Poughkeepsie, NY – The #20 Vassar College Women's Soccer team opens play in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon when it takes on Mary Washington on the campus of Williams College. Live Stats and Video will be available for those unable to attend the 1:30 p.m. kick-off from Cole Field in Williamstown, MA.
Tickets: Tickets for the First and Second Rounds can be purchased in advance by
clicking here. Fans are encouraged to purchase in advance. Tickets prices are as follows, prices listed include $1 fee for online purchase:
Adults: $7 | Students and Seniors $4 | Children ages 2-12 - $3
How We Got Here: Vassar claimed its first ever Liberty League Championship on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over RIT. First Year
Ava Holman scored late in the first half and sophomore goalkeeper
Laura Shea made four saves, including one in the final minute, to preserve the victory.
In the semifinal round,
Gianna Panarelli scored just 20 seconds into overtime to send Vassar past Ithaca, 1-0. Shea held the Bombers off the board with four saves in goal.
Kick-Off: Vassar and Mary Washington will square-off for the first time on record Saturday afternoon at Cole Field on the campus of Williams College. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Scouting The Eagles: Mary Washington enters play on Saturday with a 12-3-4 overall record and is coming off a 1-0 loss to UC Santa Cruz in the Semifinal Round of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship. Prior to the defeat at the hands of the Banana Slugs, the Eagles were unbeaten in their previous eight contests (5-0-3), including a 1-0 win over then #3 Christopher Newport, and had not dropped a decision since a 2-0 loss at then #22 Johns Hopkins on October 1.
The Eagles feature four players with at least 11 points on the season, led by 27 on the strength of nine goals, five of which are game winners, and nine assists from Maci Landel. Emily Box and Ellen Shine have each scored five times and sit with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Layla Royster checks in with 11 points for Mary Washington, scoring four times and assisting on three other goals.
In goal, Emily Orn has started 17 games and played 1,370:46 of a possible 1,702:01 to date in 2025. Orn has turned aside 30 opponent shots, recorded six shutouts and is working to a .789 save percentage and a 0.53 goals against average.
What's At Stake: The winner of the Vassar and Mary Washington contest will meet either #10 Williams or John Jay in the Second Round on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Last Time Out: Ava Holman scored late in the first half and
Laura Shea made four saves in goal as Vassar topped #3 seed RIT 1-0 in the Liberty League Championship Final. The Brewers, who claimed their first ever league crown, outshot RIT 14-13 in the game overall and 6-4 in shots on goal.
Back-To-Back Rookies Of The Year: Vassar has had the last two Liberty League Rookie of the Year winners in
Ava Holman (2025) and
Alice Crowley (2024).
Do I Know You?: Not only have
Alice Crowley and
Ava Holman won the last two Rookie of the Year awards while suiting up for Vassar, the duo were also High School teammates while playing at John Burroughs in St. Louis, MO.
Weekly Honors: Vassar finished the 2025 season winning 16 Liberty League Weekly Awards.
Ava Holman (1) and
Gianna Panarelli (3) were named Offensive Performer of the Week, Ceclia Wager, Laurea Shea and
Lindsey Nihei (2) all earned Defensive Performer of the week honors and Holman (5),
Elena Valle (2) and
Sonya Franklin were all tabbed Rookie of the Week.
All-Conference Accolades: Vassar featured eight All-Conference honors in 2025 and added the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
Riley McGrath,
Gianna Panarelli,
Rebecca Rodriguez and
Lindsey Nihei were all First Team selections.
Ava Holman was a Second Team pick and the league's Rookie of the Year while
Sonya Franklin, Laurea Shea and
Cecelia Wager were all selected to the Third Team.
Captains, please: Lily Brigman,
Riley McGrath,
Lindsey Nihei and
Rebecca Rodriguez are serving as team captains for the 2025 season.
Streaking: The Brewers enter play on Saturday riding a five-game win streak, including a pair of 1-0 victories in the Liberty League Championship Tournament.
Home Cookin': Vassar has turned Gordon Field into a true home field advantage. In 2025, the Brewers posted a 9-2 home record and over the last two seasons hold a 15-4-1 record at home.
Comfortable On The Road: The Brewers are also impressive while playing away from home over the past two seasons. Heading into Saturday's tilt, Vassar is 13-3-4 in true road games or neutral site contests covering the 2024 and 2025 seasons, including an impressive 7-1 mark to date this year.
Good To Be Back: Vassar is making its third ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and makes consecutive appearances in the National Tournament for the first time in program history.
First Time....EVER: After winning its first ever NCAA Tournament game with a 1-0 First Round win over St. Mary's in 2024, the Brewers claimed their first ever Liberty League Title in 2025.
Best Start Leads To Program Record: Vassar started the season with five straight wins, the best start in program history, and enters Saturday's contest with a program record 16 victories.
Double-Digit Dubs: 2025 marks the second straight year that Vassar has reached double-digit victories and the 11th time since the start of the 1995 season.
Ranked: Vassar has been ranked inside the Top-25 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll in seven out of the 10 polls to date. Vassar is currently ranked #20 and rose to as high as #17 on October 14.
The Simons File: In his fifth season leading Vassar,
Keith Simons holds a 53-23-16 record. Simons guided Vassar to its first ever Liberty League Championship and program record win total in 2025 and its first ever NCAA Tournament victory in 2024. Simons has mentored 27 All-Conference selections in his tenure, including the Liberty League Rookie of the Year in 2024 and 2025.
