POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 31, 2016) — The Vassar College men's soccer team (12-3-2, 5-2-1 Liberty) will host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the first round of the Liberty League Championships on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Kickoff from Gordon Field is timed for 2:30 p.m.
 
Game Details
Opponent: RPI Engineers (8-6-4, 5-2-1 Liberty)
Links: (RPI Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Gordon Field
Date: November 2, 2016
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Video)
 
Last Time Out: Vassar clinched a spot in the Liberty League Championships with a 2-0 shutout over Bard College in the regular season finale on Saturday. The Brewers notched the game-winner in the 16^th minute. Alex Gonzales crossed left into the box from out wide for Toby Stansell to head the ice-breaker into the net from close range. Mattie Mrlik padded the Brewer lead to 2-0 in the 86^th minute, thanks to assists from Hayden Van Brewer and Tyler Gilmore. Later that day, the Brewers earned the No. 2 seed along with home field advantage, as Union College topped Skidmore College.
 
A Look At The Brewers (12-3-2):

• Vassar is a lock for the No. 2 seed in the Liberty League standings with 16 points. With that, the Brewers will host a Liberty League Championship game for the first time since 2012.
• Looking at the rest of the Liberty League bracket, first-seeded Hobart College (19 points) will host fourth-seeded Skidmore College (14 points) at the same time Vassar is hosting RPI (16 points) on Wednesday.
• With a 12-3-2 record, Vassar has finished the regular season with the best mark in program history. The Brewers had captured 11 wins seven times prior, dating back to 1972, most recently finishing 11-6-3 in 2014.
• As of Oct. 26, Vassar ranks seventh in the East of the NCAA Regional Rankings. St. Lawrence, ranked fourth, is the only Liberty League team ahead of the Brewers.
• Within the Liberty League, the Brewers are first in points (108) and assists (34), and second in goals (37).
• The Brewers have outshot opponents 274-180 overall and 123-72 in shots-on-goal. The team has posted 34 assists, leading to 37 goals.
• The Brewers have picked up their aggression after the break, posting 13 goals in the first half and 24 in the second. They've held opponents to 15 total goals.
• Thirteen Brewers have found the back of the net so far this season — a testament to the team's depth.
• Freshman Mattie Mrlik leads Vassar with 23 points (eight goals, seven assists), placing him first among league leaders. Mrlik has seven multi-point games under his belt so far this season, and has tallied at least a point in 11 of 17 games. 
• Hayden Van Brewer claims the top spot in the Liberty League with nine assists on the season.
• Tyler Gilmore headed in his third game-winning shot of the season against No. 12 Rochester on Oct. 22, making the defender tied for first in the league for game-winning goals alongside Skidmore's Kevin Santos, RPI's Devon Baughen and Hobart's Adrian Colmenares.
• Mattie Mrlik (eight goals), Alex Gonzales (six) Tanner Sands (five) and Jose Novas (five) are all in the top ten in the conference for goals scored this season.
• Goalkeeper Adam Warner has started the past three games for the Brewers, fending away 13 shots for a perfect 3-0-0 record, including two clean sheets. Matt Marcelino has also been solid in net for the Brewers, making 42 saves for an 8-3-2 record, including three shutouts.
• The Brewer defense has been stifling, shutting out eight teams so far in Mount Saint Mary College (Sept. 4), William Paterson University (Sept. 10), Elms College (Sept. 11), New Paltz (Sept. 14), Elmira College (Sept. 20), RIT (Oct. 14), No. 12 Rochester (Oct. 22) and Bard College (Oct. 29).

 
A Look At The Engineers (8-6-4):

• The Engineers haven't lost a game since Oct. 8 when the Brewers beat them 3-2. In that game, Alex Gonzales netted a pair of goals, including the game-winner, and Stephen Jennings added a score of his own, as the Brewers outshot their visitors 19-11.
• Since then, RPI has shut out Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Skidmore, Bard and Keene State to win. Most recently, the Engineers drew with Saint Thomas Aquinas College on Oct. 29, 0-0.
• Last season, the Engineers finished 12-5-3 overall. With that said, they missed the Liberty League Championships entirely, but still earned an NCAA Tournament bid.
• In the 2015 NCAA Tournament, RPI beat Stevens Institute of Technology 2-1 in overtime before falling 2-1 in double-overtime to Brandeis University.
• The Engineers graduated a senior last of six last year, but brought on 14 freshmen newcomers.
• The Engineers have outshot opponents 210-177 overall and 88-64 in shots-on-goal. Thirteen assists have yielded 18 total scores.
• RPI has been more aggressive after the break, scoring nearly three times as many goals. The Engineers have registered five tallies in the first half and 13 in the second, outscoring opponents by a total of 18-12.
• The Engineers have been able to capitalize on given opportunities, connected on three of three penalty kick attempts.
• Devon Baughen leads the team with 21 points on eight goals, including three game-winners, and five assists. The next leading points-earner is Nick Revano, who has six (two goals, two assists) on the season.
• Goalkeepers Matt LeBranche and Ryan Nealon have split time in net. LeBranch has made 29 stops for a 5-1-2 record, including seven shutouts, while Nealon has made 23 saves for a 3-5-2 mark, including two clean sheets.

 
Against RPI All-Time: The Brewers are 12-15-4 against the Engineers all-time, dating back to their first meeting in 1988. Vassar has taken the past two meetings, beating RPI 2-1 in 2015 and 3-2 earlier this season.
 
Up Next: Should the Brewers beat the Engineers, they'll advance to the title game of the Liberty League Championships, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 5. The time and location are to be determined.