubleheader, first picking up an 11-8 win over RPI on Friday, April 3. The Brewers fell the falling day to Skidmore, 11-6 to move to 2-2 in the Liberty League.

A Look at the Tigers (4-6, 2-2 Liberty League)
RIT enters Friday's matchup 4-6 on the season, and will look to snap a two-game losing streak dropping a pair of contests to William Smith and Union College last weekend. All four of RIT's Liberty League games have been decided by two goals or less, and Friday's matchup appears primed to be another close one.
 
Freshman Emily Livecchi has been a force for the Tigers in her first collegiate season, notching 27 goals and nine assists in nine games. Livecchi has been named the Liberty League Rookie of the Week three times in a row dating back to March 23, and her trio of selections leads all players this season. Junior Sage Sarkis leads the Tigers in goals this season with 29. Senior Caitlin Conway has started in goal all 10 games for RIT, holding a .451 save percentage and 11.53 GAA this season.    
 
Against RIT All-Time
Vassar is 2-3 in the all-time series between the two schools, but won the last match up with the Tigers on April 26, 2014. Dara Davis (Guilford, CT/Guilford) finished with a team-best three goals, while Isabelle Goldstein (Belmont, MA/Belmont) notched two goals and four assists to help power VC to the 11-9 victory.
 
A Look at the Yellow Jackets (6-5, 2-2 Liberty League)
Rochester comes into the weekend 6-5 on the season, and will have a Friday afternoon matchup with Bard College prior to facing the Brewers on Saturday. After opening the season with an 8-14 loss to Ithaca, the Yellow Jackets rattled off four straight wins through the month of March. Rochester is just 2-4 since that point, coming off a weekend split losing to Union College 15-5 and besting William Smith 9-4.
 
Sophomore Jamie Wallisch has led the way for the Yellow Jackets this season, racking up 44 points on 29 goals and 15 assists. Wallisch ranks third in the Liberty League in points per game (4.00), while both Lauren Basil and Mara Karpp have totaled 25 points each for Rochester. Junior Marie Prosak has started in al 11 games in the cage for the Yellow Jackets, allowing just 8.39 goals per game with a .396 save percentage. 
 
Against Rochester All-Time
The Brewers are 6-9 all-time against Rochester, but have had the upper hand in recent years winning the last four meetings by a combined 15 goals. Vassar was victorious in a nail biter last season, getting a goal from Dara Davis in overtime to seal a 10-9 victory on April 25.
 
Downing Giants
Vassar's win over RPI last weekend was a big one, as the loss marked the first Liberty League defeat for the Engineers since April 26, 2013. It was also RPI's first Liberty League home loss since 2012. The victory for Vassar marked the first win over the Engineers since the 2009 season and for only the fourth time in school history.
 
Player of the Week
Senior Jackie Palma (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) earned her second career nod as the Liberty League's Defensive Performer of the Week on Monday after another solid weekend anchoring the Brewer defense. Palma notched four caused turnovers, four ground balls and a draw control to help VC to a 1-1 weekend in Liberty League action. She helped keep RPI scoreless in overtime while notching her first goal of the year to power VC to the victory. Palma currently ranks first in the Liberty League and ninth in the country in caused turnovers per game (3.00).
 
Highly Efficient
Sophomore Julia Trudell (Newtown, CT/Newtown) has made the most of her shot opportunities this season, scoring a team-high 14 goals on 19 shots for a whopping .737 shot percentage. Fellow sophomore Brittany Botticelli (Commack, NY/Commack) has also been efficient with her shot selection, scoring 13 goals on 20 shots for a .650 shot percentage. The Brewers are shooting 46.7% overall as a team on the year.  
 
First-Year Firepower
Freshman Julia O'Mara (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park) scored her first career goals against Union on March 27, finishing with a hat trick on four shots. She added another goal the following day against William Smith, while fellow freshman Storm Sideleau (Hopkinton, NH/Kimball Union Academy) tallied two goals against the Herons. Sideleau also finished with two goals against RPI, including the eventual game-winner in overtime.
 
Wrecking Havoc
Vassar is currently ranked first in the Liberty League and 14^th in the country in caused turnovers per game (12.75), as the defense has given opposing attacking units problems all season. Leading the way for the Brewers is Jackie Palma with 24 CTOs on the season. Fellow senior defender Evie Toland (Nyack, NY/ Nyack) has also given opponents fits, racking up 12 this season. 
 
Something's Gotta Give 
Though Union (4-0) has a firm grasp of the No. 1 spot in the Liberty League standings, the seven teams behind the Dutchwomen carry a conference record of either 2-1 or 2-2 heading into the weekend. Vassar, RIT and Rochester all share a 2-2 Liberty League record, making Friday and Saturday's games crucial to the league title race.
 
One for the Record Books
Senior Jackie Palma is now third all-time in caused turnovers in program history (82) and is quickly approaching Emile Moeckel's ('05) school record of 86.  
Junior Isabelle Goldstein (Belmont, MA/Belmont) is now seventh all-time in career points, sitting behind Allie Morgan ('11) who finished with 136 career points.

Up Next
Vassar will play its fifth consecutive road game on Tuesday, April 14 when the Brewers face local Hudson Valley rival SUNY-New Paltz at 4:30 pm.