POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – After going into halftime tied 1-1, the No. 8 Vassar field hockey team erupted for four second half goals to roll to a 5-1 non-conference victory over New Paltz on Saturday afternoon. Five different Brewers scored in the win, with sophomore Heidi Zahnleuter scoring in her third straight game. Vassar now sits at 3-0, while New Paltz slips to 2-2.

The Brewers struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, being outshot 9-5 by the Hawks. Vassar gave up a rare early goal a minute in when Shannon Bernhardt made a clean cross to a wide open Morgan Gunter on the right side of net. Gunter faced no competition and connected for the opening score. Vassar continued to struggle getting its offense moving, but four minutes later Grace Amell (West Hartford, CT) made a quick pass to Niki Rizzo (Andover, NJ) on the inside right of the circle. Rizzo then was able to chip the ball in to tie things up 1-1 at 4:54.

New Paltz continued to control the first half after the Vassar score, taking six shots and three corners in the second quarter. Freshman goalkeeper Jules Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ) did not break though, tallying four saves before halftime.

Vassar only took one shot in the third quarter, but it was all that was needed to take the lead. At the 39^th minute, Zahnleuter crossed the Hawks' defender on the right inside of the New Paltz circle. With only the goalkeeper to beat, she flicked the ball over her opponent to put the Brewers up 2-1. New Paltz heated up soon after, firing off five shots, but the defense would not break. Smith made another save at 41:30, and junior Ally Aquilina-Piscitello (Lexington, MA) recorded a key defensive save in the final minute of the third.



The fourth quarter was a completely different game. The Brewers went on to outshoot the Hawks 10-1 and rattled off three more goals. Two minutes in, senior Cristina Lopez (Timonium, MD) found the ball on a breakaway in the midfield. New Paltz's goalkeeper was out of position, but a Hawks' defender tripped up Lopez on her shot. The ball found its way to senior Stephanie Palma (Manhasset, NY), who was able to chip the shot in.

Vassar scored again at 54:21 when Lopez snuck a pass through the Hawks' defense to freshman Ella Pearl (San Francisco, CA). Pearl hit the ball in for her first-career goal. The Brewers' final score came in the last two minutes of play. Palma inserted the ball in off a penalty corner, but Vassar was unable to initially get a shot off. After a scramble in front of the net, the ball rolled to senior Rylie Pope (San Diego, CA) about ten yards out. Before the defense could react, Pope hit the ball into net to seal the game 5-1.

Smith finished the game with six saves and tallies her second win of the season. Junior Madison Maguire (North Kingstown, RI) also played some time in net in the fourth. New Paltz's Ryan Dowling recorded six saves. Lopez led Vassar with two assists.

Vassar welcomes Western Connecticut State on Wed. Sept. 11 next. They face the Colonials at 7 p.m. on Weinberg Field.