POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 14, 2016) — The Vassar College men's soccer team struck early and held on for a 1-0 win over Rochester Institute of Technology at Gordon Field on Friday. 

With the win, Vassar (9-2-2, 3-1-1 Liberty) stands atop the Liberty League standings with 10 points, alongside Hobart College (6-4-3, 3-1-1 Liberty). 

"In the Liberty League, it's one of those games we knew was going to be difficult, we knew was going to be tough," coach Andy Jennings said. "But three points is what we wanted to get."

Junior midfielder Alex Gonzales notched the game-winner, his second in as many games, thanks to an assist from Mattie Mrlik. In the eighth minute, the freshman forward slotted a pass to Gonzales, who faked his defender before chipping his fourth goal of the season into the bottom, right corner. 

The Brewers outshot the visiting Tigers 15-10 overall. Goalkeeper Matt Marcelino earned his fourth shutout for Vassar with four stops, while Peter Cinibulk took the loss for RIT (4-6-3, 1-3-1 Liberty) with five saves. 

The Brewers have a quick turnaround, as they host the Hobart Statesmen on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. Hobart comes to Poughkeepsie having topped Bard College 1-0 in double-overtime on Friday. 

"Just stay focused," Mrlik said when asked about how the Brewers will prepare for their game against the Statesmen, "put this game behind us and know that we have another big test tomorrow. Hobart's going to come for us, so we have to play hard."

—VASSAR—