Vassar College Men
Poughkeepsie, NY
Sunday October 29^th, 2017
 

Vassar Men Head to Divisional Championship Game
Last weekend the Vassar Men defeated SUNY-New Paltz in their regular season match-up. It was a game they had to win to earn home field advantage and they did so by a 44-12 margin. But if truth be told the Brewers had been poor in defense falling off multiple tackles but scrambling back to thwart the New Paltz attack. On this wet and rainy day the priority was defense and it made a marked difference as Vassar held the Hawks scoreless.

 
Sunday October 29^th, 2017
Vassar College Men  43 v 0 SUNY-New Paltz Men
Tries: Gary Garcia (2), George Sheppard (1), Joe Simon (2), Stephen Kpundeh (2).
Cons: Stephen Kpundeh (4).

 
Last year Vassar was defeated by SUNY-New Paltz in the regular season and again in the Divisional Championship game. This year Vassar needed to get past New Paltz to get to the divisional final and that they did with a solid win at the Farm 43-0. It was a game built on a strong defensive performance and each player can take pride in their individual efforts particularly on defense.



The Vassar forwards dominated the scrum set piece from start to finish and shunted the New Paltz 8 back consistently. Number 8 Rob Eder and scrumhalf Gary Garcia did a much better job this week of using the scrum possession won and this gave the Brewers the platform they needed to launch their attacks. Kudos to Dale Lord, Louis Brown and Mike Cardenas for their work in the front row.


New Paltz was their own worst enemy as they sought to play a wide open offloading game on a day that cried out for discipline and direct running. The rain came down hard particularly early in the second half and the ball was slithering around allover the place when New Paltz players passed it.


The key to Vassar's success when they had the ball was to do the simple things very well. Leg drive, ball placement and close support were there for all to see. As long as the Brewers held on to the ball they were a threat.


A brace of tries for Garcia, Joe Simon and Stephen Kpundeh was the reward for a team effort as all 15 players worked hard to defend and then use the ball judiciously when it was theirs.


Simon and Kpundeh made line breaks courtesy of well timed passes from Nick Olkovsky. However, there were several occasions when these 3 had a rush of blood to the head and they went completely off script moving the ball through the hands and jeopardizing the team's efforts. Good teams are disciplined teams and no doubt a video review will highlight the better course of action.


Vassar scored 4 tries in the first half to lead 26-0 and Garcia had gone over from close range followed by Sheppard alertly taking a tap penalty and diving in. Joe Simon's brace followed as the midfield defense of New Paltz was found wanting for the second week in a row.


The rain lashed down as the second half began and it was going to take a miracle for New Paltz to fashion a comeback and score 4 tries. There was no miracle for the cross-river rivals and Vassar added to their tally scoring another 3 tries through Garcia and Kpundeh.



The Divisional Championship next weekend at Vassar on Sunday, November 5, 2017 will pit the Brewers up against the one team that has beaten them this year, SUNY-Maritime. Vassar lost on the road there by a single point 20-19 and this coming Sunday they have an opportunity for redemption. Let there be no doubt that another even better defensive performance will be necessary.



Team: 15 Nate Cuson 14 Josh Espada 13 Stephen Kpundeh 12 Joe Simon 11 Theo Lewis-Lawrence 10 Nick Olkovsky  9 Gary Garcia 1 Mike Cadenas 2 Louie Brown 3 Dale Lord 4 George Sheppard 5 Nick Crooks 6 Kaden Wood 7 Evan Roberts 8 Rob Eder.


Overall record: 7-1-0
 
Next: Sunday November 5^th, 2017 versus SUNY-Maritime at Vassar College Farm kick-off 1:00 pm