NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Castleton men's soccer team dropped a North Atlantic Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon, falling 2-1 to Colby-Sawyer on the road.

The Spartans' comeback attempt came up just short, as a late goal by Nihad Basic was not enough. Castleton is now 1-5-2 overall with the loss, and 1-1 in NAC play.

With the victory, Colby-Sawyer moves to 3-3-1 overall and 1-0-1 in conference action. The home squad used a pair of quick goals to seal the victory early in the second half. Denali Sexton and Jake Sykes each had scores for the Chargers, with Eddie Garcia assisting Sykes. Jake Towle had four saves in his second win of the season in goal for the Chargers.

The two sides went into the halftime break scoreless with both teams attempting just three shots in the opening stanza. Coming out of the half, Colby-Sawyer scored twice—just 26 seconds apart—in the 52nd minute. Sexton opened the scoring with his seventh of the season, giving his team a 1-0 lead after gaining separation from the defense and beating a charging Aaron Parker. Following the ensuing kick-off, the Chargers regained possession once more and marched down the field. A tough-angle shot by Sykes ricocheted off the hands of Parker and into the net to make it a 2-0 lead for the hosts.

In the 76th minute, Basic got the Spartans on the board with his first goal of the season. After a shot by Jack Kingdon came to Basic off the post, the senior finished it in tight to make it just a one-score game with 14 minutes remaining. The Chargers' defense would tighten up the rest of the way, allowing Castleton just two shot attempts on the way out.

The Spartans held a 13-11 shot advantage in the contest, including a 5-3 edge in shots on goal. Colby-Sawyer had a 3-2 edge in corners, while committing seven fouls to Castleton's six.

Castleton resumes play on Tuesday when it hosts Lyndon in a NAC contest at Spartan Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.