POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (September 1, 2015) – Five different Brewers recorded a point, led by a game-high five points from sophomore Jose Novas (Doral, FL/Gulliver Preparatory) as Vassar shutout Maritime College 5-0 Tuesday afternoon. VC never trailed in the contest, netting four goals in the first half to cruise to the squad's fourth consecutive season-opening victory. Vassar moves to 1-0 on the year, while Maritime drops to 0-1.
Both sides felt each other out in the opening minutes of the contest at Gordon Field, before the Brewers struck gold on their third shot of the game. Sophomore Reid Smith (Greensboro, NC/Greensboro Day School) found a seam on the right side of the 18 yard box in the 15th minute, and played a cross to a wide open Jordan Palmer (Woodland Hiils, CA/Agoura). The senior captain buried a header into the open net, giving his team an early 1-0 advantage.
Senior Tom Wiechert (Dana Point, CA/San Clemente) was next to break into the scoring column, powering a free kick off the interior of the crossbar in the 22nd minute. The well-struck shot deflected off the goalie into the net, putting the Brewers in the lead with 2-0.
Novas tallied his first goal of the game off of a rebound from a Wiechert shot in the 37th minute. With Vassar up 3-0, Novas found the net again in the 42nd minute on a well-played ball from Palmer that split the defense. With a one-on-one opportunity against the Privateer keeper, Novas finished into the left side of the net to give Vassar a commanding 4-0 edge at the half.
The Brewers took care of the lead in the second period, allowing Maritime just four shots with only two on goal in the final 45 minutes of play. Senior Nick Hess (Troy, NY/Averill Park) put away one final goal for VC in the 57th minute, heading in a short, arcing cross from Novas to bring the team ahead 5-0.
Sophomore goalie Matt Marcelino (Valencia, CA/Notre Dame) earned the shutout in the cage, making three saves in 90 minutes of action.
Vassar will be back in action this weekend at the Roger Williams University Tournament in Bristol, RI. The Brewers will face Salve Regina in their first game on Saturday at 1:30 pm, before battling the host Hawks on Sunday at 11:00 am.
Notes:
Senior Tom Wiechert moved into a tie for fifth with Brian Bianchetti ('09) in all-time goals at Vassar after recording the 26th of his career this afternoon. Wiechert is also tied for sixth in career points with Bianchetti and Joseph Petrucelli ('03), now with 58 in the burgundy and gray.
Vassar's five goals were the most in a game for the team since netting five in a 5-1 win over Farmingdale State on September 7, 2014.
--VASSAR --
