CASTLETON, Vt. – The Spartans dropped to 3-5-1 on the season after falling 5-0 in non-conference action to Keene St. on Wednesday evening at Spartan Stadium.

Castleton's offense started the game with momentum, and in the 17th minute, the home side had the first scoring opportunity of the game. Dameon Young received the ball 25 yards out line and rifled a shot that ricocheted off the post and was cleared by the Owls.

After break, it took only four minutes for the Owls to grab the first lead of the game when Conor Leahy notched his team-high fifth goal of the year. Eddie Mercer had the ball at the top of the box, smashing a shot that was deflected by a Spartan defender. Leahy gathered the deflection in front of the box and buried it home to give Keene St. a 1-0 lead.

The Owls scored just six minutes to double their lead when Ben Reif, amidst a scramble in front of the net, knocked the ball into the back of the net. A shot forced Castleton keeper Dan Palker to knock the ball away, causing a struggle for possession in front of the goal. Reif eventually gathered the ball and finished it for the two-goal advantage.

In the 58th minute Mercer extended the lead when his 20-yard shot from the middle of the field deflected off of a defender and past the fingertips of Palker to make it 3-0 in favor of the Owls.

Keene St. tacked on a fourth goal in the 68th minute when Brett Sullivan fired a shot from 25 yards on the far flank that curled into the top corner of the net, pushing the away side's lead to four.

Six minutes later, Anuj Khadka tacked on the fifth and final goal of the game. Khadka put a shot on goal that forced Sawyer Shane to make a defensive save; however, the Owls midfielder gathered his own rebound and chipped it over the keeper to give Keene St. a five-goal advantage.

Overall, the Owls outshot the Spartans 27 to 14, and forced the home side to make twice as many saves. Palker picked up his fifth loss of the season after making six saves with five goals allowed in 74 minutes of action. His counterpart, Mark Keller recorded his first shutout of the season with four saves en route to the victory. 

Castleton returns to action this Saturday when the team travels to Colby-Sawyer for a North Atlantic Conference match beginning at 1 pm.