Newport News, VA – The Vassar College Women's Soccer team continues play in the NCAA Tournament Sunday afternoon when it takes on #2 Christopher Newport in the Second Round. Kick-off at Captains Field is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. with Live Stats and Video available for those unable to attend.
Tickets: Tickets will go on sale one hour prior to kick-off and will be $10 for adults and $5 for children 17 and under.
Round 1 Result: Cecelia Wager scored just under two minutes into the second half on Saturday to give Vassar its first ever NCAA Tournament win with a 1-0 victory over St. Mary's-Maryland.
Rebecca Rodriguez and
Riley McGrath picked up assists on the play and First Year goalkeeper
Laura Shea made one save in the shutout. Vassar outshot the Seahawks 17-4 and finished the game with a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.
Kick-Off: The Brewers and Captains will meet for the first time on record Sunday afternoon in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Kick-off from Captains Field in Newport News, VA is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
A Look At Christopher Newport: The Captains cruised to a 12-0 First Round victory over John Jay on Saturday and enter Sunday's tilt with a 16-1-2 overall record. Christopher Newport's lone loss of the season came in a 2-0 loss to UC Santa Cruz in the Coast-to-Coast Conference Championship, the Captains' first loss since 2019.
A potent offensive attack is led by Hanna Heaton who leads the team with 39 points on the strength of 12 goals and 15 assists. Corinne Kulik has amassed 20 points on eight goals and four assists, while Emma Ricci has totaled 19 points to date after scoring six times and assisting on seventh other goals. Lexi Hazelgrove enters Sunday's game with 16 points, scoring seven goals, with Alex Dalakis chipping in 12 points, including five tallies.
In goal, Amy Sidaway has started 17 games to date and holds a 0.44 goals against average to go along with a .759 save percentage and nine shutouts.
What's At Stake: Sunday's winner will move on to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. Vassar has reached the Second Round for the first time in program history, while Christopher Newport bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the quarterfinal round on penalty kicks a season ago.
How We Got Here: Vassar posted an 11-3-5 overall record and advanced to the Semifinal Round of the Liberty League Championship. The Brewers earned at At-Large berth into the NCAA Tournament and will make their second appearance in the national tournament in program history. The Brewers went on to beat St. Mary's-Maryland in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring their first win in the national tournament.
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 first 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 Ceceila 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 confines 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 6-1-4 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.
First Time....EVER: Saturday's win over St. Mary's marked the Brewers first ever win in the national tournament and earned the Brewers their first appearance in the Second Round.
Double-Digit Dubs: The Brewers' 12 wins in 2024 mark the first 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 37-19-16 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 semifinal round appearance in 2024.
