POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (September 29, 2015) – The Vassar College field hockey team will finish its non-conference road slate this Wednesday afternoon with a contest at Hartwick College of the Empire 8 Conference. The Brewers are coming off a 4-1 victory on Saturday in their Liberty League opener, knocking off St. Lawrence University to extend Vassar's home win streak to 14 games.

Game Details
Opponent: at Hartwick College (2-5, 0-3 Empire 8)
Links: (Hartwick's Field Hockey Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Oneonta, NY
Facility:  Wright Stadium
Date: September 30, 2015
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)

What To Look For
The Brewers have one of their biggest games of the season on Saturday, hosting Liberty League rival No. 5 William Smith College in a home matchup on Weinberg Field. Before that though, Vassar will have to take the two and a half hour bus to Oneonta to take on the Hawks, who have played well at home this year. It will be important for the Brewers to not look forward to Saturday's huge tussle with the Herons. Vassar should have some motivation though, as VC dropped its last contest on the road at No. 8 Montclair State 3-0.

A Look At The Hawks (2-5, 0-3 Empire 8)
Hartwick has dropped its last two games coming into Wednesday afternoon's game with Vassar College, falling 3-1 to Elmira College on Saturday afternoon. Though Hartwick is 2-5, only one of their losses has come by more than three goals. Hartwick boasts the seventh-best attack in the Empire 8, coming in averaging 1.57 goals per game while allowing 2.57 a contest, which is also seventh in the conference. Hartwick does manage to get shots off though, posting 18.29 attempts on cage per game, which is second in the Empire 8. The Hawks also have averaged just over nine penalty corners a contest, ranking in the middle of their league.

Junior Sarah Ryan, who stands at just 4-11, leads the team with four goals and nine points, while Claudia Stone has added two goals and two assists. Courtney Coons and Rebecca Reilly have each netted two goals for the Hawks, who have been outscored 18-11 this season. Junior Shannon Carter has played all but 27 minutes in cage for the Hawks this campaign, making 60 saves while allowing 18 goals on the year. Jen Spagnuolo and Mary Claire Houlihan lead the defense for the Hawks, as the two have each played over 500 minutes this season for HC.

Against Hartwick All-Time
The Hawks had controlled this series in the beginning, winning the first seven contests played between the two schools dating back to 1996. Since 2012 though, Vassar College has earned wins in the last three contests, including a 2-1 victory on Weinberg Field last year.

Save The Day
Junior defender Sophie Arnold (Merion, PA/Lower Merion) comes into the week with four defensive saves, which puts her 18^th nationally and among the top of the Liberty League defenders. VC also leads the league as a team with seven defensive saves.

Helping Hand
The Brewers have been great sharing the ball on goals this year, as VC has posted 2.33 assists per game, which is 19^th in Division III field hockey. The number is second in the Liberty League, behind the 3.25 from William Smith College.

Getting Harder
From now on, the Brewers will take on four ranked teams in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) in the final eight games of the regular season. Seven of the eight teams are in the FieldHockeyCorner.com Top 50 Average Computer Rankings. In fact, VC's remaining schedule is the second-hardest in Division III field hockey.

Wow Wiebe
Senior midfielder Lauren Wiebe (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker) scored her 26^th career goal on Saturday against St. Lawrence University. The 26^th tally moved her into third all-time alone, passing the 25 from Chapel Love '98.

Paige Percentage
Freshman net minder Paige Amico (Carlsbad, CA/La Costa Canyon) currently has a .794 save percentage, which would rank her fifth on the single season list at VC.

Second Half Surge
This season, the Brewers have allowed just two goals in the second half of their nine games, while scoring 14 times.

Balanced Attack
After Saturday's game, the Brewers now sport three players with four goals on the season, as freshman Megan Caveny (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), junior Emma Bracken (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) and Lauren Wiebe all have netted four tallies. Four other players have netted two or more goals on the year.

Starting Setup
So far this year, Vassar College has started 15 players at least one game, but the five that haven't started have seen action in at least seven of the nine games.

Next On Tap
The Brewers will entertain the unbeaten No. 5 William Smith Herons this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. on Weinberg Field. The contest will be Vassar's Play4TheCure contest where the team will wear pink socks in honor of those that have battled breast cancer.