POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 24, 2017) — The Vassar College men's lacrosse team opens its 2017 schedule with high hopes after finishing last season 8-8 overall, the winningest record in program history. Sixth-year head coach Marc Graham looks to lead the Brewers to the postseason for the first time in program history with the help of his two assistants, John McCreery and 2014 VC graduate Andrew Nicol.
 
"We've worked hard," Graham said. "We've got a great veteran returning group that we have some high expectations for. The biggest thing is we have some really talented young guys. Some sophomores who have risen up are starting to fill some roles, and a few of our freshman, we have high expectations for. It's been exciting."
 
The Schedule
 
Of the Brewers' 15 regular-season games, seven will be played at home in Poughkeepsie, while the other eight will be played on the road or at neutral sites.
 
Vassar's schedule is loaded with a difficult array of competition, as four opponents have been ranked within the Top 20 of the USILA/Nike Coaches' Poll for the preseason. Three Liberty League opponents landed on the list in No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology (April 22), No. 6 St. Lawrence University (April 15) and No. 14 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (April 1). Non-conference opponent Wesleyan University (March 14) is also on the preseason poll at No. 19.
 
The Brewers open the season with seven non-conference games, playing at Drew University (Feb. 25) and Swarthmore College (March 4) before facing Wesleyan (March 14) and Salve Regina (March) as part of their Spring Break trip to Florida. VC also welcomes Oneonta (March 1), Mount Saint Mary College (March 8) and Colby College (March 21) to Weinberg Field before kicking off conference play at Skidmore College on March 25.
 
"We already play one of the toughest schedules in the country, because we're in one of the toughest conferences in the country," Graham said. "Our conference is tough from top to bottom."
 
The Squad
 
After graduating three players in Nick Page, TJ Morrow and Noah Parson, Vassar welcomes 13 freshmen to this season's squad.
 
This year, the Brewers are captained by seniors Matthew Altman, Brandon DeStasio, Sam Houston-Read and Liam Moriarty.
 
Attack – The Brewers will have to fill the void of Parson, who graduated last year as the program leader in career points (178), points per game (3.24), goals (127), goals per game (2.31) and assists (51). VC returns Houston-Read, who finished last season with 51 points (27 goals, 24 assists) and 16 groundballs, along with fellow senior Chris Billups. Billups posted 16 goals last year as a junior, and sophomore Pat Gibbons, who finished with 10 points (8g, 2a) and 11 groundballs, also will compete for run with the top group. Freshmen Nick Diamond, Cole Landolt, Austin Mello and Michael Mullens will also be looking to make an impact up top.
                                                                                 
Midfield – Vassar returns a strong core in the midfield, welcoming back all three starters in DeStasio, Moriarty and 2016 Liberty League Rookie of the Year James Thomas. DeStasio finished last season with a team-leading 49 groundballs to go along with 34 points (18g, 16a); Moriarty had 30 groundballs and nine forced turnovers to go along with 35 points (13g, 22a); and Thomas grabbed 14 groundballs to go along with 36 points (24g, 12a) over just 12 games after missing time at the start of the season. Look for freshman Jonah Tuckman and TK Murphy to make contributions as well. The Brewers have a boost at the faceoff position with the return of junior Alex Georgalas. They also welcome freshmen Chandler Arney, Matthew Lowery and Cameron Erdman, who will be looking to make an immediate impact at the faceoff position.
 
Defense – The defensive unit will have a veteran crew to keep opposing offenses off-balance. The Brewers return seniors Altman, Gianni Gelormino, Austin Haymes, Brandon Klein, Steven Mages and Eric Prezioso, and will be looking for newcomers Parker Sargeant and Cooper Vorel to make contributions as well. Prezioso finished last year with a team-high 18 forced turnovers to go along with 22 groundballs; Klein forced 12 giveaways to go along with 32 groundballs; Mages forced 12 to go along with 24; and Haymes forced 10 to go along with 12.
 
"It is completely team defense," Graham said. "Everything that we do is team concept. Having so many veterans on that side of the ball allows us to do so many different things. That will make us a little unpredictable and help keep offenses off-balance."
 
Goalie – In goal, sophomore Matt Boyd and junior Erik Mikelinich look to hold down the fort. Mikelinich will be making his return after missing last season, while Boyd finished 2016 with 74 saves for a 54.4 save percentage over five starts and 10 games.
 
"This year, we're really optimistic going into the season," DeStasio said. "We have a strong senior class. We're really hungry. We've been a part of this program for four years and building, and we have a strong freshman class coming in to help back with that. We brought back another goalie who wasn't here last season, so we're really looking forward to getting after it."
 
The Strategy
 
Graham has emphasized the idea that team work does indeed make the dream work.
 
"We're a very unselfish offense," Graham said. "We play team offense. We move the ball well. We move the ball as good as any team I've ever coached. At any time, we have six guys on the field who are a threat to score. The trust that they have in each other has really developed. We make the extra pass and are confident that the next guy can score just as well as you can, and that really makes us dangerous."
 
The Brewers will be instilling this strategy throughout the season in pursuit of their first postseason appearance in program history.
 
The Start
 
Vassar opens 2017 against Drew in Madison, NJ on Saturday, Feb. 25 at noon. The Brewers are 3-2 against the Rangers all-time, having won the past three meetings. Vassar most recently toppled Drew last season 15-6, thanks in large to Parson and Houston-Read, who both registered seven points on four goals and three assists. Drew finished last season 2-13 overall and 0-6 in Landmark play, with its lone wins coming against Bard College and Moravian College.
 
"Entering the season, this is the one," Moriarty said. "We have a big senior class that came here to build this program, and I feel like this is the year we prove that. We're really excited to turn some heads around the league."