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AMHERST, Mass. – Vassar College women's soccer history was made on Saturday night when the Brewers played in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game.  Taking on 21^st-ranked MIT (17-2-3) in the first round, Vassar (9-8-1) saw its season come to an end with a 4-1 loss at Amherst College's Gooding Field.
 
The contest was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but was moved to a nighttime kickoff due to heavy overnight rains that also forced a location change from the natural-grass Hitchcock Field to Gooding Field, which has artificial turf.
 
MIT, which is playing in its third consecutive NCAA Tournament, got on the board in the 12^th minute when Karenna Groff snuck one past Fiona Walsh (Hackettstown, NJ).  Hailey Nichols then extended the Engineers' lead to 2-0 in the 24^th minute before Emily Berzolla's 33^rd-minute strike made it 3-0 at halftime.  Sophia Struckman then increased MIT's cushion to 4-0 with a tally in the 57^th minute.
 
With under a minute remaining in the contest, the Brewers scored to avoid the shutout.  Vassar took a free kick from the edge of the box, and Jordan Moss (Tustin, CA) placed it perfectly just under the crossbar in the top left corner.  Her second goal of the season was Vassar's only shot on target in the game, as the Brewers were outshot 22-3.
 
Walsh (8-8-1) was credited with eight saves in the loss, while Lily Mueller (17-2-3) earned the win for the Engineers.  Berzolla paced MIT offensively with a goal and an assist.  With the victory, MIT advanced to the second round against No. 14 Amherst on Sunday night.
 
Saturday's game marked Vassar's fourth matchup this season against a nationally-ranked opponent, all of which were either on the road or at a neutral site.  The Brewers also faced eight NCAA Tournament teams in 2018.