Liberty League Championship Central | Live Stats

TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) field hockey season moves into the playoffs on Wednesday when the Engineers face Vassar College in a Liberty League Tournament Semifinals game at Weinberg Turf Field in Poughkeepsie. The contest between fourth-seeded Rensselaer and the top-seeded Brewers begins at 6pm.

RPI, which is coached by Bridget LaNoir, went 3-4 in conference play to earn the post-season berth. It tied with both Skidmore College and Ithaca College but qualified and was seeded based on tiebreakers. Vassar, which is No. 6 in the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Poll, finished first in the league with a 7-0 mark, including a 4-0 win over the Engineers on September 22 in Troy.

Since its loss to the Brewers, which saw the visitors score three times in the second half, Rensselaer is 6-4 with two of its losses coming in overtime. In its last five games, RPI is 4-1, including a pair of victories to conclude the regular season. 

Senior attack Mikaela DiBello (Mahopac, NY / Mahopac) is the offensive catalyst for the Engineers (6-11 overall), who average 1.53 goals while allowing 2.65. She has  a team-best 10 goals with an assist for a team-high 21 points in 17 games. She has at least one goal in nine games. DiBello also paces the squad in shots (53) and shots on goal (32). Classmate Casey Collette (Lunenburg, MA / Lunenburg), a captain, is second on the team with 12 points on four goals and a team-high four assists, while junior Charisse Stakutis (Concord, MA / Concord-Carlisle) is third with nine points on four goals and an assist. Three of her goals have been game-winning goals.

Taylor Clink (Binghamton, NY / Whitney Point), a senior captain, leads RPI with seven defensive saves. A defender, she also has two goals and two assists for six points with both of her goals securing victories. Senior Rachel Kaufman has started 15 of the 17 games and has a 2.32 goals against average and an .802 save percentage. Among her five wins are two shutouts.

Vassar, which is 16-1 and on a 14-game winning streak, averages 3.94 goals per game while allowing 0.41. The Brewers have seven players with at least 10 points, headed up by Megan Caveny's 31 points (10 goals, 11 assists). Emily Poehlin has a team-best 12 goals (25 points), including six game-winners. Goalkeeper Liz Rotolo has started all 17 games and has a 0.44 goals against average with a .781 save percentage. She has seven shutouts.

The winner faces either the University of Rochester, the second seed which is ranked No. 8 nationally, or third-seeded Skidmore on Saturday. The highest remaining seed hosts the championship game.