Brewers Outlast Skidmore 2-1; Clinch Fourth Seed In Liberty League Playoffs

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a postponement and then a delay, the No. 13 Vassar field hockey finally played Skidmore on Sunday afternoon. Two Brewers in Stephanie Palma (Manhasset, NY) and Nike Rizzo (Andover, NJ) scored in the 2-1 victory to hand the Thoroughbreds their first Liberty League loss. With the win, Vassar moves to 13-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference. They also secure the fourth seed in the Liberty League Tournament. Skidmore falls to 11-7 overall and 6-1 in the league. Vassar netted one of their quickest goals of the season when Palma beat the Skidmore defender and took a clear shot in front of the net at 2:46. Following the goal, the Brewers only allowed three Skidmore shot for the remainder of the half. Near the end of the first quarter, Rizzo tallied her second goal of the year. Defenses pulled through in the second quarter and kept the game scoreless at the half. The Thoroughbreds made one attempt on goal, but goalkeeper Jules Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ) turned it aside. Skidmore got on the board midway through the third quarter. Sarah Winters dished the pass to Marley Wahler at the 36th minute to make it a one score game. Soon after the Thoroughbreds continued to roll, outshooting Vassar 5-1 in the quarter. That did not carry over into the fourth, with Vassar not allowing a single Skidmore attempt. Smith finished the day with five saves, while Skidmore's Maddy Carre had one. Vassar closes the regular season on Wed. Oct. 30 with a non-conference home game against Scranton at 7 p.m. The Liberty League Championship begins on Wed. Nov. 6.