Poughkeepsie, NY – Danny Berry (Haskell, NJ) scored with just under 10 minutes left in the second half and
Jackson Hall provided the eventual game winning goal just under 90 seconds later to send the Vassar College Men's Soccer team to an important 2-1 Liberty League victory over Ithaca Friday afternoon.
Friday's win gives Vassar two straight against the Bombers and three in the last four meetings and pushes it to 7-4-4 overall and 3-2-2 in conference play. Ithaca drops to 6-5-2 overall and 4-3-0 in Liberty League action.
Friday's win vaults Vassar into the sixth position in the Liberty League standings, but just two points clear of seventh place RPI. Only two points sperate the second position from sixth in the standings heading into games to be played on Saturday.
How It Happened
- The two sides played a scoreless first half that featured just five shots, with Vassar recording all five attempts.
- Jackson Allen (Chapel Hill, NC) recorded the only shot on goal in the half, an attempt that Ithaca keeper, Johannes Berghahn, made a sprawling save on just under 10 minutes into the contest.
- Vassar finished the opening stanza with a 5-0 advantage in shots.
- The Brewers also took the only five corner kicks awarded in the first half.
- Coming out of halftime, Ithaca opened the scoring just over four minutes into the second half.
- Jack Walker potted his first goal of the season at the 49:02 mark of the contest when he took a touch from Connor Tierney and finished off a turn-around shot to the far post to give the Bombers a 1-0 advantage.
- The one-goal lead held until the lates stages of regulation time when the Brewers scored back-to-back goals just 85 seconds apart.
- Berry evened the score when he headed home a cross from Owen Fauth (Keene, NH) at the 80:02 mark of the contest.
- On Vassar's very next shot Jackson Hall (Washington, DC) buried the game winner after he volleyed a crossing pass from Fauth to himself and drilled a shot to the upper right corner at 81:27 for what proved to be the game winning goal.
- Ithaca fired a shot over the bar with just over seven minutes left to play and was awarded a free-kick just outside the box in the closing seconds, but would not manage a shot on goal.
- Ithaca was held without a shot on frame after its goal early in the second half.
- Vassar outshot Ithaca 5-3 in the second half.
- Ithaca took the only two corner kicks of the second stanza.
For The Brewers
- Berry scored his third goal of the season and stands fourth on the team in goals and points with eight.
- Hall found the back of the net for the first time, picking up his second career game winning goal.
- Fauth assisted on both goals, pushing his season total in helpers to eight and his season point total to 20, both team highs.
- Fauth's eight assists move him into a tie for fourth on the program's single season assists list.
- Jared Fiske (Livingston, NJ) led the team with three shots.
- Vasilis Ganasoulis (Glen Head, NY) earned the win in goal without having to make a save in the contest.
For The Bombers
- Walker tallied for the first time in 2023.
- Tierney picked up his second assist of the season and moved into a four-way tie for second on the team in points.
- Berghahn finished the contest with two saves in goal.
Match Statistics
- Vassar finished the day with a 10-3 advantage in overall shots and a 4-1 edge in shots on goal.
- Corner kicks went to the Brewers, 5-2.
- Fouls in the contest were whistled 10-8 against the visitors.
What's Next
- Vassar is back in action on Wednesday for another important conference contest at RPI.
- Ithaca heads to RIT on Tuesday.
