POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 28, 2016) — The Vassar College men's lacrosse team wraps up the regular season on the road at Union College on Saturday, April 30 at noon.
 
Game Details
Opponent: Union College (8-6. 3-3 Liberty)
Links: (Vassar Men's Lacrosse Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Union Men's Lacrosse Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Schenectady, NY
Facility: Frank Bailey Field
Date: April 30, 2016
Time: 12 p.m. Saturday
Links: (Live Stats) (Video)
 
Last Time Out
Vassar played to a decisive victory against Bard College in its final home game of the year. The win gives the Brewers the opportunity to make League playoffs for their first time in program history. Senior Noah Parson led the charge toward victory, capturing three goals while junior teammates Chris Billups and Sam Houston-Read each notched two more. Fellow junior Brandon DeStasio and freshmen Drew Adams, Pat Gibbons and Dekker Stebel all found a goal of their own as well. The back line remained firm all the while, turning over just ten balls. Goalkeepers Brandon Crecco and Matt Boyd played a half each with the former earning the win behind his five saves in the first half.
 
A Look at the Union Dutchmen (8-6. 3-3 Liberty)
In their own clash against Bard, the Dutchmen were clinical, outscoring the Raptors, 18-6. The attacking line was incessant in their shooting, firing 50 shots in the course of the game. Twelve players found the back of the net, as the Dutchmen took a quick 4-0 lead within the first three minutes of the game. John Edmonds, Paul Alberti, and Thomas Stanton were standout players, each notching two goals and an assist. Tom Lawton was exceptional from the faceoff, going 7-for-7 to lead Union to 18 won face-offs. Three goalkeepers took the field with Sam Bebout receiving the win behind two saves.
 
Against Union All-Time
The Brewers will look to snag their first win against the Dutchmen in their long, storied rivalry. Last year, Vassar struggled to a 12-5 loss, the closest margin they've had against Union.
 
Liberty League Standings
Vassar currently ranks fifth in the Liberty League, behind Rochester Institute of Technology (14-1, 6-0), St. Lawrence University (14-1, 5-1), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (11-3, 4-2) and Union (8-6, 3-3). The Brewers have yielded strong victories over the bottom three: Clarkson University (4-10, 2-4), Skidmore College (5-10, 1-5) and Bard (4-10, 0-6).
 
History in the Making
With their recent victory over Bard College, the Brewers once more created a piece of history, earning their most league wins in program record. This win also provides the Brewers with an opportunity to move onto the League playoffs, which would once again be a first for the program.
 
Famous Freshman
With a recent surge in attacking prowess, freshmen James Thomas has found himself in recent Liberty League praise, earning the title of Athlete of the Week. Thomas has been a consistent player in recent games, notching at least one goal against even No. 2 RIT.
 
The Prestige of Parson
Senior Noah Parson has continued to build upon a record he already broke. He eclipsed his own record of 35 goals in a season when he notched his 36^th against No. 2 RIT, and with two more goals against Bard, he pushed his season total to 39. As far as other achievements this season, Parson has also set the record for number of career points, number of season points and, should he continue his attacking onslaught, will break his own season record for points per game.
 
Clearing the Way to Victory
The Brewers have been exceptional this year in clear-attempts, averaging an 81 percent success rate. Although marginally less than their opponents, this clear-attempt percentage is the highest percentage the program has witnessed in the last five years.
 
Saving
Behind goalkeepers Brandon Crecco and Matt Boyd, Vassar has been amongst the best in the league in saves per game, averaging over 12.8 in its recent league run. The Brewers are currently ranked second behind the 13.13 saves per game of Skidmore and are over 0.5 percent better than third-ranked RIT with 12.33%
 
Sideline Assistance
With the team's recent bouts of success, head coach Marc Graham has had large praise for his new assistance coaches. John McCreery, Drew Nesmith and Dieter Treusdell have, in the words of Graham, "done such a great job...we wouldn't be in this position if they hadn't stepped up."
 
Up Next
Depending on what happens this weekend, Vassar men's lacrosse could have the chance to compete in the Liberty League Championships for the first time in program history.