CASTLETON, Vt. – With a 3-1 victory over MCLA on Wednesday evening, the Castleton women's soccer team picked up its second consecutive victory and improved its record to 3-2 on the season.

Midfielders Sarah Carlson and Mallory Costello and defender Bri DiPhilippo provided the scoring for the home side. With Costello's third goal of the season, the junior joins Amy Yandow and Courtney Chadburn as the only Spartans to score 100 points in a career. 

Castleton came out from the opening whistle and immediately pushed the ball forward in attack. The squad had multiple chances in the early minutes, with nine shots in the opening 20 minutes.

In the 20th minute, the Spartans were able to break the deadlock on Carlson's fourth goal of the season. The freshman midfielder crossed the ball into the box, and multiple players knocked the ball around. Carlson then gathered the loose ball in the left corner of the box and fired a shot that sailed into the top corner of the net to give Castleton a one-goal advantage.

Three minutes later, the Spartans were able to double their lead to 2-0. The ball was knocked away from a Castleton player, landing at sophomore DiPhilippo's feet on the far side of the pitch. From 40 yards out, DiPhilippo attempted an audacious shot that beat the outstretched arms of the keeper, giving the sophomore defender her first goal of the season.

Right before halftime, a defensive lapse allowed MCLA to cut the lead in half. A turnover by Castleton led to a counter attack by the Trailblazers that ended with a deflected shot being tapped into the back of the net by Nicole Zacchio.

Castleton continued to apply pressure to the MCLA defense after break, gaining opportunity after opportunity. In the 52nd minute, DiPhilippo nearly doubled her tally with an almost identical shot, but the keeper was able to tap the ball off the crossbar and out of play.

With 18 minutes left in the match, Costello extended the lead back to two when her shot blew past the keeper and into the bottom left corner of the net. The Spartans final chance came in the 82nd minute when freshman Kiley Baran's shot ricocheted off the post.

Overall, Castleton provided a dominating and exciting performance, with 11 corner kicks and 37 shot attempts, while forcing Trailblazers keeper Katy Daly to make eight saves. Castleton's keeper Jessica Binkowski finished with four saves in a winning effort.

The Spartans will return to action this Saturday when they host Rensselaer for the first match of a men and women's soccer double header. The women's match begins at 1 pm and will be followed by the men's match against Plymouth St. beginning at 4 pm.