Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - The third-seeded Vassar College Field Hockey team begins its Liberty League title defense on the road on Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. as the Brewers will take on second-seeded Union in a 2026 Liberty League Championship semifinal matchup at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
Quick Glance
- Vassar enters the postseason with a 9-7 overall record and a 4-3 mark in Liberty League play.
- The Brewers have faced off with five nationally-ranked foes and have earned wins over #17 Ithaca and #9 Stevens.
- VC has also played five games beyond regulation with two shootout victories and one double overtime win.
- Vassar ranks fifth in the conference in goals allowed at 1.69 and seventh in the league in goals scored.
A Look at Vassar
- Sophomore Julia Morris leads the team in goals with six and points with 13 while classmate Sydney Yu is second in both categories with five goals and 12 points.
- Senior Karina Hoffman is tied for second on the squad in goals with five along with sophomore Sophia Jammar tallying three goals and three points.
- Junior Mackenzie Allen is fourth in goals with four while sophomores Autumn Dowiak and Audrey Izzo are tied for the team lead in assists with three apiece.
- Morris and Yu both have scored a team-high three game-winning goals while Dowiak has the other game-winning tally.
- Senior Anna Hazewindus leads the team in defensive saves with three while junior Ava Salvati has recorded one defensive save.
- First year Kendra Pitts and senior Grace Wiley have split the majority of the time in goal for the Brewers.
- Pitts holds a 1.41 goals against average in 509:25 of action and has made 42 saves to go along with a save percentage of 0.778.
- Wiley registers a 1.50 GAA in 440:54 of action in net while making 26 saves and holding a save percentage of 0.703.
Scouting the Garnet Chargers
- Union begins the 2026 postseason with an 11-6 overall mark and a 4-3 record against conference rivals.
- Maddie Greco leads the team in goals with 11 and points with 27 while Amy Vytopilova is second in goals with 10 and points with 22.
- Caroline Ranucci is the team leader in assists with nine and ranks third in points with 17.
- Rowan Dapson and Rachel Ostiguy have each scored five goals while Katelyn Birnbaum and Reese Fendelet have each recorded eight points.
- Vytopilova leads the team in game-winning goals with three along with Dapson and Ostiguy scoring two game-winners each.
- Nadia Michenzi and Amelia Stevens have each earned a defensive save.
- Tess Parker has started 11 games in goal this season and has made 52 saves to go along with a 2.30 goals against average and a .693 save percentage.
- Marion Stuntz has appeared in nine games in net and has made 21 saves while posting a goals against average of 2.43.
Regular Season Matchup
- Vassar fell 3-1 at home against Union on Saturday, October 24 as the Garnet Chargers scored all three goals in the first half and held on for the road conference victory.
- Vytopilova scored two goals about two minutes apart in the opening quarter followed by Dapson's tally before the end of the half to make it 3-0.
- Yu scored the lone Vassar goal in the fourth quarter.
- Parker made 10 saves in goal to lead the Garnet Chargers to a key conference victory.
League Leaders
- Greco ranks tied for fourth in the conference in goals and Vytopilova is tied for sixth in the same category.
- Greco is fifth in points and Vytopilova is seventh in points.
- Morris, Yu and Vytopilova are tied for third in the conference in game-winning goals.
- Hazewindus is tied for second in the league in defensive saves.
- Parker is fifth in the Liberty League in goals against average.
Recent History Against Union
- Union holds a 24-16 record against Vassar all-time dating back to 1988.
- Vassar has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including last season's conference championship victory over the Garnet Chargers.
- The Brewers have won the last four meetings in Schenectady.
Recent Championship History
- Vassar has clinched a berth into the Liberty League Championship for 11 out of the last 12 seasons (no championship in 2020).
- The Brewers have hoisted three championship trophies in 2018, 2021 and 2025.
- Vassar upended #9 Rochester, 1-0, to earn its first Liberty League title in 2018.
- VC collected its second conference crown in 2021 when the Brewers toppled Ithaca on the road 1-0 in overtime.
- The third conference title for Vassar came last season following a 4-2 win over Union.
What's At Stake
- The winner of this semifinal matchup will take on the winner of the semifinal between fourth-seeded Rochester and top-seeded RPI on Sunday afternoon for the league crown.