Poughkeepsie, NY – The Vassar College Women's Soccer team will open play in the NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon when it takes on St. Mary's-Maryland in Newport News, VA. Kick-off at Captains Field on the campus of Christopher Newport University is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. with Live Stats and video available for those unable to attend.
Tickets: Ticket prices will be $10 for adults and $5 for children (ages 17 and under) and will be available one-hour prior to kick-off of the first game each day.
How We Got Here: The Brewers hold an 11-3-5 overall record and earned the #3 seed in the 2024 Liberty League Championship. Vassar opened the season 4-0-2 over its first six games before suffering a tight 4-3 loss to then #18 New York University. The Brewers competed the Liberty League schedule with a 5-1-3 record, including a 2-1 home win over then #8 Ithaca on October 26. Vassar topped Clarkson 2-1 in the First Round of the Liberty League Championship before suffering a 2-0 loss to #11 William Smith in the Semifinal Round.
Kick-Off: The Brewers and Seahawks will meet for the first time on record when they kick-off in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, November 16. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Captains Field on the campus of Christopher Newport in Newport News, VA.
Last Time Out: The Brewers traveled to the second seed and #11 William Smith for a Liberty League Semifinal matchup and dropped a 2-0 decision to the Herons on November 8. Moira van der Putt scored the eventual game winning goal in the seventh minute and Ruth Hotaling converted a penalty kick for the Herons in the 69th minute to close out the scoring in the contest.
Lucy Hart and
Cecelia Wager led Vassar with two shots on goal apiece while
Laura Shea turned aside five shots in goal.
A Look At St. Mary's-Maryland: The Seahawks enter play on Saturday with an impressive 17-1-4 overall record. St. Mary's fi nished the United East schedule with a 7-0-1 record, but fell to top seed Penn State-Harrisburg in the conference championship game on penalty kicks. The two sides played to a scoreless draw with Penn State-Harrisburg claiming the conference crown 4-3 in kicks. The Seahawks are led by a trio of players with eight goals on the season, including
Alyssa McLane and Megan Rust who sit atop the team leaderboard with 18 points apiece. St. Mary's is outscoring its opponents 65-5 to date with goalkeeper Kyleigh Bland working to a 0.26 goals against average and a .942 save percentage.
What's At Stake: Saturday's winner will take on the winner of the John Jay and #2 Christopher Newport contest at 3:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
First Year Sensation: First Year
Alice Crowley burst onto the scene for the Brewers in 2024, leading the team with 12 goals and 27 points. Crowley scored a hat trick in her fi rst career game and earned Liberty League Rookie of the Week honors four times, including three straight weeks from September 23 through October 7. On Tuesday Crowley was named the Liberty League Rookie of the Year.
Weekly Honors: The Brewers earned six Liberty League weekly awards during the 2024 season highlighted by four Rookie of the Week honors for
Alice Crowley. Senior
Madison Bouggess was tabbed the league's Offensive Performer of the Week on Oct. 28 after scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over then #8 Ithaca. First Year
Laura Shea was named Defensive Performer of the Week on Oct. 14 after posting seven saves in a scoreless draw with then #18 William Smith.
All-Conference Accolades: The Brewers were recognized with six All-Conference selections it was announced on November 12.
Alice Crowley was named First Team and the league's Rookie of the Year with
Madison Bouggess joining Crowley as a First Team selection.
Noelle Namba and
Cecelia Wager were made Second Team picks while
Lindsey Nihei and
Rebecca Rodriguez garnered Third Team accolades.
Captains, please: The leadership group for the Brewers consists of seniors
Riley Lipman,
Noelle Namba and
London Wilkes.
Streaking: The Brewers opened the season going six straight games without a defeat and later put together a 4-0-3 stretch, including a 2-1 victory over Clarkson in the First Round of the Liberty League Championship.
Home Cookin': Vassar posted an impressive 6-2-1 record on the friendly confi nes of Gordon Field in 2024 with the only losses coming to NCAA Tournament teams NYU and Skidmore.
Comfortable On The Road: The Brewers were also comfortable away from home in 2024, posting a 5-1- 4 record. The only road blemish of the season came in a 2-0 loss at #11 William Smith in the semifinal round of the 2024 Liberty League Championship.
First Time, Long Time: The Brewers are making their second ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the first since 2018. In their last NCAA appearance, Vassar traveled to Amherst, MA and dropped a 4-1 decision to #21 MIT.
Double-Digit Dubs: The Brewers' 11 wins in 2024 mark the fi rst time Vassar has reached double-figures in victories since going 11-8-1 during the 2019 season.
The Simons File: Keith Simons is in his fourth season at the helm of the Vassar Women's Soccer program and holds a 36-19-16 overall record and a 15-9-12 mark in Liberty League play. The Brewers have earned a berth into the Liberty League Championship in three of Simons' four seasons, including a semifi nal round appearance in 2024.
