Former Fair Lawn Soccer Star Shines at the Next Level

Brittany Van Grouw's contributions to the women's soccer team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute don't appear on the scoresheet, but she's nonetheless one of the team's most vital assets.

The standout defender, who earned All-Liberty League First Team and All-East Region Second Team honors last year while spending nearly every minute of the season on the field, returns for her junior year with the Engineers as one of three team captains.

Van Grouw is a 2010 graduate of , where she played midfield. During her high school career, Van Grouw twice served as captain of the girls' soccer team and earned both All-League Honorable Mention and All-Tri County Conference Second Team honors. The civil engineering major also excelled in the classroom while at Fair Lawn, serving as a member of the National Honor Society and the French Honor Society.

Last season at RPI, Van Grouw helped the Engineers to their first winning record since 2002, leading a resurgent defense that limited opponents to just 4.41 shots on goal per game, good for fourth in the conference. 

The Engineers open the 2012 season with a four-team tournament at home this weekend. 

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