Brewers Ranked Eighth In National Preseason Poll

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Vassar field hockey team begins the 2019 season with a national ranking, checking in at No. 8 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll. The Brewers finished 2018 ranked No. 5 in the nation. Vassar is coming off its most successful season in program history after going 18-2 overall and 7-0 in the conference. The Brewers won their first-ever Liberty League title when they defeated Rochester in the championship game and also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Brewers lost seven seniors to graduation, including All-American Monica Feeley, but return a strong core with the addition of six newcomers. On offense, seniors Cristina Lopez (five goals, six assists), Rylie Pope (five goals, three assists), and Sam Plante (five goals, one assist) are the top Vassar scorers back in 2019. Senior Liz Rotolo returns and started all 20 games in goal last season. She recorded 33 saves with a 0.42 goals against average. Junior Ally Aquilina-Piscitello joins Rotolo on the backline and was second on the team with three defensive saves in 2018. The Liberty League preseason coaches' poll was also released by the conference office Tuesday morning, and the defending Liberty League champion Vassar field hockey team was picked second. The Brewers earned 43 points and tied Rochester with four first-place votes. The Yellowjackets just edged Vassar at 46 points. Ithaca and Skidmore tied for third with 34 points, while William Smith was fifth at 22 points. RPI, Union, and St. Lawrence rounded out the poll to take the final three spots. The 2019 season opens this Friday with the 31st Annual Betty Richey Tournament at Vassar's Weinberg Field. The Brewers face Stevens at 4 p.m. and then will play in either the consolation or championship game on Saturday. Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll Rank Institution Points 1 Middlebury College 829 2 Tufts University 744 3 Rowan University 708 4 Messiah College 701 5 Johns Hopkins University 610 6 The College of New Jersey 577 7 Salisbury University 558 8 Vassar College 531 9 University of Rochester 477 10 Franklin & Marshall College 399 11 Williams College 331 12 Trinity College 328 13 Montclair State University 303 14 Babson College 256 15 Bowdoin College 253 16 Christopher Newport University 196 17 Washington & Jefferson College 157 18 Hamilton College 156 19 Ursinus College 132 20 Amherst College 100