POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 19, 2016) – The Vassar College women's rugby team will be hosting and participating in the USA Rugby Division II Fall Championship Round of 16 and Round of 8 games on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 respectively.
 
Currently ranked 3^rd in the nation, the Brewers will take on the No. 19 Catamounts of the University of Vermont at Vassar Farm in the Round of 16 on November 19. Meanwhile, the No. 8 ranked Bengals of Buffalo State University will take on the Great Danes of the University at Albany (No. 11) at Prentiss. The winners of these two matches will advance to play in the Round of 8 on November 20 at the farm, while the other two teams play a consolation match at Prentiss Field.
 
Vassar will also host one half of the Division I quarterfinal and semifinal matches, with the other half of the bracket playing on the same dates in Cincinnati.
 
Tournament Schedule
Saturday Nov. 19, 2016
A (DII) 12:00PM Vassar College v. University of Vermont at Vassar Farm
B (DII) 12:00PM University at Albany v. Buffalo State University at Prentiss Field
 
C (DI) 2:00PM University of Notre Dame v University of Connecticut at Vassar Farm
D (DI) 2:00PM Boston College v. University of Northern Iowa at Prentiss Field
 
Sunday Nov. 20, 2016
11:00AM Division II Consolation - Loser of A v Loser of B at Vassar Farm
11:0AM  Division I Consolation - Loser of C v Loser of D at Prentiss Field
 
1:00PM Division II Quarterfinal - Winner of A v Winner of B at Vassar Farm
1:00PM Division I Semifinal - Winner of C v Winner of D at Prentiss Field
 
Last Time Out
In their round of 32 match, Vassar ran in 12 tries against the visiting Knights of SUNY Geneseo in a 72-12 rout of their Upstate Conference opponents. On the path to their 60-point victory, Vassar flyhalf Mary Margaret McElduff added 17 points to break the school record for career points scored.

A Look at the Brewers
The Brewers are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation holding a 9-0 record in Division II play. They are 9-1 overall with their one loss coming in a narrow 34-38 fall to the Division I West Chester University. In conference play, the Brewers have outscored their opponents 279-29, excluding any friendly or playoff matches. Top scorer Mary Margaret McElduff has added seven tries and 49 cons for the Brewers for a total of 133 points, while sophomore fullback Rachel Elson leads the team in tries, with 21 tries for a total of 105 points. Two weeks ago the Brewers defeated University at Albany, who will also feature in the national tournament, 48-10 for the Tri-State Conference championship.
 
A Look at the Catamounts
The University of Vermont Catamounts come into the tournament ranked 19^th in the nation, holding an 8-1 record. Their only loss this year comes from a 45-0 loss to the Coast Guard Academy in their season opener. Coast Guard went on to win the New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference, with UVM placing second. In conference play, UVM has outscored their opponents 184-72.
 
A Look at the Great Danes
The No. 15 ranked University at Albany team comes into the tournament as the No. 2 seed from the Tri-State Conference, having fallen to the Brewers in the conference championships. They currently hold a 7-2 record overall, with both of those losses being dealt to them by the Vassar team. In conference play, the Great Danes have outscored opponents 174-60, thanks to top scorers, inside center Precious Cummings, flyhalf and kicker Emily Buis, and lock Stephanie Tucker. In their last two games, University at Albany have split their results, having picked up a loss in the Tri-State Conference final before bouncing back to beat Colby 32-12 in the national round of 32. They'll be looking to keep that momentum going forward in the tournament.
 
A Look at the Bengals
Coming into the tournament ranked No. 8 in the nation, Buffalo State currently hold an 11-0 record in D-II play, having gone undefeated in their conference. In their eight conference games, the Bengals have outscored opponents 399-40 thanks to the scoring efforts of inside center Bailee Gallivan, flyhalf Carlee Cockrell, and forward Savannah Kassia.. The Bengals have shown a great deal of stamina and persistence, having edged SUNY Geneseo 25-22 in the Upstate New York Conference championship thanks to a penalty kick that came very late in the game. They've also shown dangerous scoring power, having demolished RPI 61-5 in national round of 32 play.
 
History Lesson
The last time the Brewers played the University of Vermont was also in the national round of 16 in Fall of 2014. In that matchup, the Brewers produced a strong 41-12 victory to bring them to the round of eight, where they eventually fell to Kutztown in a very close matchup. Five out of Vassar's current fifteen starters saw playing time in that match, with four starting. Nathalie Freeman added two tries of her own the bolster the score line in that game.
 
Hungry for More
The Vassar women saw their 2015 campaign end in South Carolina last year, where they finished fourth at the national semifinals. This year's team features 11 of the 15 starters from that 2015 campaign and they'll be looking to build upon that result from last year, with the ultimate goal being to win the tournament.
 
A Look Ahead
Vassar will need to win both matches this weekend if they want to continue their campaign in South Carolina. A win on Saturday will give them the opportunity to play the victor of the University at Albany v. Buffalo State game, with a victory in that game being the ticket to the semifinals. Should they fall in either match, the Brewers will play their last match of the season on Sunday, November 20^th.