Poughkeepsie, NY – The Vassar College Women's Lacrosse team will open the 2024 season on the road Saturday afternoon when it travels to Madison, NJ to take on Drew. Opening Draw with the Rangers is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. with Live Stats and Video ($) available for those who are unable to attend.
 
At A Glance
The Brewers finished the 2023 season with a 9-7 overall record and a 5-5 mark in Liberty League play. Vassar topped St. Lawrence in the First Round of the league championship tournament 13-11 before falling on the road at Ithaca in the Semifinal Round.
 
The Brewers graduated three of their top four scorers from a season ago, including Liberty League Honorable Mention performers Maddy Kretten and Annie Uyeki. Kretten paced the Brewers a season ago in goals and points while Uyeki led the way in assists in 2023.
 
Vassar will also be tasked with replacing First Team All-Liberty League pick Trina Chou on defense. Chou finished second on the squad in 2023 in both caused turnovers and groundballs and added six points on the offensive side.
 
Attack/Midfield
Vassar welcomes back Second Team All-Liberty League selections Reilly Mulcahy (Arlington, VA) and Emma Torkelson (Madison, NJ) in 2024. Torkelson finished the 2023 season with 34 goals and 47 points to go along with 41 groundballs and 31 draw controls, while Mulcahy potted 24 goals and finished second on the team with 38 draw controls.
 
Catherine Peacock (Stockton, NJ) is back after leading the Brewers in draw controls in 2023 with 49 with Tess Billings (Deerfield, IL) returning after posting 15 goals and 27 draw controls as a First Year. Lola Wright (Palisades, NY) closed a strong 2023 season with 15 goals, 22 draws and 14 groundballs.

Vassar also returns Livia Shine (Montville, NJ) who totaled 20 groundballs and 11 caused turnovers in 2023, Kali Ringler (North Andover, MA) who posted seven points and 20 groundballs and Natalie Daigle (Warwick, NY) who totaled 11 points.
 
The Brewers will look for offensive support from Sloan Shade (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Karina Gyllenhaal (Beverly, MA), Emma Larson (Ramsey, NJ) and Phoebe Florance (Oakland, CA) in 2024.
 
The Brewers welcome in a talented group of newcomers in 2024 in Emilia DiLiberto (Allison Park, PA), Siena Wong (Scotts Valley, CA), Amelia Poirier (Atherton, CA), Maeve Faigel (North Andover, MA) and Sigrid Fredlund (Settle, WA).
 
Defense
The Brewers return a quartet of players with collegiate experience on the backline in 2024 led by Riley Kelly (Syosset, NY) who started all 16 games in 2023, forcing six turnovers and picking up 16 groundballs. Vassar also welcomes back juniors Julia Lawless (Valley Stream, NY), who missed the 2023 season due to injury, Faith Kim (Burnsville, MN) and Emily Stoff (Lambertville, NJ).
 
Five newcomers will look to help anchor the defensive unit in 2024 with First Years Whitney Rowan (Bronxville, NY), Olivia Del Tatto (Bayville, NY), Amanda Hahn (LaGrange, IL), Emily Kallman (Jamestown, RI) and Norah Flinn (Cranston, RI) entering the fold for the Brewers.
 
Goalie
Three netminders are back from last season's squad, headlined by Lauren Johns (Havertown, PA) who started all 16 games and finished the season with 143 saves and a .444 save percentage. Bree MacMullen (Medford, NJ) appeared in nine games and stopped 11 shots, while Maddie Busam (Summitt, NJ) saw action in three contests as a First Year.
 
First Year Cassidy Schuchat (Hopewell Junction, NY) joins the goalie corps in 2024 after being named All-League in 2022 and 2023 and Section 1 Golden Dozen as a senior at nearby John Jay High School.
 
Head Coach
Head Coach Judy Finerghty is back on the sidelines for a 31^st season in Poughkeepsie and has led Vassar to 200 career victories. Finerghty has been named the Liberty League Coach of the Year five times with the most recent honor coming in 2014.

Preseason Outlook
The Brewers were voted sixth by the Liberty League Coaches in the annual preseason poll. William Smith, coming off its seventh straight league title, was the unanimous choice to top the league in 2024.

The Schedule
Vassar begins the year with three of its first four contests on the road. The home opener is set for February 27 against Farmingdale State and is the first of seven home games in 2024.
 
Liberty League play begins on March 16 against Clarkson with the Brewers also hosting league rivals Skidmore (3/27), Rochester (4/5), RIT (4/6) and Union (4/13) as well as non-conference foe Endicott on March 20.
 
Conference road games include trips to St. Lawrence, Bard, Ithaca, RPI and William Smith.