Castleton, Vt. - Castleton avoided an early round letdown and dispatched New England College with a 9-3 victory on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The top-seeded Spartans used six second half goals to propel themselves to a victory over the eighth-seeded Pilgrims.

Jess Galatioto made five saves in her 12th victory of the season while Courtney Duquette stopped 21 shots in the losing effort for the Pilgrims. Shawna Pinsonault and Rachel Preusser each scored a pair of goals and dished off a pair of assists as the Spartans earned their 13th consecutive victory over North Atlantic Conference opponents. 

Castleton got on the board in the 13th minute of play, when Blake Wardwell finished off a scrum in front of the net to put the home team up 1-0. NEC goalie Courtney Duquette saved a slew of shots right in front of the net before Wardwell slotted it in to give the Spartans a lead. 

Cody Kent tied the game for the Pilgrims when she scored in the 22nd minute. The forward finished off an attack to tie the game. The tie would only last for 1:10 as Castleton answered with a goal from Rachel Preusser just over a minute later. The senior received a pass from Pinsonault and beat Duquette to put Castleton up 2-1. Stephanie Bardell extended the Spartan lead to 3-1 with a goal off of a penalty corner in the 32nd minute. Castleton took the two-goal advantage into the halftime break.

In the second half, Castleton dominated the play, scoring five unanswered goals to take an 8-1 advantage. Pinsonault netted a pair of second half goals, while Preusser, Kristy Pinkham and Annie Towslee each netted a goal during the run.

The Pilgrims attempted to mount a comeback late in the game, as Patricia Wright and Elaine Armstrong each netted goals in the 54th and 61st minutes, respectively. Their effort proved futile though as the Castleton defense held strong and freshman Sarah Heffernan added an insurance goal in the 64th to give the Spartans a 9-3 win.

New England College's season comes to an ned as they drop to 3-17 on the year. The Spartans improve to 12-6 on the season and will take on the fourth-seeded Maine-Farmington Beavers on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in Castleton.