Box Score CASTLETON, Vt. – In yet another team effort, six different Castleton University players scored more than one goal as the Spartans completed their sixth straight perfect conference season with a 21-3 victory over Green Mountain College Monday afternoon in a North Atlantic Conference women's lacrosse game at Spartan Stadium.
Senior Ashley Pelkey enjoyed a career scoring game with four goals and two assists for six points, while junior Nadine Downing improved upon her career-high scoring total for the second straight game, also scoring four goals. Tiffany Danyow earned two goals and four assists, Grace Johnson and Emily Cross finished with two goals and two assists apiece, and Megan Wood also scored twice to go along with three ground balls and six draw controls.
It took the Spartan offense a while to get on track before Johnson found Downing for the first goal of the game 5:23 into the contest. After Cross scored two minutes later, it took another five minutes for Castleton to once again find the back of the net. Midway through the first half, Johnson assisted on a goal by Danyow before scoring an unassisted goal of her own, and then Downing earned her second goal of the match to give the Spartans a 5-0 lead.
Green Mountain (1-11, 1-8 NAC) broke through on a free position shot by Sophya Fuccione, but Wood answered just 1:11 later. Pelkey scored consecutive goals, and then Danyow found Cross for her second goal of the game just 10 seconds after Pelkey's second goal. Only 18 seconds later, Fuccione converted on her second free position goal of the game.
The Spartans would break away in the final minute of the first half on goals by Erin Shuttle, Downing, and Pelkey. In the second half, Hannah Braman earned her 14th goal of the season, Bre Babiarz was successful on a free position shot, and Pelkey assisted on back-to-back goals by Nicolle Trivino and Sabrina Hosner.
Castleton enjoyed a 55-6 shot advantage and would have scored more goals if not for the exploits of Green Mountain goalie Chelsea Wimble, who finished with 21 saves. The Spartan goalies were not threatened as much, as Samantha Hebb was not credited with a save despite playing 48:30 of the match and Bria Willis collected just one save in 11:30 of action.
Castleton (9-6, 9-0 NAC) wraps up the regular season with a non-conference game against Worcester State Thursday, April 27, at 7 p.m. at Spartan Stadium. The game was originally scheduled to take place March 16, but was postponed due to snow.
