POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Union College field hockey team jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first half on the way to a huge 3-1 victory over Vassar College in the team's final Liberty League game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Weinberg Field.
The win clinches a postseason berth for the fourth straight season for Union (9-6, 4-3 Liberty League), who currently sits in third place in the conference standings. The Garnet Chargers can finish either second, third or fourth depending on results from next Saturday's two conference games.
Senior
Amy Vytopilova scored a pair of goals for the second time this season to lead the visitors, including netting the game-winning goal for the second straight game. Junior
Rowan Dapson also scored for Union, as the Garnet Chargers jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead.
Vytopilova opened the scoring in the sixth minute of play, collecting the rebound of a blocked shot by sophomore
Lily Durivage and potting her seventh goal of the year. The senior struck again less than two minutes later, taking a long pass from junior
Maggie Monaghan and finding the net for a career-high eighth time this season. Junior
Tess Parker made three saves in the final minutes to keep the Garnet Chargers ahead by two after 15 minutes.
Union outshot Vassar (9-6, 4-2 Liberty League) 4-1 in the second quarter, getting a goal by Dapson to increase the advantage. The junior took a penalty corner insert from senior
Maddie Greco and ripped home a shot for her fourth goal of the year with less than two minutes remaining.
The Union defense limited Vassar to just one shot in the third quarter to keep its three-goal lead, and then held on in the fourth as the Brewers outshot the Garnet Chargers by a 7-2 margin. Sydney Yu broke up the shutout bid 2:10 into the final frame, but Parker made five stops and first-year
Nadia Michienzi added a defensive save to preserve the lead.
Parker finished the afternoon with a career-high 10 saves to earn the win. Vassar ended up with a slight 14-10 edge in total shots, while both teams earned three penalty corners.
Union will finish the regular-season slate with a pair of non-conference games at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium next week, beginning on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Kean University.
