Box Score
CASTLETON, Vt. – The VTSU Castleton field hockey team scored twice in the first quarter – the second coming with 14 seconds remaining in the session – and went on to its fifth straight win, 6-2, over Eastern Connecticut State University in a Little East Conference match Friday evening at Dave Wolk Stadium.
 
Sophomore Emily Downing and first-team All-LEC defender junior Jess Smithson – this past week's Little East Offensive and Defensive Players-of-the-Week, respectively -- scored three minutes part late in the first quarter – their 11^th and eighth goals of the season, respectively.  After Eastern junior Emma Sanson (Thomaston) got one back by scoring her team-leading seventh goal of the year four minutes into the second quarter, second-team All-LEC senior defender Amelia Wilson pushed Castleton's (11-4, 2-0 LEC) lead to 3-1 with three minutes left in the first half with her eighth goal of the year.
 
A winner of 11 of its last 13 this year (3-0 in overtime games) and eight of nine in the all-time series with Eastern (5-7, 1-2 LEC), Castleton is ranked second in the LEC in scoring – despite the graduation of national scoring leader (101 points) Emily Harris from 2023 -- with an average of four goals per match. During its five-game win streak, the Spartans have outscored their opponent by 29-5.
 
Down 5-1 late in the third quarter, the Warriors got one back on sophomore Sophie Ash's (Mystic) second goal of the season which by classmate Grace Barlage's (Guilford) third assist of the year.
 
Downing had two goals and Wilson three assists for Castleton.
 
A starter in all 12 matches his year, senior Kiana Webster (Raymond, ME) made seven saves while VTSU junior Zoe Martin – who has played every minute in net for the Spartans – needed only two. VTSU outshot Eastern 27-6 (the most shots allowed by the Warriors this year) and had a 19-7 advantage in penalty corners (equalling the most given up by Eastern this year).
 
Now 1-5 away from Rick McCarthy Field, Eastern visits Westfield State University (7-7 heading into a Saturday MASCAC road game) before closing the season  with conference games Oct. 26 against visiting Keene State College, Oct. 30 at Western Connecticut State University, and against visiting Plymouth State University Nov. 2 in the regular-season finale. Keene (12-3, 3-0 LEC) enters play Saturday hosting Western Connecticut and leading Castleton by a half-game in the standings.