POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (July 20, 2017) -- The Vassar College 2016-17 athletic season continued the success of the past few seasons, seeing some of the best performances in VC history. Over the next few weeks, VassarAthletics.com will take a look at some of the top individual performances of the 2016-17 season. This year though, we are going in chronological order of events, as the top 10 will be revealed in the order that they happened, not by ranking. Today, we focus on the third of our Top 10 performances, which comes from Vassar men's soccer freshman standout Mattie Mrlik in the Liberty League semifinals against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
 
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Who: Mattie Mrlik, Freshman
Where: Gordon Field, Poughkeepsie, NY vs. RPI
When: Nov. 2, 2016
Statistics: 3 Goals, 7 Shots, 4 Shots on Goal
 
The Vassar College men's soccer team came into the Liberty League playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, which was the highest seed the Brewers had attained since the 2012 season. In that 2012 year, the Brewers won a program-best 13 games while making their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament that year. Vassar would host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on a cool Wednesday afternoon on Gordon Field, looking for its first Liberty League Tournament win since that 2012 season, when the Brewers knocked off Union 3-1 in a highly contested, feisty contest.
 
The Brewers in 2016 were looking to get back to the Liberty League title game for the first time in five seasons, and with 12 wins prior to the game, VC could even its previous school mark for victories in a season. A lot was on the line for the Brewers, playing in front of a raucous crowd, and playing a rival with a lot of history between the two teams. Vassar's 2012 run through the Liberty League Tournament was ended in the title match by RPI, which claimed the title that year on penalties.
 
The would not be the case this November afternoon though, thanks to the amazing performance of freshman standout Mattie Mrlik. A marked man throughout the entire season, Mrlik came into the game with a huge black eye due to the previous game against Bard College. Mrlik wouldn't let that affect his play, though the pictures from the game portray a player that looks more like someone that just went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. Regardless, the freshman was on his biggest stage as a Brewer, and he did not disappoint.
 
Vassar dominated the early going of the game, taking the game's first six shots while earning two corners. VC nearly took the lead in the third minute, but a Tyler Gilmore header smashed off the post. In the 12^th minute though, Mrlik's first of three goals on the day would come on a header, flicking a cross from Hayden Van Brewer off the crossbar and in for the early 1-0 lead.
 
Vassar remained relentless on offense, finding the back of the cage about 10 minutes later. Jose Novas played a ball through traffic ahead to Mrlik, who rocketed a shot into the back left side of the net from the far corner of the goalie box. 
 
Mrlik, who would the league in points as a freshman, capped off his hat trick in the 36th minute, thanks to an assist from Warner. The keeper earned his first collegiate point, as his punt was misplayed by RPI's center back, allowing Mrlik to gain possession, beat the keeper and fire straight back into the net from about 10 yards out. It was the first hat trick for a Vassar player since Tom Wiechert scored three in a season-opening win over New Paltz August 30, 2013. Mrlik finished the game with three goals, taking a game-best seven shots while putting three of the four on net.
 
The Brewers would go on to win the game 3-1, and minutes later found out they would host the Liberty League title game thanks to Skidmore College advancing past top-seeded Hobart. Three days later, Vassar hoisted the title plaque with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Skidmore to capture its second Liberty League title. Mrlik would earn All-Liberty League First Team honors, along with conference and Region Rookie of the Year accolades. The Brewers made their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, falling in overtime to Elizabethtown in the opening round. Still, VC won a program-record 14 games in 2016 and return nine starters from last year's team in 2017.
 
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Over the next few weeks, VassarAthletics.com will be revealing the Top 10 Performances from last year in chronological order, not ranked in any order this year. Friday afternoon, we will release the fourth and fifth performances on the list. Make sure to follow along at www.vassarathletics.com, while getting involved on social media with Vassar Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

2016-17 Vassar Top Individual Performances
July 17 – Honorable Mentions
July 18 – Top Individual Performance #1 – Megan Caveny vs. Rochester, Oct. 6, 2016
July 19 – Top Individual Performance #2 – Devan Gallagher vs. Clarkson, Oct. 22, 2016
July 20 – Top Individual Performance #3 – Mattie Mrlik vs. RPI, Nov. 2, 2016
July 21 – Top Individual Performance #4
July 21 – Top Individual Performance #5
July 24 – Top Individual Performance #6
July 25 – Top Individual Performance #7
July 26 – Top Individual Performance #8
July 27 – Top Individual Performance #9
July 28 – Top Individual Performance #10