CASTLETON, Vt. – An early goal set the tone for the Castleton women's soccer team on Sunday afternoon as the Spartans picked up a 4-0 victory over Thomas in a North Atlantic Conference matchup at Spartan Stadium.

Makenzi Bellando's goal just 21 seconds into the contest proved to be the game-winner to help Castleton move to 4-1-1 in the NAC and 5-6-3 overall. Thomas falls to 2-9 overall this season, with a NAC mark of 2-4.

Bellando wasn't finished after her first goal, adding two more scores in the second half for her first career hat trick. Shelby McLenithan added one goal and one assist in the game, while Bronwen Hopwood had a pair of assists in the second half. Jessica Binkowski made a pair of saves in the victory, combining for the shutout with Emma Parent.

Paige Leary made eight stops in goal for Thomas, while Kayla Bess and Cassie Contigiani each registered shots on goal.

Castleton got the scoring going early, as the Spartans marched down the field and scored just 21 seconds into the contest. Bellando fielded a pass from McLenithan on the right side of the box and flicked a left-footed shot past Leary to make it 1-0 in favor of the home squad. The Spartans were held in check the remainder of the first half, as the Thomas defense cleared away multiple Spartan opportunities.

In the second half, the two sides played back-and-forth for the first 20 minutes, but in the 66th minute Bellando struck again. The rookie intercepted a Thomas pass and got in one-on-one with Leary, beating her to the right side to make it 2-0. Just 40 seconds later, Bellando again found the back of the net for her third goal of the day to push the lead to 3-0. Bronwen Hopwood dribbled the ball down the right wing and sent a cross into the box that connected with the head of Bellando to seal the hat trick. In the 70th minute, McLenithan capped the scoring with the team's fourth goal of the day on Hopwood's second assist.

Castleton had a 28-4 shot advantage, including a 12-2 edge in shots on goal. The Spartans earned nine corner kicks to Thomas's one, while the Terriers collected nine fouls to Castleton's eight.

The Spartans return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Gordon for a 3:30 p.m. contest.